Fashion’s Skin Tight Or Overly Oversized, No In-Betweens

There was a breadth of styles shown at the fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, London and new York — quite literally, in some cases. A bunch of clothes put the “over” in oversized, in just how big and bulky and structured they got. Bottega Veneta saw an army of suits, for instance, that were somehow both tailored and vast in their silhouette.

On the opposite end, find Demna’s Gucci debut, which saw an onslaught of skinny pants, body-con leather jackets, and figure-tracing column dresses gallivant down a starkly white runway. Naturally, there were some less polar demonstrations of shape on display too, but the amount of garments that opted for either boxy and masculine or sexy and see-through was noticeable, to say the least, and left little space for in-betweens.

Now, of course a show is a show, and not everything presented here is to be taken literally. Nonetheless, there are ways to master this juggling of extremes via pieces (or styling tactics) that’ll feel surprisingly native to most peoples’ taste and wardrobe. As such, SSENSE provided a great pool to select from to interpret this two-sided trend, and find that golden ratio for day-to-day applications.

Go Big Or Go Home (Or Go Super Small, Actually):

Body-hugging

Beginning with ultra form-fitted styles, something as familiar as black tank can already lead to success, as can a slim-fit polo (or a leggings-esque choice of pant for the extra daring).

Architectural

Way back over on the other half of the spectrum, bulky-fitting outerwear and billowing knits can create texture and volume for a look that is attention-commanding but still classy, for a slightly avant-garde twist on casual or corporate wear.

Relaxed

The more approachable version of the above can come in the shape of something as simple as draped trousers, or a slightly slouchy top. Worn correctly, items like these aren’t listless or saggy but fluid and mobile in how they lay on the body.

Refined

Instead of or paired with the above, however, there’s also no harm in reining it all in just a tad for a fit that is neither breath-limiting nor comically broad. The pieces that fall under this category aren’t a cop-out or middle-ground though as much as they serve as the realer world response to a sartorial landscape that’s obsessed with contradictions.

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