Volume

Not just in hemlines as seen with the bubble skirt. Above-the-waist volume is being experimented with now.

Sleeves are enjoying 60s reworkings — the up-to-the-minute sleeve length is three-quarters, cut at the elbow or just below — with a bell flare. Kimono-style sleeves in drapey jersey blends are a recurring theme in shirts.

Neckline volume is played with in the form of wide collars, 70s-style lapel cuts, and ruffles/bib fronts. Frothy bubble-waisted blouses are surprisingly camouflaging for women who don’t have defined waists.

The House of Balenciaga initiated this explosion of volume with its trademark cocoon coats, and trapeze jackets with saucer-sized buttons. Shapes that sound hard-to-wear — like cocoon, bell, caftan, smock, and tent — are, in fact, hard to wear, but if you stick to a classic A-line shape in coats, dresses, and skirts, you’ll master the Balenciaga effect that is just now reaching mass-produced fashion.

The details of a piece (like a coat, for instance) modernize it: a wide collar, double-breasted alignment, oversized buttons, 3/4-length bell sleeves, long (elbow-length) gloves to complement the sleeve length; mid-thigh length mini-coats and cropped jackets are alternatives to voluminous coats, and are very bit as current.