THE MEMO
The state of being busy has landed on the catwalk, bringing with it an intentional decision to abandon polish and embrace the messiness of modern life
LIKE MANY OTHER TRENDS, THE ORIGINS OF THIS MOMENT CAN perhaps be found by scrolling back on TikTok to the viral Frazzled English Woman that populated our feeds earlier this year, where memes of Bridget Jones and The Holiday’s Iris Simpkins became exemplars of the messy, scarf-swathed look. But it really began to gain force when the SS24 catwalks signalled the arrival of a new style that anyone with a chaotic diary would recognise. These looks focused on hastiness. Splayed collars, untucked shirts, overflowing bags, a ramshackle palette and messed-up hair all became styling tricks championed by fashion’s biggest players.
Miu Miu brought busy women to the runway, as models held carryalls spilling over with high heels, a change of clothes and a mangle of cords and cables. Meanwhile, Acne Studios emphasised a creased appearance across tailoring, which was mirrored in Balenciaga’s distressed, debutante-esque gowns, seemingly thrown on straight from the garment bag with no time for steaming. At Marni, models wore purposefully undone hairstyles with accentuated flyaways and locks piled carelessly high.
Even the classic white shirt had a makeunder, moving away from its customary meticulousness. The new way to wear it: creased, with a messy, h
