The oversized clothes trend is more than slouchy jeans and baggy outfits

As with any broader trend, the luxury fashion industry is on top of catering to our recently home-centric lives, not only by creating luxurious loungewear, but also by incorporating elevated variants of styles like slouchy jeans, oversized cardigans, oversized jackets, and maxi dresses.

In 2021, leading fashion labels’ new design choices must incorporate comfort as the main buyer’s hook, but also provide pieces that don’t necessarily fall into that category yet do carry the tastefully oversized etiquette that makes them both “bougie” and practical.

Comfortable fashion—broaden your perspective

The old adage—”beauty is pain”—which referred to common, sometimes painful fashion annoyances like toe-pinching high heels and denim that’s so tight it requires two to put on, is a bit old-fashioned these days. Who wants to be in discomfort in order to be stylish?

Today’s buying public, more sophisticated and independent as ever, are instead telling brands they want comfort and style, not one or the other.

Skinny jeans may never cease to exist completely, but the emphasis lately—pandemic or otherwise—is on oversized clothes, exaggerated silhouettes, slouchy jeans, and generally baggy outfits that are more egalitarian, more forgiving to a wider range of body types, and more enjoyable to wear.

In a similar vein, many collections now incorporate maxi dresses, which are less form-fitting and perhaps easier to wear all day, with kids, to run errands, and go about daily life.

We love this rich cocoa brown silk maxi dress from Max Mara Studio and the half-denim, half-jersey coverall dress from Maison Margiela’s MM6 line, both pictured above.

Oversized coats and jackets to dominate every season

Another factor encouraging a move toward oversized clothes is the broader melding of streetwear, sportswear, and luxury fashion.

Many designers now blend their men’s and women’s collections into a single unisex collection, or at the least take cues and adopt nuances from the masculine tradition for their womenswear collections.

In either case, an oversized coat can be found in almost every contemporary womenswear label or collection today. Our favorites? The Attico has been blowing up, for its chic footwear but also pieces like its oversized neon pink wool blazer. Olivier Rousteing made some similar plays on the classic Balmain blazer too.

Oversized knit cardigan sweaters are also popular for an oversized fit, since they bridge the divide between a strict knit top and a heavier coat. They harken back to the likes of Coco Chanel, who often wore (and designed for her eponymous collection) more masculine and oversized jackets and sweaters.

We’re fond of this creamy pastel cashmere cardigan from Versace that would give any baggy outfits a certain luxury flair.

Gabriela Hearst to reinvent fashion industry ethics

Gabriela Hearst is one designer who embraces a modern, oversized clothes attitude, while remaining elevated, luxurious, and perhaps most noteworthy of all—ethical.

Since she launched her line in 2015, Gabriela Hearst’s vision was to create a brand that “had that feeling of things that are well made and long lasting.” Through producing limited quantities via direct-to-consumer channels and presenting her first runway show using 30% deadstock fabrics, the Uruguay native set the tone for ultra-luxurious sustainable fashion.

Many of the pieces from her Spring-Summer 2021 runway presentation in Paris were ample, maximal silhouettes—a sort of nod to comfort—that nevertheless highlighted the fabrics themselves…the beauty and the craftsmanship of the eco-friendly, low-impact raw materials.

For the quintessential pick, look for one of her oversized cashmere sweaters with elongated sleeves.

Discover more Trends coverage: The Square-toe Sneaker; All About a Capsule Wardrobe; and The Most Wanted Brands of 2021.

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About the Author

Alex English is the Head of Content Marketing at italist.com, building on a lifelong passion for fashion and luxury. After publishing a lifestyle blog for nearly ten years and obtaining an MBA in Milan at SDA Bocconi, one of Europe’s top business schools, he joined the italist team in 2019. His work since then has focused on upper-funnel messaging, brand storytelling, establishing italist as a thought leader in the space, and enriching the customer experience on the platform. Find him on LinkedIn.