For more than 15 years after the horrific 80’s decade of anti-fashion, the dominant trend in the industry was body conscious. Designers celebrated our figures with sleek, tailored pieces that are fitted to our bust, waistline and hips. We, the buying public, learned the rules of dressing to this fundamental style direction.

Then, about 18 months ago, things started to change. A new artsy and roomy voluminous look started to emerge as designers introduced bold pieces with excess fabric that hide the contours of the body. Last seen in the 80’s, leggings and tapered pants also re-appeared. It seems contradictory, but these extremely tailored pieces are part of the voluminous trend. An essential part, in fact, because volume on volume doesn’t work and it makes perfect sense to pair these streamlined bottoms with billowing blouses, sack dresses and trapeze jackets.

Along with watershed change comes confusion. Having moved away from the boxy styles of the 80’s and finally getting up to speed with modern tailoring, the re-invention of volume seems to have baffled much of the consumer market. These voluminous looks are taking a lot of getting used to, especially as style gurus continue to advocate body-skimming styles. Personally, I have embraced some of the new items, but still feel that streamlined styles are universally flattering.

The struggle to assimilate the new voluminous trend is something I see often as a fashion stylist. How do you feel about the shift? Has it been easy to adopt, or are you still making sense of the new volume?