Sunday 20 October 2013

Fashion Forecast

After hectic show schedules, designers can take some time off to unwind and have a well deserved rest. Months of hard work flash before their eyes in just a few minutes for the amusement or despair of an image overloaded audience. Videos, photos and words are uploaded onto the internet to cover countless shows featuring a wide range of brands and designers. 


Lanvin and Gucci
Lanvin and Gucci


Now is the time to go through all this information and make sense of what may lie ahead in fashion. Trends are increasingly fluid given the multiple style directions, nonetheless it's possible to identify some connections between the most well known brands and designers. One of this is Chic Shimmer embodied by glamorous women wearing scintillating fabrics, perfect for enjoyable evenings. 


Emilio Pucci and Tom Ford
Emilio Pucci and Tom Ford


But the most noticeable trend is definitely Flower Bed, which is not surprising considering spring is naturally the season when flowers bloom. Either as large prints, embroidered or three dimensional applications, colourful petals adorn the female body in a magnificent way.


Matthew Williamson and Giambattista Valli
Matthew Williamson and Giambattista Valli
    

Emotional feelings are often expressed with flowers so could this mean there will be more love in the world? When there's so much pressure to succeed and when success is measured in individual targets stirring up competitive aggression instead of cooperation, can designers sense a shift coming up?


Dolce & Gabbana and Oscar de la Renta
Dolce & Gabbana and Oscar de la Renta


Maybe it's just wishful thinking but everything starts with ideas anyway so you never know... Another trend is also about embellishment - Artistic Flair - which is a refreshing evolution of the artistic dress already seen in previous seasons. 

 
Mary Katrantzou and Prada
Mary Katrantzou and Prada


Karl Lagerfeld brought the creative spirit to the forefront of the latest Chanel catwalk show, where women emerged as if coming out of a painting box while Prada used Japanese manga style faces to illustrate her intricate pieces. 


Chanel and Roland Mouret
Chanel and Roland Mouret


Black and white continues to be a classic combination for Spring/Summer. Like the joy of touching beautiful piano keys, this trend is also about tactile pleasure, involving different textures and patterns. Incredible patchworks emerged on the catwalk, particularly by Alexander McQueen and Missoni.  



Alexander McQueen and Missoni
Alexander McQueen and Missoni


There's always an incessant attraction between polar opposites and this dynamic is as timeless as black and white photography. But in terms of colours, pink seems to be coming to the forefront of fashion trends next season, particularly soft tones.



Oscar de la Renta and Ralph Lauren
Oscar de la Renta and Ralph Lauren

Maybe we need a bit more romanticism and less focus on pure sexual energy so it's interesting to see the red colour of the previous season diluting into Pink. This is definitely an allusion to feminine power, it's the symbolic colour of baby girls and of the fight against breast cancer. 



Giles and Lanvin
Giles and Lanvin
  

The empowerment of women continues to demand a lot of effort to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe. It's all about using our heart more often and getting away from the predominant figure mentality, seeking positive emotions towards others instead of perceiving them as mere figures in complex Excel spreadsheets and web analytic tools. 



Roberto Cavalli and Temperley London
Roberto Cavalli and Temperley London
  
When browsing the new collections for Spring/Summer 2014, another easily predictable trend is the Safari Style. Just as flowers are an inspiration for Spring, summer is all about hot weather and holidays in warm climate countries. The connection to the earth is incredibly strong in the African continent and some designers have invoked this natural richness in their collections.



Donna Karan and Diane Von Furstenberg
Donna Karan and Diane Von Furstenberg

This is my selection of photos and trends for next season but the most important is to be able to mix and match what's inside our wardrobe according to our own personality and lifestyle. Let's not be carried away by so many voices across multiple media and advertising, we cannot buy happiness and can only rely on our own inner wealth... Be inspired by Empathy and Compassion in Society






  


Other related blog posts:   
Slow Fashion? Your Choice!
Dress in Black & White Graphics
3D Flower Power