As Paris Fashion Week wrapped up, there were a few key trends to take away from the catwalks.
Frills
It seems that the future will be full of frills. This endearing trend is making a huge comeback this summer. Frills used to portray femininity, but now the likes of Stella McCartney and Clare Waight Keller at Givenchy have used them as symbols of power and confidence.
While frills have been slowly fading away from the limelight, they were seen in almost every show at Paris Fashion Week – from the punky glamour of Alexander McQueen to the oh-so-slick stylings of Giambattista Valli, from edgy Sacai to avant-garde Comme des Garcons.
Black and White
Traditionally pastels and strong colours dominate spring/summer collections, however, this year many brands have focussed on the two-tone essentials of black and white. It seems clear from the professionals that black and white isn’t a trend for spring and summer – it’s a rule.
Designers who followed this new rule include: Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Balmain, Mugler, Lanvin, Isabel Marant, and Paco Rabanne.
Silvery greys were also used to great effect by Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne and Vanessa Seward.
Tailoring is back
The days of wearing oversized clothes are gone. The future is all about cutting things down to size by a return to classic tailored look.
Paris Fashion Week has bought clothes back to the body, with a much closer cut, shaking off the shapeless style of the last few seasons.
Virgil Abloh, the American designer at Off-White, embraced the well-cut power suit by sending veteran model Naomi Campbell down the runway in a double-breasted white jacket with cycling shorts.
Heavenly Prints
Without dresses and skirts, summer just wouldn’t be summer, and as usual the printed version will be right on trend.
The prince of prints, Dries van Noten, didn’t disappoint with his sublime creations. However, it was Liselore Frowijn’s futuristic visions of African wax prints, Junya Watanabe’s punky take on Marimekko textiles, and Comme de Garcons’ Arcimboldo dress that imprinted themselves into the memories of all in attendance.
