2015 in fashion, by Liana Gow-Killingbeck

December 22, 2015

It’s time for somethingyousaid.com’s legendary end of year review, where we tell you what’s been floating our boat over the last twelve months! Over the upcoming days we’ll bring you our top albums, songs, films and TV shows. To get us started, our resident farshun expert Liana Gow-Killingbeck talks us through 2015 in fashion.

What a wacky year 2015 has been in fashion land. There’ve been some groovy highlights, cringe-worthy fails, as well as some totally ‘meme-worthy’ moments. Let’s reminisce, shall we?

Now, I’ll bet you my last Tim Tam that at some point in February, you held up your phone and took a glimpse at a hideously layered formal dress in order to determine whether it was indeed gold and white, or blue and black.

#Thedress went viral; with people across the globe broadcasting on social media which colour combination they saw when looking at the tacky garment (that hopefully since has been burned).The award for Queen of the Red Carpet in 2015 had to go to Rihanna. Not only did she dress up like a giant toilet paper cozy doll (much akin to the one my Nan used to have in her loo), but she also wore a dress to the Met Gala with a train made entirely out of pizza. I know right, ahhhmazing.

In case you missed the memo, as far as models go well, 2015 basically revolved around two young American birds known as Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner or #KenGi.

You couldn’t escape these ladies even if you wanted to…they even infiltrated the Victoria Secrets Fashion Show. I for one have dealt with their omnipresence with a drinking game.

Here’s the rules, y’all:

1. Take a shot every time you see an article on Kendall Jenner’s ‘Off-Duty Style’

2. Take a shot every time you see an article on Gigi Hadid’s latest relationship/love interest dilemma

3. Take a shot every time you see Gigi and Kendall in a photo together #squadgoals #bfffff

4. Take a shot every time you see Kendall or Gigi promoting Balmain/BalmainxHM

Guarantee you’re gonna be drunk by 11 am, especially if you follow Vogue or Elle Magazine on Facebook.

Trends and fashion show wise, 2015 has been quite the mixed bag. Most notably, several designer’s skipped back a few centuries to a Victorian era in order to find their inspiration.

High collared necks, oversized sleeves with lace and ruffles popped up here, there and everywhere in both Fall ’15 and Spring ’16 collections.

Lace-ups and mules ruled footwear, lingerie and sleepwear became the hip, new eveningwear and off the shoulder square silhouettes dominated both high end and fast fashion brands.

The show of the year was inarguably the Valentino RTW Fall ’15 collection. The show closed with the ultimate catwalk strut-off between the really, really, ridiculously good looking Derek Zoolander and Hansel. The genius PR stunt caused such a stir that people who don’t give two shits about fashion even noticed, generating hype for not only the upcoming Zoolander film (yay!), but for the Valentino brand and Paris Fashion Week itself.

News wise, this year there has been a lot of switcheroos and see-ya-laters in relation to high fashion creative directors.

Alexander Wang gave the finger to Balenciaga as he literally danced his way through his final collection in September. The designer’s aesthetic was believed by many to be mismatched to the brand. His final range seemed to be a big “fuck you”, as the designs, closer to resembling resort than ready-to-wear, took to the runway alongside Biggie’s Going Back to Cali (a downright uproarious choice for a Balenciaga show).

Now I don’t know about you, but that to me seemed like A-Wang was sending the sassy message, “Later you uptight Frenchies, I’m going back to America where we can scuff around in ivory pajamas and not give a fuck”.

Comparatively in a departure most surprising, Raf Simmons stepped down at Dior due to “personal reasons”. The designer starred in the documentary Dior and I at the beginning of his tenure, and afterward gained an eager following. His withdrawal prompted fashion lovers to reconsider the pace of the industry, and the toll it takes on those behind its creative direction and innovation.

After a 14-year stint at Lanvin, the beloved Alber Elbaz, who during his reign put the brand back on the map, was controversially given the boot in October. His fellow employees and dedicated fans were completely devastated. Everyone’s still trying to guess what happened there, as the brand’s rumoured to be on the market.

On a more positive note, let’s talk Gucci. Earlier this year, unknown designer Alessandro Michele was appointed creative director of the label and since then has seriously revamped its image. Gucci is hip, hop and happenin’ once more! The designer has even bagged the prestigious International Designer of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards. Neat, huh?

Lastly, it’d be wrong not to bring up the craziest retail fashion moment of the year, the Balmain X H&M extravaganza! Thousands of shoppers all over the world camped for hours outside the chain store in the hopes of getting their thirsty paws on a garment. The collection sold out in store in hours, the H&M website crashed, the retailers feared for the life of their workers, and the shoppers bragged the shit out of their beaded blazer purchases on social media #HMbalmaination. Consequently, a dozen brilliant memes resulted.
I just love the Internet sometimes, don’t you?So there you have it, a fashion filled summary of 2015. Yes, it’s been a pretty good one. Yet I for one am as keen as Kardashian fan at a Kookai sale for what fashion will bring in 2016. Both Zoolander AND Ab Fab will be hitting up the silver screen. I’m predicting it’s going be a year in celebration of ostentatious style, Blue Steel and champers for breakfast.