According to Lyst, having a personality is trendy again Prada, Chanel and Miu Miu dominate the rankings, but there are also new entries

In Lyst's latest report covering the third quarter of the year, we can finally observe a shift in taste and in the collective perception that the public has of fashion brands. Looking at the ranking of the most searched brands on the platform, Prada and Celine have leapt forward by five positions, Chloé and Bottega Veneta by two and three spots respectively, Dries Van Noten and Khaite have entered the Top 20, and finally, brands such as Dior and The Row in luxury, and Massimo Dutti in the mass market, have slipped two or three positions. Coach has also lost a few places. But how should we interpret these movements?

If we look at the top brands in the ranking (Prada, Chanel and Miu Miu) and those that have generally advanced the most over these three months, we see they are all brands that during the last fashion month proposed flamboyant aesthetics, in line with that idea of character dressing that Michael Rider, following Celine's March show, summed up in the motto: «Classics are one thing — we like edge». And this means a conception of style that is intuitive, luxurious for three-quarters but eccentric for the rest, chaotic like a jazz jam session.

The power of a point of view

It should be clear that what Lyst shows this quarter is not simply a return of the decorative or the strange for its own sake. It is rather a return of pragmatic clothes infused with a certain soul. The most popular product, for example, is Prada's silk pouch, a design derived from the type of bags that Miuccia Prada herself has always worn, which ended up in stores after their popularity exploded online. There are also Celine's Reeboks, Chanel's two-tone ballet flats, a printed silk skirt by Dries Van Noten, Phoebe Philo's eyewear, and a pair of harem trousers by Free People. All simple pieces, but not minimal.

All of these brands, to quote Lyst itself, «each have such a clear vision that consumers desire the idea as much as the product itself. Through styling, design language and cultural references, these brands create universes that consumers want to immerse themselves in, and the range of aesthetics sought by consumers is expanding. […] What they all have in common is a clear identity, upheld with conviction». The elements through which this identity manifests itself are cultural references, the use of colour and print, references to subcultures, and that slightly gallerist-core luxury in the Phoebe Philo mould that Khaite has drawn heavily upon.

The other rising brands — Conner Ives, Emily Dawn Long and Mfpen — are each expressive in their own way. The first two have produced viral T-shirts, all three use deadstock fabrics and create, through very deliberate cuts and proportions, clothes that can be worn every day: not extravagant, but capable of suggesting a story, a past. If we were to use an imprecise term, we might speak of "fragrant" fashion. There is clearly also a theme of recognisability, immediacy and spontaneity that brings into the report both a more normcore/grunge brand like Mfpen and products such as the Cartier Tank or white Vans, both of which are equally pared-back. But is all that glitters gold?

The power of dupes is far from over

The search for clothes with personality also implies the search for designs that correspond to more celebrated models, given that the real value lies in character — in the personality being expressed. Flamboyant fashion, therefore, often includes dupes: it is striking to see in the Top 10 most searched products, for example, both the COS Trullo bag and the Balenciaga Rodeo, with the less expensive dupe proving more popular and more searched than the luxury brand's model costing thousands of euros. The boom of the white Vans Authentic should also be read as the search for a dupe of the white Celine ballet flat that ignited the trend for the delicate white shoe — ideally a worn-in one.

Here too we are talking about simple pieces, classic styling staples but with edge: a roomy yet soft and "squishy" black bag, white shoes that break up an outfit, but also Prada's mini-pouch which (despite its price of €980) is something small and simple yet different from the classic clutch — more eccentric. Be that as it may, following the decline of quiet luxury and the rise of the vintage aesthetic, entirely centred on the patina and the hand of fabrics and materials, the new direction seems to favour clean lines, a kind of elastic compactness, an intuitive sense of colour.