Chris Koney’s column: Discussing fashion trends with Angela Okoe

Fashion trends come and go, but we still want to know about them. I caught up with a young Ghanaian industry professional and fashion entrepreneur, Angela Okoe, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Avryl, retailers of clothes, bags and shoes.

The ambitious, extrovert, and cheerful Angela, who turned her love for fashion from her formative years into a business, shared with me the latest must-know styles, fabrics, silhouettes, brands, and fashion musings as we get ready for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

In her opinion, this year’s fashion trends are here to help us hit the reset button. “The vibe this season has been hailed as quiet luxury, which is high-quality capsule wardrobe essentials that do not necessarily draw attention to themselves. Though that is not exactly wrong, we have seen some variations with many trench coats layered over jeans”, she stated.

All well and good, but most people who genuinely keep up with fashion know “quiet luxury” is really just a classic, minimal way of dressing using well-made pieces that never bow to the trend cycle or go out of style. True investment pieces you can buy and wear for decades.

According to her, the festive season is just around the corner and people need to “show up” which can largely be possible if they breathe some new life into their closet with some fashion trends. She advises people to create unique looks with a blend of the current trends with your existing wardrobe.

All-Red Everything

Ask any designer and you will get the same answer: the colour of fall 2023 is red. As opposed to the typically muted earth tones you will expect for fall, the hue is bold and beguiling, handily commanding a room or a social feed. No matter your shade of choice – a tonal outfit, starting with a pair of red flats, is the easiest way to make a statement this season.

Working Girl

Even if you don’t have an office job, you might find yourself dressing like you do before long. The mood is workplace staples with a twist: secretary skirts with visible underwear at Miu Miu, extra-long pussy-bow blouses at Givenchy, blazer dresses at GCDS. An overtone of ’80s power dressing permeated the Saint Laurent and Armani runways, should you prefer to clock in wearing shoulder pads. You probably own everything you need to get in on this one—but a new blazer or pair of shoes never hurts.

Off-The-Shoulder

Slinky, sexy, and surprisingly versatile, off-the-shoulder silhouettes are poised to make a grand comeback this season. Tory Burch and Paloma Wool kept their interpretations relatively simple, while Jonathan Simkhai, Acne Studios, and Carolina Herrera dressed up the look with straps and puff sleeves. Why not show a little collarbone this seaon? You can always cover up with a scarf if you get chilly. Just invest in a good strapless bra.

Peplum, Redefined

While the word peplum might trigger cringy flashbacks to a decade ago, the silhouette is undeniably back in fashion. As Y2K’s grand comeback starts to slow down and designers turn their attention to the 2010s, peplum tops are getting the remix treatment. This time around we’re seeing subtle flares at Collina Strada, ruched tops at Tove, expertly tailored blazers at Balmain, and undone corsetry at Tory Burch—and we’re into it.

Gothic Romance

The nights are getting longer—time to get in touch with your witchy side. Rodarte kicked off fashion month with a knockout show in which models floated by like members of a vampiric coven, all black velvet and lace. Elsewhere, blood-red ribbons at Simone Rocha, Wednesday Addams–esque styling at Adeam, and sheer corsetry at Versace evoked the same gothic glamour. You don’t need to go quite so Siouxsie Sioux at home; just add some ribbons, lace, and dramatic collars to your rotation.

Denim dandy

While denim is a fashion constant, we felt the unexpected ways the textile was utilized on this season’s runways was important enough to call out. Junya Watanabe’s tiered stitching made for a unique denim dress silhouette, Chanel and Valentino had full denim sets which was atypical for the brands, and Schiaparelli, who is known for more dramatic occasion pieces, showcased denim cargos—a style we all have our eyes on.

Art Prints

Collector-worthy prints made an appearance on plenty of runways this season, from Stella McCartney’s high-end horses to Loewe’s dresses printed with images of other dresses. Paco Rabanne raided Dalí’s oeuvre for its collection, while Puppets and Puppets featured blown-up images from a Gaspare Traversi painting. Clearly, fashion has art on the brain this season—so lean into it with these printed picks.