The eternal cycle of fashion occasionally creates fads for accessories that many of us are keen to forget: items that survived one or two seasons before being consigned to the obscurity they so richly deserve. There they would remain if it weren't for the creative energy of designers eager to give new generations a chance to experiment with pieces much reviled by their elders.
Good luck to the under-twenties, who have no knowledge of the joys of knitted balaclavas. This fall they will have a chance to don a number of dodgy accessories that have recently made a comeback on the catwalks.
Balaclava Blues
The oppressively tight and scratchy accessory that many will associate with a complete loss of dignity and the promise of insanely bad hair will be back this fall. But who on earth would want one? Certainly not the children of the 1980s who were forced to wear them by unreasonable parents convinced that they could ward off the common cold. Thanks to Marine Serre, Paco Rabanne and Gucci, the headwear made a surprise return to 2020 Fall-Winter Fashion Week runways. The good news is that the latest iterations of the balaclava, which take advantage of new materials, might not be as scratchy as their predecessors from four decades ago. For those who don't care about comfort but just want the look there are a host of retro models from the likes of Gucci, and even fantasy pieces in metal.