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Spring/Summer 2014 Runway Trend Report: That Look Is Outta Here! | September 30, 2013 (0 comments)
Merrick, NY—With all due respect to Coco Chanel for liberating women from the corset, the Americans really invented sportswear. While the concept originally meant a more comfortable, less formal way of dressing, the idea of reinterpreting sports gear in off-the-field fabrics is going to be a key theme for spring/summer 2014, especially the gussied-up sweatshirt and the classic baseball jacket.
Whether in New York, London, Paris, or Milan, designers in the month-long circus of fashion shows were clearly inspired by sports uniforms. Stella McCartney blew her baseball bomber up into a full-scale coatdress in Paris, while Jean-Paul Gaultier’s was executed in sheer black chiffon. As for jazzed-up sweatshirts, the trend that began this fall simply morphs into spring fabrics and colors such as Jason Wu’s floral-appliqued version, top of page.
Above left, Jean-Paul Gaultier's baseball jacket is sheer and suitable over a funky evening dress. Right, Stella McCartney's is a coatdress. Below, Prabal Gurung makes one for the ladies who lunch.
Color-wise, spring is shaping up to be a real whiteout. Says Kerry Pieri of Harper’s Bazaar, “three is a trend.” Whether three designers out of the hundreds who showed their wares in the last four weeks are enough to label something a trend is debatable, but there’s no question that white is the strong color trend for spring. More than half of the designers in New York, London, Milan, and Paris showed strong white-on-white looks, followed closely by graphic black-and-white combinations.
Reed Krakoff executes the dressed-up sweatshirt in white, the color of the season for spring/summer 2014. (Photo: Getty images). The other standout is graphic black and white, shown here by Narciso Rodriguez. The cropped top/bare midriff is a key spring silhouette (for the young and toned consumer).
Color was present, though this spring it’s most often a soft, muted, watercolor palette, not the vibrant brights and even neons we’ve been seeing the past few years. The most vibrant of colors was the red family, especially brown-based brick or garnet reds, followed by more coral/orange reds and even some straightforward primary reds.
Left to right: a brick red midi by Proenza Schouler, Bottega Veneta's version shows the season's strong shoulders and waist emphasis (without the bare midriff), and Missoni's midi skirt and blouse are rendered in watercolor blue.
Emerald may be Pantone’s Color of the Year, but the ever-fickle fashion industry has already moved on, to amethyst and other shades of purple ranging from pale purple chalcedony to the grayish tinged purple of a fancy color diamond.
More favorite colors were the water-inspired blues and greens, or neutrals. In terms of print and pattern, abstract patterns cropped up at Armani, Missoni, Ralph Lauren, Emilio Pucci, and more, especially ones that seem inspired by technology and circuit boards or that riff on the house logo, like Missoni. And Prada’s bold face prints are sure to spark a trend, like almost everything Prada does.
Abstract and graphic prints, from left, from Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, and Missoni, who turns the house name into an abstract print. Below, Prada's face print is sure to spark trends, but also notice the very strong arm gear, including a shirt-style cuff rendered without the shirt.
Other key trends for spring include fringe and feathers, lots of sheer, lace, webbing, and other cutout treatments for fabric. Strong sculptured lines—especially the shoulders, which had room for shoulder pads even if they didn’t go quite that far into the sports motif—continue, and we’re seeing lots of bare midriffs. There is a clear focus on the waist, whether it’s by showing a slash of skin between cropped top and the waist of a skirt or pants (for the young and fit), or emphasizing the waist with a belted shirt or top (for an older consumer who has passed the point of baring her navel). Skirts are either full or pencil slim, and run the gamut of length from mini to midi, the newest. Pants loosen up to relaxed and louche; even the slimmest ones aren’t as pencil-skinny as we’ve gotten used to.
The Mad Hatter is having a moment. Whether it’s just the eternal fashion cycle or a rising awareness of SPF, more than three (definitely a trend!) designers sent models down the runway sporting wide-brimmed headgear for spring 2014. These are hats of the cover-your-head variety, not sculptured fascinators a la the royal wedding.
The jewelry. While jewelry is rarely the focus of ready-to-wear runway shows, it is directional; certainly in terms of proportion or design. For spring, the statement necklace continues, as do substantive earrings.
Giorgio Armani loves a statement necklace, both for his Collection line, left, and his diffusion line, Emporio Armani, right. Below left, at Roberto Cavalli and below right, at Dries Van Noten.
Finally, if three makes a trend, then be sure to keep your radar tuned to pearls. They made a strong statement at Moschino in a long, swingy, punked-out cross (think Madonna meets Sister Act), as well as more traditional ladylike necklaces and earrings. But they're also cropping up as nail art (Nyx cosmetics) and at Simone Rocha, in a dress with pearl-edged slashes and pearl-topped stockings.
Moschino does pearls in the traditional, ladylike manner (including princess tiara), left, or neo-Madonna, right. Below, Simone Rocha adorns a dress, stockings, and shoes with pearls.
Matching your nails and your lipstick may be passe, but Nyx's pearl nail polish lets you match it to your necklace, whether Tahitian or South Sea. The company's Precious Pearls nail jewelry comes in black, white, or gold.
