Photograph: Tom J Johnson/The Guardian
I was in the shops the other day, just looking. Except I wasn’t just looking, I was actually having a good feel. In Cos, I gave a surreptitious squeeze to a tasty-looking cosy puffer coat, as if testing a peach for ripeness. Taking a short cut through John Lewis, I was stopped in my tracks by a mouthwatering display of cashmere knits in juicy shades of orange and melon that were crying out for a stroke. Can anybody walk past a stack of fluffy sweaters without copping a quick feel? I definitely can’t be trusted to keep my hands to myself.
Then, as I bounced through H&M – in my cloud-soft Ugg boots, obviously – it struck me that even the handbags were squishy. My favourite, light as air on its fine chain strap, was so cushioned and padded you could use it as a pillow, so I gave it a fondle. I used to behave like a kid in a sweet shop whenever I went into a fashion store; these days, I’m more like a fruit-addict in a greengrocer’s, squeezing everything in sight for what is not just in-season, but deliciously ripe.
Fashion has gone soft. Sharp tailoring is out and soft edges are in. To see this shift at its most dramatic, just take a look at the coats around you next time you walk down the street. What I still think of as a Proper Coat – wool, a defined silhouette, button fastening – has become a minority choice, edged into obscurity by endless takes on padded outerwear.
