If 2019 was about playing safe with classic silhouettes, neutral colours, and predictable textures, 2020 is high on drama. Think puffy sleeves, biker shorts paired with belted slouchy blazers, Mary Janes in jewel tones, and overall everything that makes you stand out. From Bollywood’s best to global street style fixtures have approved this spectrum of fashion trends to help you make the right sartorial statements in 2020.
Puffy sleeves
From red carpets to runways, dramatic puffy sleeves are going to make a strong statement. With Golden Globes marking the start of the award season, we’ve seen celebs such as Cate Blanchett and Olivia Coleman embracing the trend. Runways were packed with gowns with big sleeves at Valentino, YSL and Richard Quinn. In India, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone are welcoming the trend.
Half and half
A head-to-toe colour or a textural coordinated look is a passé. Think of blazers featuring panels of velvet and leather, or black and white. Case in point was Chanel’s Pre-Fall 2020. From Balmain, Marni, Versace to Diane von Furstenberg, all the bigwigs have embraced the dual-toned and textured trend.
Slouchy, oversized blazers
Some call them must-haves, we call them hero pieces of any thoughtfully curated wardrobe. Picking up blazers, slightly larger than one’s frame is catching up as a trend and who better to look up to than Lady Gaga who brought the red carpet to a halt in her Marc Jacobs blazer. In India, Dhruv Kapoor and Bhane have embraced these off-duty blazers as their insignia. We suggest pick up a sleek pair of jeans and a crisp button-down, and throw over this blazer.
Biker shorts
Often misconstrued to be an off-duty piece, biker shorts are spelling chic in 2020. The trend proved not just to be a legit Kardashian favourite but runway fixtures such as Bella and Gigi Hadid, and Kendall Jenner too experimented with the trend. While Fendi kept it playful with classic black biker shorts, Prada too rolled out its printed, embroidered versions. Pick up a biker short and pair it with a chic, sleeveless belted blazer and you are good to go.
Colourful leather
From Givenchy and Marni to Louis Vuitton, leather in its colour iterations continued to dominate the runways. There is something about moving the old-fashioned, black leather jacket that gets the best celebs as well. From Hailey Baldwin to Cardi B, celebs fearlessly stepped out in their colour leather jackets, suits, and skirts.
Statement earrings
Even though necklaces and rings become talking points of all the red carpets and runways shows, 2020 will be about statement earrings. Think geometrically shaped avant-garde pieces like the kinds by Misho, bejewelled shoulder dusters by Gucci, the classic Chanel logo ones to even Outhouse’s array of earrings inspired by flora and fauna. We suggest go easy with the rest of the ensemble and invest in big hoops, mismatched earrings and chunky colourful studs.
Bold Belts
Call them a need or just funky accessories, belts have graduated to become statement-making pieces and are reigning hot among fashion trends for 2020. While Jacquemus rolled out belts in hot pink and lime green with mini pouches, at McQueen and Brandon Maxwell it was all about sleek metal and leather belts. In India, Anita Dongre and Rahul Mishra too rolled out belted saris as a part of their bridal collections. At the Dior’s show, Priyanka Chopra showed up in a minimal belt by the brand and recently Jennifer Lopez was seen sporting a classic Chanel belt.
Miniature handbags
Fashion trends for 2020 will be incomplete without the miniature handbags. With the likes of Jacquemus, Givenchy, Fendi, Chanel, McQueen and Dolce & Gabbana rolling out their renditions of miniature bags, it seems there is a major shift in the sense of size when it comes perfect and desirable handbags.
Square-toe heels
Many call it the Bottega Veneta effect. Whatever it may be, square toe pumps and mules are about to make the biggest statement in 2020. The trend started catching up a mid-last year when Daniel Lee, the brand’s freshly appointed creative director launched a series of super-hit products, square toe heels being one of them. What followed was an endorsement by fashion’s leading It girls, from Rosie Huntington-Whitely to an army of supermodels led by Emily Ratajkowski. Brands that followed the trend were Wandler and Topshop to name a few.
Images: Courtesy Instagram
Anupam Dabral
Sr. Associate Editor
It was while studying fashion journalism at London College of Fashion that Anupam developed a keen interest in the anthropological aspect of the discipline; for him, fashion only makes sense when seen in the context of its environment. He is always on the hunt for great stories, and in his spare time binge-watches films/shows starring Whoopi Goldberg, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
