I am now weeks into doing a daily edit of the international runway shows for my Instagram, and it has reminded me just how relentless and exhausting the show season can be.
When I worked in fashion magazines I went to these shows physically; now I edit on my phone in bed with a cup of coffee and I’m still overwhelmed by the amount of fashion that is sent out. A lot of the shows have up to 80 exits, which is an awful lot of clothing and accessories to sift through.
It’s the rare designer who can send out 80 truly beautiful looks in one show, which may explain why we see so many lame sheer tube dresses over visible underpants punctuating the catwalk. They must be tired.
The good news is that there seems to be a bit of a sea change on the runways, because so many of the shows were incredibly wearable and beautiful.
They aren’t finished yet – there are still some major shows in Paris to come – but there are some discernible trends that are definitely worth getting excited about.
Roomy jackets. Prada, Dries van Noten, Jil Sander, Gucci, and Christian Dior all sent out oversized hip-length tailored jackets, often with pockets, which were beautiful solution pieces for every wardrobe. It’s frustrating to constantly see clothes sent out that are too sheer or revealing, which is why pairing sheer chiffon and silk pieces back with a slouch chore jacket or car coat shape is a more functional option for women in the real world.
There was lots of beautiful shirting in white or pale blue or fine stripes worn with fluid black suiting (Dior). This sharp minimalism is always a winner, and the choice of accessories (like a fab Bally flat shoe) can make it work for day or add heels and a choker and evening (Dior).
Sheer is a huge trend. Not those ubiquitous strapless tubes but, rather, used in ways like a sheer chiffon jackets and (Undercover, Simona Rocha) or a chiffon evening blouse (Dolce & Gabbana).
Black. From single perfect sheath dresses (Fendi, Bottega Venetta) to suiting, to the extravaganza of sexy blackness that was Dolce & Gabbana, it was very strong no-colour statement for a spring summer season.
Pale blue, peach, taupe, slate green (Dries van Noten, Fendi, Prada) – moving away from brights into a more muted, less aggressive colour palette.
Grown-up handbags. The silly trend of tiny handbags has mostly disappeared, with gorgeous mid to oversized bags taking centre stage. Woven and textural at Bottega Veneta in beautiful shades of blue, green and burgundy, more structured handbags at Dior, Prada and Dries van Noten.
Despite the fact that it was a spring-summer season, there were lots of long-length trench coats, often worn open over shorts. That’s a good transitional trend for now, before we really start to get into the hotter months.
That’s the great thing about living in the southern hemisphere. We can test drive the trends first.
The post <i>Kirstie Clements</i>: From top to toe, spring-summer trends to get excited about appeared first on The New Daily.
