How Donald Trump’s victory will change how we dress

It's time to say farewell to basic, according to a trend forecasting expert

Lidewij Edelkoort (Getty Images)

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election will have far-reaching effects on everything from the global economy to the travel industry.

But there’s one less obvious area which will be affected by the arrival of the Donald in the White house: fashion.

Had Hillary Clinton won the election, it’s possible we would have all been rushing out to buy pantsuits, but it’s hard to imagine Trump’s own style having a huge impact on what we’re wearing.

According to a top forecaster, however, the way we dress will indeed change as a result of Trump’s victory.

Renowned trend forecaster, Lidewij Edelkoort, believes fashion is going to become a lot more theatrical: “For now, people will want to continue business as usual; we will live in denial. But in these times of fear, in the big parts of the world, in densely structured fighting societies, fashion tends to become very extravagant,” she told Deutsche Welle.

Edelkoort predicts this will manifest itself in the return of historical fashion trends, such as bustles, peasant sleeves and puritan collars.

Although she was hoping Clinton would win, Edelkoort predicted Trump’s victory. And with a career spanning four decades, including work with GAP, L'Oréal and Prada, she’s a woman to be trusted.

The rise of right-wing politics across the globe reflects general dissatisfaction with current systems and a need for change, which Edelkoort believes is just as valid in the fashion stakes too.

“There's this whole urgency, I believe, to truly change form. It has been too basic for too long, and we need to have a new incentive,” she revealed.

With the election campaign having brought feminism back to the fore, Edelkoort notes that the women’s rights movement has made a comeback, which has an impact on fashion too.

Increasing gender equality is creating a generation of men who are “softer” than their predecessors, which is manifesting itself on the runways too: “ They wear softer colors, softer suits,” she explains.

So it seems Trump may have a bigger effect on style than we may have thought, but as long as we don’t all hit the fake tan and bleach our hair, perhaps it could be one of the less dramatic consequences of his victory.