Satin pants are a thing. Perhaps spurred by Raf Simons shiny trousers for his men’s and women’s collections, the shiny fabric appears all over the runways, cut into slouchy tailored shapes or polished track pants. The look works for day or evening, suited with a matching jacket, dressed up with a fancy brocade top or casually topped with a sweater. Colors include the season’s bright yellow, military neutrals or new dusty pinks.
In an interview in The New York Times a few years ago, Rick Owens memorably said “Right now I’m trying to figure out how to make tulle look like concrete.” That oxymoronic goal seems to be shared by several designers this season, who give tulle (and its playful cousin, dotted Swiss) more structure with ruching, pleats or boxy cuts. Sometime tulle is used as a filmy outerlayer for sweatshirts or trousers or is cut into a simple tee, adding ballet-worthy illusion to daytime basics.