These style philosophies are free of fleeting trends, allowing you to curate not just a classical wardrobe, but also a sustainable one — for both men and women

Welcome to Style Files, a monthly column by ZALORA LUXURY’s personal stylist Andrew Chan. In each Style File edition, Andrew will focus on his current designer fashion obsessions — and you’re invited to the party.

This month, he will focus on important style philosophies that everyone should adopt in 2023. The year may be well underway, but these style philosophies are free of fleeting trends, allowing you to curate not just a classical wardrobe, but also a sustainable one — for both men and women.

Are you ready to be more mindful of your style this year? Read on and be inspired by Andrew’s style philosophies.

Avoid exaggerated silhouettes

Overly oversized is so over. Last year, major style influencers like Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and Bella Hadid were captured by paparazzi wearing oversized, boxy blazers. Naturally, the trend became en vogue, sparking a boom oversized fits.

While the unnaturally large style was fun and quirky at first, it quickly became old. After all, how long do we want to continue looking like we’re drowning in our clothes or wearing too-large hand-me-downs?

This year, make it your style philosophy to wear clothes that fit your body type instead. Properly-fitted clothes will always be stylish, and you won’t do your petite frame justice if you constantly wore oversized clothes.

Also, remember: wide-fit does not equal oversized. Pieces like this fuchsia CK Calvin Klein Satin Back Crepe Dress has a loose fit, making it comfortable yet well-fitting without being oversized.

Shop more simillar well-fitted designer pieces here: Women’s Clothing & Men’s Clothing

Discard micro trends

Thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, we now have greater accessibility to what everyone thinks are the hottest items in the fashion market right now. This also ends up enabling us to want to try out those trends, making the market too saturated with fast fashion and micro trends, thus creating fashion waste.

Some of the micro trends you might have probably noticed on your radar include cheap Y2K-inspired fashion pieces such as printed graphic baby T-shirts, exaggerated platform shoes, micro bags that can barely fit anything, and more.

We all know micro trends are not sustainable — they might not even look good on you. The best style is the one that you’re most comfortable with and one that can transcend decades. Take this Chloe Marcie Basket Crossbody Bag in Shady Cobalt, for example. It may not be your standard classic piece, but its design and colour choice makes for something that matches more outfits. This way, it has longevity instead of just being a one-off purchase.

Shop more simillar classical luxury pieces here: Women’s Bags, Women’s Shoes & Men’s Bags

Embrace pre-loved pieces

If you have still yet to embrace the beauty of pre-loved items, the time to start is this year. Pre-loved items — especially designer ones — doesn’t mean that they’re unloved. It simply means that their previous owners are ready to move on to something else, but doing the responsible thing of closing the fashion loop.

Take this Cartier diamond ring, for instance. It may be pre-loved, but its design is still very much loved by all. This Louis Vuitton men’s bum bag can also be given a second lease of life and loved once again.

You can continue prolonging this journey by purchasing pre-loved designer pieces that are still in tiptop condition. Pre-loved can still be reloved. Make sustainability in fashion a part of your style philosophy in 2023.

Shop designer pre-loved items here: Women’s Bags & Men’s Accessories

The value of vintage luxury

Some may ask, what’s the difference between pre-loved and vintage? Pre-loved pieces refer to items of clothing or accessories that are used, but to qualify as vintage, the item needs to be at least 20 years old. Vintage items doesn’t necessarily need to be used or pre-loved, but they mostly are.

As you might imagine, some vintage luxury pieces hold an even greater value than new designer pieces. All you have to do is keep a keen lookout for them. Perhaps collecting vintage pieces can be your new style philosophy of 2023?

An Hermes Birkin or a Dior Lady bag will always hold a high value, particularly so if it’s a vintage item. You may not need to purchase a vintage item now, but purchasing a valuable designer piece that will only expand in value as it ages can translate to the same thing.

Shop luxury vintage pieces here: Women’s Bag

Genderless is the new classic

With gender fluidity more widely accepted than ever, genderless fashion is the new classic — and for good reason. Some prefer expressing themselves with fluid styles, unshackled by the constraints of gender.

Some great examples of genderless clothing include tailored trousers, basic T-shirts, blazers, classic shirts, designer hoodies like this Balenciaga 90/10 hoodie, and more — you get the idea. These pieces look good on both men and women, and you can be sure they’ll be building blocks of your capsule wardrobe.

Also, wouldn’t it be great to share clothing with your partner?

Shop genderless pieces here: Men’s Bags

Shop more luxury classic pieces here on ZALORA LUXURY.