The fashion industry has a proven talent for taking affordable items and producing versions that exceed most budgets. From denim jeans available at Versace for $1660 to Italian brand Golden Goose selling $1560 versions of the no longer humble sneaker, basics have been hijacked by luxury labels.
Now the tank top, also known as a singlet, is once a symbol of national pride in Chesty Bond and an everyman appeal in Marlon Brando in the 1951 film terminus longing, changes price brackets faster than a waterfront property. Dressed in classic white, Prada’s $1340 tank top was frequently spotted outside of shows at New York Fashion Week, while celebrities Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Olivia Wilde and Kim Kardashian donned versions at different prices.
White tank tops anchored the off-show street style looks at New York Fashion Week and the trend continues in Milan.Recognition:Getty
“The tank top is an item that has transformed from a simple under-layer to a true fashion item and should never be underestimated,” says Libby Page, market director at luxury e-tailer Net-a-Porter. “We continue to see an appetite for tank tops and have seen an increase in searches for this style month-on-month.”
“The Loewe logo tank top for spring/summer [$355] was the hit. Within the first week of uploading, nearly all units were sold out worldwide, and its popularity shows no sign of slowing down — searches for “Loewe tank-top” were up 45 percent month-on-month in August, showing the power of a simple logo.”
Australian designer Josh Goot and celebrity stylist Christine Centenera jumped on the trend this week, releasing a capsule collection with model Hailey Bieber for their Wardrobe NYC label, which includes a $230 ribbed cotton tank top.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wears a white tank top to promote her Spotify podcast Archetypes.
At Milan Fashion Week, Fendi creative director Kim Jones showed off tank tops as part of his Y2K-inspired collection, but Australian customers are still looking for versions that stay in the double digits.
“The Bower Bird tank top [$39] is in our top 10 ongoing items and yes, tank tops in general are booming,” says Liz Roberts, managing director of denim brand One Teaspoon. “We are in the process of trimming ours again, which we are consistently doing. White is always the number one seller.”
“Our tank tops are consistently selling well, but we’re seeing a seasonal uptick in sales as our customers wear them as part of the utility trend and pair them with cargo pants, cargo skirts and parachute pants,” said James Glasson, CEO of High Street Store Glassons. where tanks start at $14.99. “White performs best, but we sell solidly in all neutral colors.”
