Has fashion entered the era of minimalism?

The latest fall-winter 23′ proposals clarified a new paradigm or love idyll between minimalism and form in fashion. Radical acts of reductionism focused on silhouette and visual harmony that took to the catwalk from Gucci or Loewe to Saint Laurent or Rick Owens.

Maximalism already seemed to be diluted in Gucci‘s post-Alessandro Michele collection, opening the door to a new aesthetic trend centered on sculpted (and uncluttered) lines, as well as chromatic neutrality. This new universal desire for simplification, which transcends the artistic to connect with the commercial, marks a new ideological and stylistic direction for the future of fashion.

Jonathan Anderson precisely experimented with those reductionist codes and value systems at Loewe FW23, maximizing meaning and emotion through a powerful show based on sculptural forms, while Anthony Vaccarello redefined menswear at Saint Laurent. A proposal that stood out for its grandeur and/or great beauty in which he explored fluidity, monochronic and sophistication, opening a new dimension for luxury.

 

THE EXPLORATION OF FORMAL PERFECTION

This proliferation of aesthetic minimalism, induced by a collective feeling of “when less is more, but in a new way”, as expressed by JW Anderson, was also transferred to the collection of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who opted for an unexpected simplicity and continued their work of exploring and reworking the archives.

Ludovic De Saint Sernin similarly explored this narrative from his Y2K approach or lens in FW23, through an ode to sex and self-love, amid glitter, feathers and transparencies much more restrained than his previous designs, which coexisted with more solid silhouettes or polished tailoring in black. Even at Prada, the garments were classic, evoking the idea of a modern, minimalist business youth in constant search of formal perfection.

As for the Dior collection designed by Kim Jones, it paid tribute to Yves Saint Laurent’s brief tenure at the helm of the house, through fluid and easy-to-wear silhouettes. In parallel, Yohji Yamamoto returned to star in a new enigmatic and poetic episode with slouchy poet silhouettes, with brocades and bows, coexisting with customary shapes. A whole imaginary of darkness, in which, of course, Rick Owens entered through his universe of tailoring and Victorian silhouettes bathed in somber tones.