Belle Taylor: Want to be fashion-forward? Head to the linen cupboard

And now, to the latest from the high-fashion catwalks of Europe where Spanish fashion house Balenciaga has dropped the most talked about garment of the season as part of its spring/summer 24 collection: the bath towel skirt.

For just $1250, you too can leave the house looking like you just stepped out of the shower and then got locked outside like a character in a 90s rom-com.

The towel skirt is the latest offbeat offering from Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia, who previously made headlines when he released a designer version of that big blue IKEA bag you buy at the checkout when you realise you’ve bought more tea lights than you can reasonably carry.

The IKEA version costs $1.50. Balenciaga’s was slightly pricier at $3266. This guy has form. In 2015, in his former role at Swiss fashion house Vetements, Gvasalia released a bright yellow T-shirt with the logo of logistics company DHL emblazoned across the front.

It retailed at $352. And sold out. Fashionistas were so desperate to get their hands on the tee that some even resorted to going direct to the DHL website, where they could buy an almost identical version of the real (fake?) thing for $9.80 each — if they bought 100.

Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga’s blue tote bag that bears a striking resemblance to IKEA’s Frakta bag, but with a significantly higher price tag. Credit: Supplied

We know fashion has gotten more casual. One hundred years ago people wore a hat and gloves to go into town.

Thirty years ago, walk down St Georges Terrace and witness a sea of neckties and stilettos. These days you can wear jeans to (many) offices and active wear is just as likely to be spotted in a cafe as it is at the gym.

But a towel? Is this where we’re headed? Because . . . I don’t hate it. Get out of the shower and can’t find a thing to wear? No problem!

Just go as is. Can’t squeeze yourself into your favourite mini skirt any more? Don’t worry, that towel is still gonna fit.

Want to pop to the pool after work but can’t fit a towel in your handbag? Do I have a solution for you! Unscheduled bout of rain on your walk home? I think you can see where I’m headed here.

But seriously, is this high fashion? Or just high-level trolling? Probably a little bit of both. If fashion is art and art is meant to provoke, then Gvasalia is doing his job.

The price tag on these items seems to be part of the theatre of them. Why would anyone spend $1250 on a designer towel when you can pick up an almost identical-looking item from IKEA for $9? Is it extravagance? A gross display of obscene wealth?

Or is the price tag a comment on the throwaway nature of consumer culture? If your shopping bag costs a month’s wages, chances are you’re not forgetting to bring a few to the supermarket.

And with an estimated 75-199 million tonnes of plastic in the ocean, maybe $1.50 per plastic bag is a little cheap.

As for that pricey towel, around 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced every year. The fashion industry is responsible for 20 per cent of global wastewater and it takes 20,000 litres of water to produce one kilo of cotton. So what is the true cost of that $9 towel?

Perhaps Gvasalia is on to something. Comments on consumer waste aside, if you really want to make a statement with your outfit at the work Christmas party this year, rock up in a towel, DHL T-shirt and toting a blue IKEA bag. If anyone questions you, just toss your head and say: “It’s fashion, darling.”