Originally written for Liberty Belle (September 2014), read it here.
Another September, another round of fashion weeks.
Each season we are bombarded with dozens of catwalk shows to fawn over but there are so many outfits it can be difficult to spot the stand-out looks. Never fear, Liberty Belle is giving you the run down of the most interesting Spring Summer trends that emerged from New York and London fashion weeks.
Unusually for this bright season, dark colours are everywhere. At Marc Jacobs, clothes inspired by military and nursing uniforms appeared in shades of grey, navy blue and camouflage green. Alongside this dark colour palette, large buttons and over-sized tailoring meant that the collection had a masculine/androgynous feel – something which Jacobs deliberately drew attention to with the bright pink Barbie dreamhouse set. The look here is extremely casual and far from girly, think Chrissie Hynde hair and minimal detailing in seatbelt-style belts and plain studs.
Black clothes also dominated the runway at Tom Ford in a sea of leather, shiny and sheer fabrics. Definitely a show for the summer goths, this presentation was full of edgy outfit ideas with capes, see-through shirts and awkward cut outs flashing the flesh of almost every heavily-eyelinered model.
Erdem showed dark clothes too, but this time in billowing chiffon and co-ordinated with panels of jewel-toned feathers. The cliché spring florals have also had an overhaul with blown up motifs based on greenhouse exteriors and gardening labels at Erdem and Burberry Prorsum.
Texture-mixing is a strong, emerging trend that will be very easy to replicate. Both Rodarte and Mary Katrantzou paired boxy, heavy jackets with asymmetric skirts in floaty, sheer fabrics. Taking inspiration for their collections from the unusual concepts of the deep sea and the evolution of the earth, these designers also showed heavy embroidery on delicate dresses covered in plenty of sparkles. Again, the darker colour palette of muddy blues and greens shone through.
Burberry Prorsum revealed a collection full of pastels with pieces in pleated net, denim and chiffon, giving this mismatching trend a far more wearable feel. The dresses covered in enlarged sequins are less practical, but still fit for everyday wear.
Fantasy, or more specifically nostalgia for decades past, is also featuring heavily on the catwalk. Ashish’s sequin-filled display demonstrated that the 90s revival is going to stay relevant for at least another year as an all-black model cast walked down the runway wearing more glitter than you thought existed. This show included denim and casualwear reimagined with sequin patterns of snakeskin and motifs of Kimye, Miley Cyrus and the One Direction boys on jeans and sweatshirts.
A nod to the sixties can be seen at both Thom Browne and Oscar de la Renta, though at complete opposite ends of the spectrum. While Oscar de la Renta took a more muted approach with lace cutwork, pastels and midriff-baring gingham separates, Thom Browne presented a whimsical collection that looked like the wardrobe Twiggy would have had if she worked in an alien circus. A mixture of textures also reared its head here, with classic Chanel-style jackets seen next to satin and sheer pieces. Both collections showed that pastels, prints and co-ords are going to be a big thing next summer.
So, plenty to choose from. Whether you aspire to be a pastel fantasist, a Patti Smith mini-me or a military babe there is definitely something for everyone next season. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be sat here waiting to see how ASOS interpret the head to toe sequinned look.
