Global trend forecasting agency WGSN predicts one of the key trends for the year is something it’s dubbed “thrift-dulting”,a mash-up of secondhand and new finds with a strong 1980s’ influence,including – wait for it – shoulder pads.
“Blazers,pinstripes,ties and ’80s shoulder pads form the basis of thrift finds,” WGSN’s forecasters wrote in its Top Trends for 2024 and Beyond report,released this month. In a related report,the agency further explained the concept:“Thrift-dult explores a new aesthetic centred around secondhand looks,but curated in a more grown-up way.”
One of the key principles of the trend,WGSN says,is the fusion of “personal style and professional identity”,something Sophie Barker,stylist and co-founder of Australian fashion platformHomeroom,wants to see more in the workplace.
She questions why so many people still keep their work and weekend fashion identities separate. “If you want to insert your personality a little more[into your workwear],it’s about picking one piece that speaks to who you see yourself as … then putting it with an oversized blazer and bermuda short[for example],” she says.
Which leads us to two key questions regarding summer workwear:is the oversized aesthetic “dead”? And is it OK to wear shorts to the office?
Shorts:Yay or nay?