Floorsweeper

Fashion's floorsweeper: the latest trend where practicality has no place

For the likes of Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Rihanna, longer is better. But as lengthy garments go from catwalk to high street, can grubby hems be avoided?

Fashion loves a trend that has not got much truck with the everyday. Enter the floorsweeper: pretty much unwearable on a rainy day, on public transport or a country walk. The floorsweeper is exactly what it describes: trousers, coats or dresses that sweep over the floor. See? Not exactly something that translates to the average norm’s commute, is it?

This trend comes from the kind of women who live in the constant glow on the Instagram post, moving from hotel to car, with a driver just out of shot: the likes of Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner and Rihanna. It adds an element of drama even if matched with the hoodies and trainers that make up these women’s wardrobes.

Hadid is a fan of a long coat that trails along the street in cream (warning: do not click this link if you are in any way a neat freak) and enjoys monotoning various shades of caramel on her coat, long trousers and, indeed, hair. Jenner is also into this and wears her long, long, long coat over a crop top and shredded jeans. Rihanna arguably started it all of course, with the most extreme floorsweeper of all time, the massively memeable yellow Guo Pei design she wore for the Met Ball in 2015.

The catwalk is on to this trend too, it being another arena where real life sometimes seems very far away. Extra-long trousers are a big thing in men’s and womenswear: Victoria Beckham wore them for her post-show bow in September. And long coats were seen at Balmain and Céline in recent seasons.

All of this means that floorsweepers may be in high-street shops some time soon, aimed at people who do have to get use public transport. But how to translate it to IRL? A bit of a snip to keep the fabric off the floor. Even Hadid has to keep her coat more ankle- than floor-length sometimes. OK, so anklesweeper isn’t quite as dramatic as floorsweeper but you can actually wear one to walk down the street. Bonus.