What is the usual expectation for a Spring/Summer wardrobe? The majority of it consist of light, breathable, unstructured, and vibrantly colored garments. But finally after 10 years, it seems like this famous quote from Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking,” has made an impact on how fashion designers think and what they will be showcasing for the season. Across the board, designers are back to taking risks instead of conforming to the seasonal expectation of how these garments should feel or look. There will be a lot more leather, dark colored, and structured pieces which makes this season much more exciting to purchase; despite how warm the weather will start turning. But hey, there will always be destinations with cooler climate to justify your purchase.
Adaptation of Grunge
1)
a. Coach 1941 is bringing loud printed trousers with spiked loafers and finishing almost every look off with a leather jacket detailed with prints, badges, and studs.
2)
a. Damir Doma is what I would call a sophistication of the grunge movement. Despite almost always known for being unstructured and deconstructed, they know how to edit these runways looks for their consumers.
3)
a. Dior Homme has always been the rebellious brother to the proper lady-like Dior counterpart. Kris Van Assche goes from being quite subtle a harness to an everyday suit, a lot of mesh T-shirts, to fully embellished garments.
4)
a. The Toronto natives from Dsquared2 are known to create a story for their runway and this time it is no different. a leather jacket with bright color grosgrain, tattered acid wash jeans, and wallet chains, all tied together with a crisp button down. There is a well-polished man beneath the rough edges.
5)
a. Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy has always been my favorite go-to designer for highly-detailed pieces with an edge. This collection is a combination of two streetwear extremes where urban and grunge meets in the middle.
6)
a. Margiela is the perfect embodiment for this trend. The house has always been known for reconstructing the ordinary and creating whole new looks from it, the designer of DIY. We have a top that is combo between a see-through fabric and an interlining of a men’s blazer, which brings this grunge movement to a new artistic level.
Grunge culture is all about, as millennials would call it, a DIY movement, streetwear with an edge…except without the help of Pinterest. Everything is black, plaid, red, tattered, heavily adorned with spikes or duct tape, some crazy print along with non-functioning zippers, and they’re always tightly fitted; basically a surgical procedure for your everyday wardrobe. High-end designers have always been inspired by this movement and most often use it for Fall Winter runways since the colors schemes, textures, and heavy adornments are too excessive for Spring. But I love this new cultural adaptation which gives Spring Summer more of an edge.
Redefining Athleisure
1)
a. Suede, velvet and Leather has been more known to be fall fabrications, but that didn’t stop Bally from using them for their Spring Summer 2017 Collection. Especially when making tracksuits and sweat-trousers out of them.
2)
a. Balmain has been increasingly more known for their dressy/sporty aesthetic. You can look like you are getting out of work, straight to the gym, and right into dinner in head-to-toe Balmain. Drop-crotch pants and stretch-suede pants are keys to elevating this trend.
3)
a. Lanvin is a bit subtler with athleisure but all the key ingredients are there, trousers with elastic waistband, sneakers worn with regular trousers, and “track parkas” worn over their version of suiting.
4)
a. Neil Barrett has been highly popular among consumers due to his easy-to-wear aesthetic. This season, we are also seeing a lot of leather sweatpants, trousers in sporty jersey fabrication, and it seems sophisticated sweatshirts or T shirts for every look.
5)
a. 2 words, leather tracksuits. Making the luxurious and impractical more innovative and convenient. The whole collection is strictly performance-inspired but there are a couple of blazers here and there.
6)
a. Versace for Spring Summer 2017 is surprisingly highly understated; no glitz or glamour, detached from embellishments, a couple of suits on the runway, a somber mood, while the rest are performance wear inspired. Training tights took over the runway, jersey materials became the main focus, and nylon parkas became the new overcoat.
With the race of technology being our main focus, our lives have increasingly becoming more fast-paced and restless. Everywhere has an on-the-go option for consumers and everything we do is tightly packed into a schedule which makes life less comfortable to deal with. Because of this, there is a huge increase in demand for comfortable fashionable pieces that are transitional from work to play, which gave rise to the athleisure trend and it is not going anywhere; of course you still have to wear a suit to a meeting. Athleisure gives the outfit a more presentable appearance while focus mainly on comfort. Through combining sneakers with trousers, bomber jackets with button downs, and trousers that act like sweatpants you can run around and not have to worry about creasing your suit. But as a designer brand, how do re-invent a trend that has been ongoing for several seasons? By combining luxury materials with more casual silhouettes and making the impractical easier to wear.
A European Escape
1)
a. Alexander McQueen reminded us much of the old world travel this season from paisley patterns on sharply tailored suits, to decorative emblem motifs on plain military overcoats, and finally bringing about a journey within our journey through this collection with vintage stamps printed on pants, shirts, and bomber jackets.
a. Antonio Marras also brought us to a more obvious version of European countryside through an array of organic prints and embroideries on blazers, jackets, and easy T-shirts while finishing most looks off with a youthful beret.
3)
a. Etro for Spring Summer 2017 brought about many ordinary men alongside professional models for this luxurious bohemian journey. Oversized sweaters paired with tailored pleated pants (something I would never say), footwear has been mostly dismissed, and house-robe-inspired jackets played a major part in this romantic Italian escape.
4)
a. Alessandro Michele for Gucci this season has brought his viewers to the Far East with an abundance of oriental motifs from koi fish, to flowers, and prints borrowed from Chinese porcelain vases. The extravagant silk robes are surprisingly quite modern and not to mention those koi fish loafers.
5)
a. Luxury in a hot desert? Louis Vuitton has created an absolute ideal African safari for this Spring Summer collection. Crocodile leather trench coat and its suede version on an aviation bomber to ostrich leather bomber jackets, this will be one luxurious trip you would want to experience.
6)
a. Salvatore Ferragamo also has the same idea on luxury travel this season. From designer scout uniforms to multifunctional safari jackets, oversized paper bag waist pants to comfortable jumpsuits, it seems like this would be ideal for backpacking through an exotic locale.
Europe in the early centuries has been a focal point for trading and commerce which brought great fortune to these nations. From the expansion of wealth, European aristocrats would journey the world and bring back tales of their travel that inspired great novelist and poets to bring many everlasting picturesque creations. The fashion industry is no different as many European designers are reverting back to the old world this season and re-immersing us in modernized glimpses of past romantic tales from the whimsical European countryside, lavish African safari, and journey to the Far East.