Fashion Q&A: Is RBG trending?

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may well have ‘fashion icon’ added to her already impressive resumé.

White lace collar by Simone Rocha, $712

US Supreme Court Justice and feminist hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg may well have “fashion icon” added to her already impressive resumé. Following the recent autumn-winter shows, The Wall Street Journal cited the “Notorious RBG effect” on collections, given the abundance of white lace and pleated or ruffled collars spotted at labels including Chanel, Hermès, Loewe and Louis Vuitton (to see the 86-year-old’s collection of collars, many on the decorative side, watch the doco RBG). You’ll find examples from Asos Design (asos.com), Thierry Colson and Fendi. A judicious choice might be this one from Simone Rocha ($712, matchesfashion.com).

Romance Was Born dress, $1175

Pleated dresses, too?

Yes, after the onslaught of pleated skirts over the past couple of years, pleats now want to take over from top to toe. And why not? They can walk the happy path between feminine and fierce. Zara has styles both trapeze and tiered (zara.com); you’ll find others from casual to formal, short to long, floaty to cocoon-like from Zimmermann (zimmermannwear.com), Aje, Carl Kapp, Vetements, Roksanda, Givenchy and Self Portrait. Micro pleats work well in dresses and Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please range is having a bit of a comeback (matchesfashion.com). Look also to Romance Was Born, which combines bouncy, tiered micro pleats in this season’s favourite colour: pink (pictured, $1175, romancewasborn.com).