A-Z Fashion Glossary of 2018

Catch up on the biggest trends, trailblazing women and everything else that mattered in the world of style.

A is for Americana

Designers drew inspiration from out West — think denim, gingham, and other classics with a heritage feel. Stars, stripes and the patriotic colors were reimagined on the catwalk and suddenly, Americana became cool again.  

 

B is for Basket Bags

Straw, rattan or wicker, oversized or teeny-tiny, the past summer saw basket bags reached its peak. These bags made their way all over — from the beachside to bottomless brunches.

 

C is for Celine  

Not to be too dramatic, but Phoebe Philo parting ways with Céline after 10 years as creative director was the end of an era. As Hedi Slimane stepped in to rebrand and launch Celine without the ‘é’, @oldceline continued to gather momentum — both online and through consignment store sales.

 

D is for Denim 2.0

Jeans were anything but basic and even the most loyal skinny jeans worshippers took their first steps towards mixing things up. On the new denim menu: Everything from high-waist straight styles to raw hem cropped flares.

 

E is for Effortless

The nonchalant half tuck, the continued craze for sneakers and keds, the just-out-of-bed messy waves… All these looks indicated towards the rise of the effortless vibe. Minimalist or maximalist, as long as it was easy, it was all cool.

 

F is for Fringe

A little bit of movement and lot of drama, you can always count on fringes and tassels for some fashion fun. Featured everywhere rom statement earrings to flirty skirts, this trend served both the free-spirited and the high-octane, all-glam fashionista.

 

G is for Glow

Contouring made way for the next big thing — next level glow. Dewy highlighters, glossy blushes and let’s not forget all those sheet masks that promised magic sheen… if you weren’t glowing, you were missing.

 

H is for Hooded sweatshirts

Remember when these moved over from the other side to the fashion scene two years ago? Airport style, street style and even going out style. The key athleisure piece showed no sign of slowing down.

 

I is for Influencers  

Let’s face it. We live in a world where anyone with an Instagram account thinks they are an influencer. The scary part? It’s probably true. The jury is still out whether influencers are an oversaturated phenomena and on their way out. On that note, what did you think of Chiara Ferragni’s carnival wedding?

 

J is for Jumpsuits

Little black dresses were ditched for sexy black jumpsuits. Spring florals were replaced by boilersuits. Everyone wanted a one & done style solutions and jumpsuits happened to be at the right place at the right time.

 

K is for Kimonos

Making its way from the music festival scene, kimonos became the new symbol for boho chic and a go-to ‘third piece’ to elevate our everyday tee & denim.    

 

L is for Logomania

Backed by fashion houses like Versace, Gucci and Fendi, the Nineties throwback came back bigger and louder than ever. The head to toe logo look might not have been for the faint-hearted but Gucci’s iconic tees, made its way into the mainstream world in an instant. Doesn’t hurt that this trend is pure Instagram gold.

 

M is for Meghan Markle  

Trench coats and wrap coats, berets and bateau necklines, the Markle effect was crystal clear. From unexpected wedding looks to her chic pregnancy looks, she’s kept us fashion watchers pretty busy.  

 

N is for Neon

Love it or not, you can’t ignore how neon crept up on us this fall. (Brace yourself because trend reports tell us that the neon is here to stay well until spring.)

 

O is for Obama.

We wanted to write about what an amazing memoir Becoming is, but our mind is still reeling under the effect of her thigh-high glittery Balenciaga boots. Nothing will be the same. Ever. Again.

 

P is for Prints

Lush tropical motifs, rainbow stripes and polka dots from spring-summer moved towards moody blooms and animal prints in the fall. From sweet to wild, there was something for everyone.

 

Q is for Quirky Accents

The tiniest of sunglasses, XXL Uggs, name tags and badges, fashion accessories took an adventurous, quirky route. Novelty accents may not be to everyone’s taste but the trend sure got noticed.

 

R is for Raf Simons

Just as this year was closing out, a piece of breaking news was developing into a story not too far away. Celebrated designer Raf Simons exited Calvin Klein after less than two years at the helm. Amicable, yes. Surprising? No.

 

S is for Sustainable style  

The average American throws out 65 lbs of clothing a year, 85% of which ends up in landfills. Fashion’s fashion footprint came under the scanner and tens of thousands of women all over joined the rental movement to buy less and still wear more.

 

T is for Tracee Ellis Ross

Living life on her own terms, Tracee Ellis Ross emerged as a major force to reckon with. At 45, she’s a well recognized actress, inspiring fashion icon, single and childless and was famously quoted: “Happily single, I should add. Not at home crying about it."

 

U is for Ultra Violet

Pantone picked a “dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade” and as a result we saw pops of this purple emerge as fashion and home accents all through the year.

 

V is for Vintage

Straw totes, fanny packs, gold coin pendants, cat eye glasses, hoop earrings… Did you know that the signature touches of ‘cool girl’ styles are actually a blast from the past?  

 

W is for Workwear 2.0

One of the biggest trends to emerge in Le Tote was workwear 2.0. Menswear inspired patterns, far from boring silhouettes, bold, unapologetic details and an overall feeling of I-got-this. What’s not to love?  

 

X is for X-tra!  

Not just our favorite fashion word of the year, but notice how ‘extra’ also wholly integrated itself into our daily lexicon?

 

Y is for Yara Shahidi

Activist, actor, role model and now Harvard student, everything this young African American–Iranian does makes headlines — including the appearance her unibrow made at this year’s Emmy’s.  

 

Z is for zzz

That’s it from us here at Le Tote! Catch some sleep — because it’s going to be one amazing new year.  

 

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