S/S 18 TREND REPORT
the ballerina
The ballerina has always been an image of grace, beauty, and simplicity. As a little girl I remember taking ballet classes, dreaming of becoming one of those beautiful girls with slicked back hair, pointy shoes, and dressed in pink. Just recently has the ballerina look transcended into modern fashion, potentially out of a nostalgic tendency such as with myself. Several blogs noted the trend arising in mainstream fashion retail as shoes sold in stores like Urban Outfitters referencing the ballet flat or leggings from Free People andZara noting the tied ballet straps. Even the long-lived body suit trend can be seen as an homage to the ballerina leotard.
However, this season, the focus has shifted from the
utilitarian simplicity of the ballerina to the romantic style of the ballerina costume. Tulle is now used in dresses, skirts, giving an extra bounce to an A-line silhouette. The movement both structured and loose tulle allows references the dance, yet attracts the mainstream customer to add a little girly oomf to their closet. Also, the ballerina trend is no typical, pink, cutsey girl—she’s alternative, edgy, sexy. New colors, darker hues, dropped waists, sheer skirts with underwear peeking out, layered sweaters. The ballerina now steps outside of her comfort zone this season.
daytime lingerie
The lingerie-in-the-daytime trend has made its small appearances before in the past few years, however it is really breaking ground starting this fashion season. As early as 2014 Refinery29 posted an article on how to wear sleepwear as clothing, but only included such pieces layered over tees or peeking out from underneath. It’s interesting that such conservatism when it comes to wearing lingerie has only just now begun to fall apart. The scandal in exposing a slip underneath a dress is a long-time belief, yet it has gone from hidden scandal to full-out fashion trend in a very short time. Slips are no longer worn as actual slips but as dresses. Stores such as Urban Outfitters and Free People have multiple styles of “slips” picturing models wearing them as dresses, and consumers purchasing them as dresses.
The trend has four main components: lace, satin, sheer, and skin.
It ranges from romantic slip-inspired dresses to simply wearing a fancy bra underneath an open jacket. This trend came up alongside athleisure, an interesting juxtaposition with significant similarities. Both trends, although arguably designed for different girls, understand that maximum comfort and ease is taking priority in fashion. As far as where this lingerie-in-the-daytime trend is going, I see it continuing through and into other trends—such as the monochromatic and two-piece trends. I think sheer and skin are here to stay for a while as comfort takes charge when making fashion decisions, and this trend offers a convenient yet sexy and sophisticated way of applying that.
sheer layering
Sheer has been around for a few years now, even last year multiple publications including InStyle named it one of the top trends of Spring 2017. But, I’d like to argue that the trend is changing, as it does, every year. If you look at the sheer looks from before, there seems to only be a couple elements of sheer—a layer of a skirt, a pair of sleeves. However, as the Free the Nipple campaign gets traction, the sheer has amped up. This season’s looks include a lot more skin showing, more completely sheer items in one outfit. Many looks only include sheer pieces—the only modesty coming from their clever layering. The evolution of this trend is long coming and yet I think it is going in a fantastic direction. It seems that we are heading towards a more accepting, free sense of the body. This season the sheer look has also been included in menswear, extending this idea. This trend arguably more than others is very widespread among types of brands on the runway. Ranging from the more conservative Dior to the bohemian Anna Sui, all include multiple sheer pieces in layering. Sheer layering in its concept is interesting because it is adding layers without covering up —a sort of false conservatism.
Again, there is irony in fashion.
I think this trend is attractive in the wearer’s ability to stay in the grey between revealing and covered-up. Maybe this says something about our perception of the world as it stands in almost a limbo with political and international tension. Maybe this is the start of a subtle protest against healthy sexuality in self expression. Although the runway was very prominent in this trend, street style was not as apparent. I think there is push-back from the typical use of sheer as it was last year, as popularized by Kim Kardashian and Brandy Melville. Also, this new take on sheer is arguably a little more daring, so it might take a while for the street to figure out how to realistically apply this to their wardrobe.
monochrome pink
The monochrome trend has been in fashion for about a couple years now, and is still in general carried out to today. It’s a fun way to spice up a stream of outfits, and two-pieces have flooded department stores these past shopping seasons. These sets offer a wide range of outfit options, making the monochrome look appealing in its versatility.
However, since the trend’s birth, it has gotten more specific. In an article on Refinery29 from last March, it outlines how the reader can do the monochrome look themselves. The examples and tutorial shows the trend being a lot more loose on what counts as matching enough to be “monochromatic,” and explores a lot of colors, but specifically touching on neutrals. In this season, there seems to be a jump towards the extremes. The monochromatic look as gone strictly colorful. Although I spotted some baby blue and chartreuse outfits, the key player this season is definitely pink. From the runway to street style, it’s incredible how fluid this trend has already gotten. I think pink is so popular in this way possibly because we are so over the “pop of color” trend that seemed to go on for a decade before this.
Pink is loud, obnoxious, so why not go all out?
In a lot of the outfits, there is a fantastic menswear juxtaposition. Oversized, structured, distressed, all qualities that are not typically associated with that innocent hue of pink. In The Business of Fashion’s interview with Tim Blanks, he describes one of the key ideas of this season was optimism. I see this trend as a direct extension of that idea: pink is generally a happy color, and an explosion of it in a monochromatic outfit definitely sends a message. Maybe that message is in a way ironic—the menswear influence certainly could signal that as well. Maybe the monochrome pink is a statement of the ridiculous optimism that is necessary to hold on to in times of distress and panic of this political and environmental climate.
patchwork
Patchwork is one trend that I did not see coming. As a little girl, I remember seeing my grandmother’s quilts around the house made with darling fabrics and patterns. Although they were beautiful in their own way, never did I associate them with fashion--they were just so grandma . Furthermore, I remember as a kid I tore my jeans and my mom offered to make a patch to cover it, and I refused because it looked so crafty to me. I think when this trend is done successfully, the crafty nature is not apparent.
I think it is tricky to do patchwork without reminding someone of their grandma, however, when done so in a thoughtful way it can avoid being kischy. The styles I appreciate are the ones that look clean, and more incorporative of patchwork than just an embellishment. Monochromatic, paneling, and detail stitching I think help elevate the trend to something more high fashion.
It is interesting to notice the common themes
among the various trends for this season. Similar to those before, patchwork seems to give a nod to the current state of the world. Recently thrift shopping and recycling clothes has become a trend in an effort to reduce waste. Also, the mismatched aspect of patchwork gives off a nonchalant, effortless tone that communicates a cool air without much thought. And finally, as layering is a trend for these Spring/Summer collections, patchwork can be seen as a new take on a repeated pattern in the seasons.
the wet look
The watery look has classically been associated with sex, with beach scenes on Baywatch and as seen in the example of Demi Moore to the right. However, today the wet look has been taken on within a different context. Plastic material, large coats, clunky boots and floppy hats give the overall tone this season more of one of cleanliness and protection rather than sex. Although transparency is also a common theme this season, the emphasis is on the material and layering rather than skin. Along with the various materials such as plastic and patent leather, the wet look also translates to hair and beauty. This includes gelled hair--either messy or slicked-back, as well as a dewey complexion and clean face of makeup.
As the world climate becomes more and more of a concern,
all of this protective weather gear could be a comment on what fashion will be like in the future. Also, when looking at the other trends this season, this one goes along with the message of simplicity. There is an apparent appreciation for the effortless beauty, clean finish, and natural. Maybe the thought is that being less focused on being sexy makes it more attractive, or sex is simply not the top thing that’s selling at the moment. Either way, I appreciate the emphasis on natural beauty with this trend, and with all of its implications, I think it fosters an interesting direction in fashion.
the disco ball
Glitter is usually a love or hate thing, and in the fashion industry it can easily come off as tacky. While I have witnessed many designers avoid sparkly things most likely due to this fear, this season all rules against glitter and sparkle seem to have gone out the window. Ranging from designers like Jeremy Scott to Moncler Gamme Rouge, the disco ball specifically has taken flight. What seems to make the biggest impression on me is the quantity of sparkle this season. A shiny dress at the end of a show is sometimes expected for certain designers, however, as seen in the set design for Moncler and the countless sequined dresses at Dior, the sparkle does not concede.
A take on a typically un-fashionable aspect and turning it to the extreme to make it on trend.
Silver seems to be the most common color this season most likely because of its neutral tone, and it feels more accessible, relatable than gold. But I think this fascination with sparkle is another reaction to the current state of the world, there is a lot of strife and upset in various aspects, and sparkle is associated with a kind of extreme happiness and almost a sense of distraction.I am excited about this new age of glitter--I think it is often avoided and not considered enough because of how difficult it is to work with successfully. However, when thoughtfully used, I think sparkle and sequins and glitter all have the potential of elevating garments in new, creative, and daring ways.