In fashion right now it’s not about the color, it’s about the color combo. One mix that John Galliano used for his couture collection for Maison Margiela and that reappears in more wearable ways in resort presentations is a vibrant concoction of magenta and green. Designers use the two hues in prints, in solids for ensembles, or in a graphic way such as contrasting lapels.
GIAMBA RESORT 2019
PROPHESY/PROOF: THE MYSTICS — Saturated blues grace the runway this fall, reaffirming the Mystic Trend Tale in MintModa’s FW18 forecast. While the mystical ultramarines and deep cobalts lend themselves to lush velvets and sheared furs, they look particularly wearable and fresh this season when used on casual silhouettes in workwear fabrics.
The newest kicks on the runways show lots of interesting details, signaling a movement away from the basic “dad sneaker” of last season. Design attributes range from the technical to the whimsical. There are ergonomic panels, fat-padded tongues, velcro ankle straps and furry accents. Black-and-white or brights still work, but newest are mirror-finish silver or pops of Day-Glo against a neutral upper. Soles include extended heels and checkerboard flatforms, spanning the divide between function and fashion.
Foil-finish silvers are the preferred metallic for next season. A straight skirt gets a visual flash with an ultra-shiny reflective surface. Crinkled foil coatings have a softer effect, as in a silver-dipped pea coat. Metallic panels juxtapose with stripes and solids for a surprising dose of futurism on an otherwise simple shift dress. A distressed silver coating takes 5-pocket jeans to the next level. Silver’s neutral quality makes it a perfect choice for footwear and accessories.
Western-inspired looks are gracing the runway again this season, but this time it’s about specific elements rather than a head-to-toe effect. Classic Western shirts are complemented by statement trousers like leather jodhpurs, high-waisted trousers or plaid pants, freshening up the trend. Simple yet strong details include bolo ties, embroidered yokes, fringe, and re-thought cowboy boots will give any ensemble a touch of the Western feeling.
Couture, the luxury laboratory for fashion ideas and dreams, seems to be taking a turn toward the wearable and relevant. The use of color is particularly inspiring this season, with unexpected combinations of mid-tones, brights and pastels. A color-blocked effect is achieved with solid layers — often in the form of big coats and easy slacks — or pieced constructions that create stripes or abstract collages.
Home furnishing fabrics abound this season, adding an unexpectedly lush note to the usually featherweight materials used for spring. There are needlepoints, tapestries and matelassés, brocades worthy of Marie Antoinette’s sitting room at Versailles and kitschy bedspread chenilles that would be at home in a 50s trailer park. Quilted or trapunto effects and bound or fringed edges underline the upholstery feel.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make an item look new. For next spring it’s all about the tape. Designers use twill trim, grosgrain ribbon, jacquard logo tape and other narrow goods as closures, zip pulls and in place of drawstrings for gathered details. These tape-ties give garments a contemporary, industrial feel and enable wearers to customize the look and shape of their clothes, in keeping with the demand for versatility and easy-fits.
The needle on nude has finally moved far beyond the Crayola orange-peach crayon. Current foundation lines (Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty has 40 shades) and lingerie (NubianSkin offers a wide range of skin-tones in underpinnings as well as shoes) reflect the vast variety of colors that human creatures come in, underlining the movement toward inclusiveness in beauty — whether it’s about color, size, shape or age. For next spring, designers dabble in the skin-tone palette, from ivory to beige to taupe to espresso, often in sheer stocking-like fabrics. With all the lovely complexion tones, lipstick shades like fuchsia, coral and carmine work perfectly as accents.
Paris designers seem to have fallen under the spell of Vetements’ designer Demna Gvasalia and his radically roomy broad-shouldered silhouette.