Silk shirts prove immune to recession as sales soar. It may not be edgy, but shops have to restock the wardrobe staple to keep pace with demand. One of the shops I’m talking about is Equipment (So if you haven’t got any Equipment shirts yet, shop Equipment silk shirts now). Its design is neither edgy nor new, but one item of clothing is proving immune to the economic fallout. The silk shirt has conquered every kind of wardrobe, and now retailers are urgently restocking to keep up with demand. "It is a huge trend. Sales are up 200% for us, and it's massive for all retailers at the moment." said Jane Shepherdson, chief executive of Whistles.
Buying teams are also reporting phenomenal sales and have reacted by drastically increasing their orders. Such hasty recalibration of stock levels reveals that, while industry watchers had anticipated the trend, which started last autumn, the success of the silk shirt has gone way beyond expectations. We have found that the current economy really focuses the mind of our customers. They are spending, but they are looking for the best possible design and fabrics and something that will stand the test of time. A silk blouse offers all these things. We cannot keep them on the floor at the moment and having just finished the buy for next autumn, they are not going away.
Unlike some of the more niche trends that the fashion industry often promotes, silk shirts have a broad demographic appeal. "It's across the board," Shepherdson said. "Women in their early 20s are wearing them buttoned right up to the neck, while women in their 50s have a few buttons open and wear a piece of jewellery with it."
Last year's relaunch of the Equipment label, a brand started in the 1980s by Christian Restoin – partner of the ex-editor of French Vogue, Carine Roitfeld – helped kickstart the trend. The label's signature silk blouses with two front pockets, which cost over £200, are seen as the pinnacle of the look, while cult brand Hamilton-Paris's collection revolves around the silk shirt. I’m definitely going to shop Equipment silk shirts today because they are so elegant and has that timeless appeal.
I indeed see the longevity of this trend and it would definitely be around for a long time. I loved silk shirts so much that I have five of them. And some more silk shirts that came from my mother and some even came from my grandmother. The only flaw that I saw about silk shirts is that they crease and stain so easily. But I definitely can manage that just to wear those beautiful silk shirts.
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