How department stores try to set fashion trends
As I was putting my Summer wardrobe into storage (I only have room in my small closet for one season at a time) I wondered how has your Summer been this year? Have you enjoyed the cool freedom of a lightweight mid-length print dress like me?
A floral midi-dress is the very thing for Summer dressing. It’s pretty and easy to wear for almost every place you go and can look great worn with sneakers at the weekend or walking to work, with strappy sandals at a wedding or flip-flops for a picnic in the park.
Apparently, we are off-trend. In February 2023 The Telegraph declared “It’s time to move on from the floral midi dress. I know it, you know it, and the newly appointed duo heading up fashion at John Lewis are here to confirm it too.”
Now I know the media and fashion shows set trends but I felt manipulated and somewhat, I have to say, affronted. I have a few floral print dresses and I love them.
The article declared that John Lewis had cancelled the floral midi. They had determined they wanted to “give people a reason to buy something new, rather than doing more of the same.” (How’s that for sustainability?) Their fashion director Queralt Ferrer said, “It’s not easy because customers love them, but it’s a trend that has been around for too long and they were everywhere across the high street.”
They may have been around a long time and are all across the high street because we love them because they are just the thing for a hot summer day.
Curiously, when I searched on Google for the aforementioned article, it found 6,490,000 results — surely not all print dresses if they are so undesirable!
Admittedly John Lewis was talking about Ferrer’s Spring 2023 collection collaboration with head buyer Claire Miles which would attempt to present a ‘fresh-feeling’ idea to their loyal customers by way of trophy knits, wide-legged denim, relaxed linen suiting and covetable flat shoes and avoid the floral prints.
I can’t imagine feeling fresh on a hot day, Spring or Summer, in wide-legged denim, I don’t know about you. A flowery frock is effortless so should you take John Lewis’ advice or stick to what you love?
In defence of a floral print, I say let’s not be dictated to, let’s keep wearing a floral mid-length, lightweight dress in the Spring or Summer — just because we love them.
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