Capri’s can’t be back… they never left
3/4 lengths inch their way back into style
Capri pants are cropping up everywhere this year. From Pinterest boards to celebrity style; from countless runways to the depoppers creating and selling their own designs, 3/4 lengths have come to the fore of fashion despite their contentious status. Many articles have marked capri pants as the staple of SS23, but as we begin to wave a premature goodbye to summer (in the UK at least) I wonder what will happen to this micro-trend as colder weather creeps up and forces hemlines back down.
After seeing glimpses of this season’s press shots, I collated a few of the countless designers that featured capri, cropped pants, 3/4 lengths, pedal pushers - or whatever you prefer to call them - in their collections this year. Whilst Tory Burch and Dsquared styled capri’s using layers and statement summer colours, alluding to hot days in the sun and discotheque nights; Cormio and Sandy Liang’s designs featured bows and frills, a welcomed indication that ‘ballet-core’, reinvigorated by Miu Miu last year, is here to stay (for a while longer at least, yay). Italian Versace and French, Jacquemus also featured capri’s in a quintessentially “European summer” way, both bringing a modern edge with bold patterns and colours, hallmarking the capri as the focal point of their looks. The variety of styling options that appeared on the runway reveal the versatility of the capri pant: if you’re loving them, let them take centre stage. If you’re still on the fence, they can be a great supporting act to an already great outfit, layered under a skirt or covered by a long trench. As we approach the colder seasons, I predict that the latter way of styling will grow in popularity, giving way to an increase of layering different colours and combinations of materials and fabrics.
We are always bearing witness to an item of clothing’s evolution, and capri’s are no different. Popularised in the 1950’s by icon’s like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, by the 2000’s we were seeing low-rise 3/4 lengths paired with studded belts, diamanté details and body chains. As the current ‘Y2K mania’ continues to cast its shadow over the fashion scene, it was only a matter of time before capri’s got roped into the mainstream. But with evidence of an increasingly short trends cycle, we will likely see capri pants cropped out of high-street lines sooner than anticipated… To my comfort, one thing is certain, they’ll be back - they always come back.