After the American and English sensibilities have set their pace, the Italians and French take the stage with their luxurious decadence and creative inventions. Milan decidedly celebrated the 70’s decade in every facet possible – from trousers that were introduced with extra flare to high necked peasant dresses and tops to tomboyish dungarees, styled with scarves and vintage retro shades. Sheer wasn’t as plain and literal as light fabrics were adorned with appliqués and 3D florals, biker jackets showed off brighter shades and A-line culottes were seen everywhere. Paris supported the 70’s too, it offered patch worked suede, striped knit cardigans, airy cotton dresses, shiny disco wear on one end and fringed leather bags, crochet, bohemian maxi dresses on the other; which gives a choice between disco-esque and Woodstock bohemia. Paris being the last stop for the fashion lot, it lived up to its reputation by entertained audiences with the Chanel women’s rights spectacle, Valentino’s lasercut masterpieces and giant overlapping glass sails soaring above the Bois de Bologne at Louis Vuitton.
Since Milan and Paris love to walk and dance to their own tunes, they chose to glance over the monochrome and khaki trends that were in prominence at New York and London. They went for anything but subtlety by inducing colour and lots of it. With that, to add to the chaos, there were big bold prints and colour blocking was touted as the comeback trend of the season. Paris played with bright shades, too, although it also provided respite to the minimalist by favouring all white ensembles. The season has proved to be a clear indication for the retailers to bulk up on seventies fashion for optimal commercial success. FFT rounds up a few of the most prominent looks, silhouettes and colours that surrendered themselves to the summer of 2015…
Sports Luxe
While sporty chic was the norm all throughout last year, Paris and Milan swore by their own version of sporty-sequin, lasercut and feminine prints – Luxe. This year, the relaxed luxe feel has arrived with unique applications of mesh, neoprene, the new bomber and monochrome. There were stylish crop tops, tennis skirts, golf caps in bold bright shades. Fitness and active wear high neck neoprene tops with zipper detailing, long mesh skirts worn over tennis shirts, draw-stringed trousers under bombers, cycling shorts, jogging pants, front zipper dresses and funnel necks. While there were various experimentations with technical fibres and visor shades as accessories, there was a visible effort by designers who tried to make their looks wearable.
Delicate Float
Lying in contradiction to the sporty trends, feminine flight was a prevalent feature in most collections too, as sheerness and lightness were the order of the day. Ensembles were romanticized and fairytale – inspired creations with creative textures took centre stage as models glided effortlessly. Multitude of layering, floral embroidery, cascading frills, and exaggerated lacework were all in presence as designers went all out on peplums that created soft waves, tiered dresses and knife pleats in light shades were sent down the runway. Flowers were aplenty – from vibrant blooms taking birth on asymmetric layers to blown up daisies to textural renditions through raffia floral appliqué.
Rainwear as Outerwear
If robe coats and capes are the go to outerwear for winter, raincoats are slowly but steadily marking their territory for summer. Traditionally, known as a category that was only frequented upon by a handful of big labels, it is soon trickling down to a wider range of designers than before. There were raincoats with bold prints and colours, short rain jackets instead of the full length versions, ones that merged utility and glamorous successfully, and then the experimental ones – take for instance the parka made out of upcycled parachutes. Mustard, teal, bubblegum shades, pastels, monochrome were the popular palettes that were explored on the runway.
Bandeau Eveningwear
While bandeau replaced the cropped top for the midriff bearing aficionados, the bandeau dress was sure to follow as bare shoulders were accredited as being chic by various fashion houses. This shape is sure to be popular for evening wear, whether it is midi-length or knee-length. This recurring silhouette shape was tweaked by various designers to suit their collections but the emphasis lay on the waist. Whether the shape of the skirt was A-lined, straight or pencil, the waistline was cinched with a belt or through panels. The patterns oscillated between graphic ones to big floral ones to classic solid shades that rendered the dress with red carpet sophistication.
Denim Upgrade
Denim, this season, demands serious consideration as it takes a leap from casual daily wear designers to the stylish high-fashion power houses. The demand for feminine denim was met as there were cropped and buttoned jackets referring to the 70’s era, shirtdresses and maxi dresses in chambray, wide-legged pants – all constructed with a luxe feel. Lace detailing, floral panelling, sequin and rhinestones were met with more street style frayed and slashed styles. In addition to this there was patchwork on denim, pleated midi skirts, oversized dungarees, boxy outerwear and denim on denim ensembles with draw waisted culottes and denim shirt tucked in. All in all, this summer hints at using denim where it isn’t expected, as casual wear breaks into all aspects of modern life.
Fringed Upon
Making its way through the previous summer, the Native American fringe was clearly the trim of the season. Bulk upon bulks of fringing was swayed down the runways of the two cities, from wide and long ones to small ones, increasing movement, flow and attaching a touch of flirtatiousness. Fringing was used excessively in collections but used as a detail on dresses, leather bags, tops and skirts. While some designers chose to tread through the 70’s inspired suede fringes, there were others who adopted shinier fabric like silk, shredded leather versions or created beaded fringes which came with embellishments, which make for a far more glamorous piece than the rustic cowboy ones.
Vibrant Spring
The two fashion capitals refused to abide by the monochrome rule that the former two set and opted to paint their clothes in bold patterns and colour pop shades. Colour blocking was seen as if set for a revival at a few shows, pattern clashing of stripes, checks and colours at others. Instead of the usual pastels, there was a splash of fiery reds, tangerines, pinks in all shades from bubblegum to fuchsia and dull shades of blue that enveloped the ensembles. The contrast in the two cities lied that Paris had a loyal following of sheer white, too. French designers played around with the textures, detailing like lasercut, 3D embellishments, appliqué, and embroidery and accessorizing to play up their all-white looks.