John Lewis’s annual trend report has just been released and it shows that soggy weather, our quest for good sleep, retro 80s trends, preppy and Brat Girl fashion, and travel returning to pre-covid levels “were among the biggest influences on our shopping habits” this year.

The ‘How We Shop, Live and Look’ report also said ‘social shopping’ is definitely in fashion but that doesn’t mean shopping via social media. One in five (19%) of the 1,996 customers surveyed said they’ve shopped more with friends and family this year, and nearly seven in 10 (68%) of them said they like to combine it with other activities like eating out. This tallies with John Lewis data, which shows that more than three-quarters of a million more customers ate in its Place to Eat restaurants over the past year. It looks like that 90s/noughties ‘retail therapy’ trend is back.

Half of those surveyed (51%) said they like shopping with friends or family because it’s a good way to spend quality time together, rising to 59% of 18-44 year-olds.  But only half (48%) want their advice on what to buy.

The company has seen a record number of app visits this year, but executive director Peter Ruis said that “the enjoyment of shopping in person and expert face-to-face advice is here to stay”.

In fact, in the past year, John Lewis helped 35% more customers with personal styling appointments, and 49% more parents via its baby and nursery advice service. 

Products that it said “defined the year” included oura rings, cutout swimsuits, underseat luggage (as more airlines charged for hold luggage), 80s retro barrel leg jeans, and lipgloss. But small handbags were among the products falling out of favour, as was low-SPF sun cream.

Overall, products that meant we could enjoy the great British outdoors (like gazebos) faded as the soggy weather kicked in, while those that indicated we were jetting away to the sun (like those smaller suitcases) were more popular.

Looking at fashion choices in more detail, “small handbags were given the cold shoulder as we tired of forcing essentials into them and fell back in love with large, tote style bags which fit everything. The number of small bags in the top 10 bestsellers halved to just four”. That reflects tote-friendly trends that have been talked about elsewhere.

Two new pieces “stood out as a cut above the rest: cutout swimsuits and barrel leg jeans. John Lewis sells 385 different swimsuits, but the second best-seller in 2024 was not a traditional cossie. It was the ‘Hello Sailor’ striped cut out swimsuit, bolder than a traditional costume, more flattering than a bikini”.

As for jeans, after years of the straight-leg silhouette dominating the jeans market, “customers have embraced a ‘new’ relaxed silhouette — the barrel leg jean. Searches were up 60% on last year on JohnLewis.com and it’s the best selling jean shape for autumn/winter 2024”. 

Other fashion trends included sequins driven by ‘Swifties’, leopard print for the Brat Girl aesthetic, ‘Chloé-look’ ruffles, and rugby shirts, the latter being up 30% and “bought to achieve the on-trend preppy look”.