The good, the bland and the ugly in fashion this autumn

Confused by trends, clueless about culottes and clunky shoes? Our fashion forecaster Annmarie O’Connor is here to help.

It’s October and it’s wet. It’s also somewhat humid; not the brisk clime with which one associates late autumn. Call it an Indian summer hangover. Call it global warming. I prefer the term ‘sartorial limbo’.

Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house in a wool coat and boots, the sun arrives unannounced, like loud in-laws on a Sunday morning, prompting much in the way of perspiration, discomfort and general confusion. Not to be bested by the crafty harridan that is Mother Nature, fashion forecasters have responded to our purgatorial cries with a redux of trends that are experiencing a popular revival.

Like ’em or loathe ’em, these polarising pieces are proving their style gravitas, despite their detractors. If you think they’re buying a one-way ticket out of Fashionville any time soon, think again. These trends are here for the long haul.

Let’s start with the retro hybrid also known as the culotte. Neither a skirt nor a trouser, the culotte is more of a split skirt that moonlights as a long short or a cropped pant.

Non-committal and thus easily translatable to any occasion, the culotte bridges the seasonal divide with unmitigated aplomb, circumlocuting formal dress codes like a seasoned charlatan. Got a swanky dinner to attend? Just add heels. Don’t fancy wet hemlines on the morning work commute? Pair with flatties for wipe-clean ankles. Done and done.

As the name suggests, the culotte (or culottes) is French in origin, popularised by our Gallic counterparts during the reign of Henry III and worn by upper-class gents from the late Middle Ages. The clever cross-breed then found expression in the Victorian era for women who enjoyed the freedom (and modesty) a split skirt could bring while horse riding side-saddle.

Fast forward to the 1970s where housewives co-opted the trend for a progressively pacier lifestyle that allowed for physical activities from cycling to gardening while still appearing ‘dressed’.

The 2.0 culotte shares the same practical nous: the easy-to-wear silhouette marries function and femininity with a slim divorce rate if the spring/summer 15 catwalks are any indication. Gucci, Jil Sander and Giorgio Armani refuse to part ways with this wardrobe mistress. Consider this less of a trend and more of a love affair.

As with most fairytales, there’s always an unsightly yet loveable ogre who makes a heart-stealing cameo. Enter the ugly shoe. As trends go, the presence of the ugly shoe looms large; its cleated rubber sole and utter lack of refinement central to its charm.

It’s the anti-stiletto; a semiotic smoke signal that says ‘Sex appeal is overrated; I’ll take an order of cool please, with fries.’ Take the Birkenstock, for example. Once the mainstay of tree huggers and liberal arts professors, the thick-strapped sandal has become the new normal thanks to Parisian luxury Céline. Having released the ‘Furkenstock’ (a fur-lined Birkenstocks) in 2012, opinion was divided. Hardcore early adapters snatched up the shoe at $850 a pop. By the following season, traditional Birkenstocks were soon spotted on fashion-forward celebrities like Mary-Kate Olsen, Alexa Chung; by the third season they were stocked in high street shoe stores with mass market brands creating their own replicas. Expect to see the orthopaedic footgear maintain its popularity throughout autumn/winter 14 (shearling-lined and closed toe, of course) and well into spring/summer 15 with comfy cohorts such as the flatform brogue (Thank you, Stella McCartney) and Danish mule.

By this stage the equally divisive sock and heel trend (one which peaks at regular intervals) will have assumed the trend baton. From Bora Aksu to Christian Dior and Rochas, designers continue to fashion a creative compromise when it comes to the question of bare tootsies (or a neglected pedicure).

Think less Lolita; more luxe casual — a way to dial down the ‘dress up’ factor and inject some spring in your step. Perhaps don’t wear them to the office just yet.

If the pressure of trophy dressing is all too much and you’d prefer to throw fashion some shade, Normcore continues to pave the path of least resistance. The term (a hybrid of normal and hardcore) was coined by a New York trend agency to describe people looking to fit in rather than stand out — anti-fashion if you will. Normcore items include, but are not limited to: pool sliders, ‘dad sneakers’ (see New Balance), cargo pants, ‘mom’ jeans; unbranded sweatshirts and gym socks. Ironically, the ultra-conformist ease of Normcore has become a style statement in itself; one consciously co-opted by the fashion cognoscenti with no sign of disappearing. Bland is the new black — who knew?

Should you be one to take umbrage with oversized, shape-swamping silhouettes, you may want to loosen that judgment belt a tad. Amplified, maximalist, supersized, borrowed from the boys , ‘the bigger the better’ mantra has cast a prodigious shadow over fashion’s long-term forecast with blanket and carpet coats; cocoon and balloon shapes trending well into A/W 16 (source: www.TrendCouncil.com ). Imagine it as a built-in aerodynamic filter against sudden wind gusts with traction and cornering abilities. Granted, this is not a boon for petite frames but think of the upside. Could the tyranny of body con dresses, Spanx and iPhone-bending skinny jeans be a thing of the past? Cue: round of applause.

That said, it’s not like we can even call it anymore — not in an age where social media has redefined trendsetting with a click or swipe. Fashion historian James Laver did attempt in 1937 to quantify how style is viewed over the years with his eponymous Laver’s Law. Trends become dowdy, according to Laver, a year after being in fashion; hideous after 10 and ridiculous after 20. Not until 50 years later does a trend begin to appear appealing again.

With the alloy of technology and celebrity part and parcel of contemporary culture (almost 80 years later), trends now have a much stronger lifespan; not to mention a recycle function that lends itself to frequent comebacks. And let’s face it, everyone loves a comeback. Now, where did I put my harem pants.