Fashion month has drawn to a close, the big shows are done and designers are turning their collective attention to the next big events on the fashion calendar. It’s always a bit odd viewing photos of the upcoming trends; the shows take place two seasons prior to the relevant time of year. I personally find it hard to see myself wearing a summer suited bohemian style dress when it’s a cold and windy autumn day - although today was particularly sunny and I did find myself regretting the choice of a thick woollen jumper that I impulsively pulled out of my wardrobe this morning — but that’s another story.
The trends that did prevail across the catwalks globally, however, did show an interesting array of different key trends that should be looked out for over the coming months. However, the styles we saw, as fashion so often does, seemed to be recycled trends of the last few years creating an odd nostalgic assortment of styles and key pieces that most people probably already have remnants of, from previous seasons, in their wardrobes.
The catwalks seemed to be separated into two different houses of style: the strong business power dresser or the free bohemian chic leaving a cohesive style for any taste ready for the upcoming season.
The side of the power dresser had heavy influences that visually were clearly 80’s inspired — a trend that has been repetitively seen on the runway for the last few seasons, perhaps inspired by the new wave of feminism…. But that’s a topic for a different day. The strong shoulder remained a key feature alongside the synched waists; the power suit truly remains. Block colours were used alongside the structured silhouette: blacks, whites, silvers and reds traversed the runway and although undeniably familiar from the past few seasons the overall effect was beautiful.
A notable trend that perhaps isn’t so recycled from the last couple of year’s previous collections was the addition of bike shorts. Notable collections from designers such as Fendi, Prada, Chanel (to name a few) all featured this call-back to the 1990s. And this can only go two ways: you will love it, or you will hate it. While it may be an odd garment to wear alone, as seen on the runways when styled correctly the short can add an unexpected, but interesting, new element to an outfit.
The other trend section on the runway, the bohemian chick, saw the use of free-flowing silhouettes and the predictable return of fringing, but with a small twist. Rather than the cowboy-esque style we are used to, this upcoming season had rather a more crafted feel to it. Some dresses used fringed hems, creating a finished “unfinished” look, while others surpassed fringing and instead created shapes within the fabric — different but still with the same bohemian feel. Chloé unsurprisingly used this technique (it falls well within their classic aesthetic), but also designers such as McQueen and De Le Renta.
Coupled alongside this use of trim was a heavy use of tie-dye, another trope for the clothing of a free spirit. Calvin Klein shew a tie-dye style wetsuit dress over the top of a Jaw’s T-shirt. Marine Serre used an upcycled wetsuit with a tie-dye ruffled fishtail skirt as part of her runway. The bold use of colour is not only interesting, it appeals to the feeling of desire to walk down a beach in the summer that we all waiting patiently through the winter to experience (and that the Chanel show brought to us 9 months early).
So, if you already can’t wait for summer, just look at the catwalks to inspire your wardrobe and get those “beach and sun” vibes. The great thing about the upcoming season is the reoccurrence of trends from the past seasons; you probably have all the building blocks already in your wardrobe ready to go, which is great news for your bank account — and the environment — but again, another story for another day.
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