Our Year in Fashion: 2018
Fashion has always played a part at The Attic, be it the classic pieces we reach for time and again or the delightfully stand out styles we risk for the aesthetic pursuit. While we admire the runways and adoringly fawn over museum-worthy looks, it is our own style we hold closest to our hearts and choose to share here. Closing out 2018, a few of us look back on our personal style growth, setbacks, and favorite moments. We talk trends, meaningful purchases, and what we hope to bring to our way of dress in 2019.
Going into 2018, was there any specific change (planned or not) to your style?
Olivia Gündüz-Willemin: I relaxed a bit this year and became more unapologetic with going after looks I wanted to wear, no matter how ultra feminine or extra. If I wanted a perfect pleated skirt, I went after it. If I wanted to put bows in my hair, I did it. I also went after flowier looks this year as I looked to find a balance between structure and comfort.
Rory Mara: The end of 2017 and beginning of 2018 saw me gaining weight due to lack of exercise and stressful eating habits as my MA drew to a close. I left some of my boldest choices in 2017 as 2018 mainly saw me wanting to cover my body as a result.
Eliza Campbell: Going into 2018 I wanted to add a bit of colour back into my style that had become a wardrobe of grey, black, and the occasional blue and orange.
Raquel Reyes: 2018 sort of saw me going in a few directions. In the last couple of years I’ve worked more and more on body acceptance and a big part of that for me was like Olivia, embracing an unapologetic pursuit of the aesthetic I want to wear every day. On a slight reverse side however, I also saw myself adapting a more utilitarian type of style when it came to how I dressed for work, but for once attempting to reconcile that with my more dressed up style. This involved more blouses with trousers to the studio and saying to hell with it and working in dresses when I was at home.
Any new pieces you had your eye on or absolutely fell in love with?
RM: As my style became slightly more conservative I still found ways to express my glittering self. I absolutely fell in love and bought jewel-encrusted sneakers from ASOS a couple of months ago, and I’ve been living in them since. Their toes are covered in jewels and spikes and are very me!
EC: I bought a bright red beret from Monki and felt like a trendy French girl for winter.
OGW: Ha, I also got a fun beret for the season (mine’s velvet), and hair accessories have definitely been one of the most exciting things I’ve fallen for this past year. I for one am happy about scrunchies coming back in style and have been wearing a black satin one with a bow almost religiously. I also gave into a black velvet headband, again with a bow, and love it.
RR: I think the piece of the year for me has been skirts. I’m still loving the pleated floral numbers I’ve been wearing since summer but a favorite lifetime find has been a seafoam tulle embroidered midi skirt I found on clearance at Anthropologie back in August. I’ve never been able to find a listing for it online and it's probably because I’m reading Social Creature at the moment but it feels like that skirt just found me. The drama of it alone makes me marvel and want all of my skirts from here on out to be so textural and voluminous. I’m eyeing this H&M one for an everyday black option.
Do you normally stick to your style or explore trends?
OGW: I have a very specific style that I’ve spent years fine-tuning, but I love to explore trends if I’m into them, and I was lucky this year as the past few seasons of fashion have been very much about trends that I’ve been waiting years for – velvet, dark florals, long pleated skirts, hair accessories, etc. I’ve completely ignored trends in the past, but right now, I’m very happy to dress however I’m feeling.
RM: A bit of both, to be honest. I like always being true to myself but sometimes there are trends that catch my eye and I try (as much as my wallet allows me) to experiment.
EC: My style hasn’t changed much since my days at sixth form (horrifyingly), I’ve tended to wear a lot of a-line skirts, high-neck tops, and black tights with doc martens. Over 2018 I wanted to experiment with that look a little, buying pieces I wouldn’t generally have worn in 2015 when I first developed a ‘style’. These pieces included a green paisley midi-length pinafore and a pair of wide-leg corduroy trousers. I tend not to focus on trends, though I do sometimes cave and buy into one (hence the beret).
RR: I agree, I don’t have a specific style I can pinpoint outside of myself, but it's one I try to cultivate regularly by keeping in mind a way of dress I want and watching out for trends to see if pieces that suit that come around. I’ve been lucky too, as more brands become size inclusive, to find pieces that truly speak to me.
If so, was there a specific trend that highlighted your year?
OGW: Velvet. Definitely velvet. I’ve always loved my velvet – from favorite childhood pieces to a vintage Dior vest I wore all through my teens, and I’m just so happy that there are so many more pieces out there to add to my collection now.
RM: Animal prints, for sure. I acquired a very simple sweater whose print is leopard and it’s still my absolute favourite. It isn’t available anymore, but it looks a lot like this one.
EC: I loved the wide-leg thin trousers with ridiculous patterns on the British high street this summer. If you can’t wear trousers better fit for a clown during the longest heatwave in memory then when can you wear them?
RR: I got into wide leg trousers too! But oh gosh, I bought so much more lace in the last year than I probably should have. The top version of this dress and this bra in every neutral color were highlights.
Did you have a favorite style moment?
OGW: Well I got married this year, and wearing a chiffon cape instead of a veil at my wedding was definitely a highlight. Raquel got some great boomerangs of me swishing around in it, and I need to share more of those. My gown itself was a twenties-inspired beaded deal, and the combination was very, very me, and I loved wearing it so much.
RM: Olivia’s wedding was just generally the most stylish affair of the year and I loved wearing a light blue, empire-style, lace dress which would have remained virtually unworn otherwise.
EC: I went to my first ever ball this year wearing a full-length black dress patterned with orange and red flowers with suede heels. Possibly my top style highlight, but certainly my glamourous highlight.
RR: I spent a week in Switzerland for Olivia’s wedding, and could potentially say the whole week applies, but what no one saw were the outfits I wore over two layovers in Istanbul; a red J.Crew x Universal Standard maxi I later repeated in Geneva with different accessories, a black star printed chiffon 40s inspired number, and a pair of wide leg velvet trousers with my favorite silk floral print kimono jacket and metallic slippers.
Looking directly at your wardrobe, is there a piece that absolutely stood out?
OGW: Definitely my wedding gown.
RM: I think my leopard sweater wins once again :)
EC: A raspberry-coloured corduroy suit I just bought in the Topshop sale is the epitome of my 2019 style goals.
RR: The aforementioned seafoam skirt, but my bridesmaid dress from Olivia’s wedding ties for first as well. It was a very dramatic embroidered affair I wasn’t sure about (I was shopping for simpler options given the old bridesmaid adage) but she encouraged me to wear what I’d be happiest and most comfortable in. Choosing my own dress while living so far away made me feel like I was truly a part of the festivities, and not just showing up to fill in a slot.
Do you have any fashion regrets for 2018?
OGW: I’m sad I didn’t pick up more white dresses to wear over the summer. Good ones are so hard to find, so I didn’t quite manage to have the summer of white that I wanted.
RM: I would have liked to wear more dresses and skirts, but I am a jeans-obsessed woman and I am afraid that will never change
EC: I regret slipping back into wearing the same outfit combinations I’ve been wearing to uni since 2016.
RR: Probably the pieces I purchased and then never got around to wearing, a few of which I unfortunately changed my mind about too late after the return period. I’m not a minimalist by far, but being more mindful about what I buy is a goal for the new year and future in general.
Looking at the new year, is there anything special, be it investment, replacing something you’ve lovingly worn out, or simply a change you’re looking to make when it comes to your style?
OGW: I really want to find a nice pair of slightly heeled booties to enjoy for the rest of the winter. I’m not feeling my riding boots as much this year and I want to experiment with wearing a slight heel on a daily basis. I’m not confident that I’ll succeed, but it’s something I love the look of. Less specifically, I want to continue dressing how I feel in 2019 and allow myself to be as extra as I please, even if it means wearing head to toe velvet.
RR: AGREED!! I spent the last portion of 2018 really pushing myself to be as extra as I want and embracing of the style people seem to expect of me, not because it's expected but because it's honestly how I feel most myself. 2019 will be about wearing whatever I want, regardless of where I’m going or even if I plan to share said look publicly or simply wear it for myself. It’s how I’ve been the majority of my life and losing it over the last few years has really broken my heart.
RM: Above anything else, I want to get rid of this ‘covering up’ fear that has ruled me in 2018; so, I have already invested in a pair of super long, black suede boots to wear with either mini skirts or shorts. So I guess the next step is acquiring said garments!
EC: I’m excited to play with a more androgynous style and explore menswear a bit more in 2019. I’ve always held myself back from exploring these styles because I have a relatively feminine body but clothes are for everyone and self-expression is important! Wear the clothes you want to in 2019!
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