Meli Shannon picks out some of the top trends shown during last week at Milan’s Ready-to Wear shows.
Fashion season continues with designers showcasing their Autumn/Winter collections at Milan fashion week. The trends emerging from the catwalk will determine what reaches high streets across Europe in the months to come. So, what can we look forward to seeing this winter…
SIXTIES
Designers indulged in striking silhouettes and retro patterns reminiscent of the 60s. We saw Miuccia Prada using psychedelic prints that accentuated their bow detailed dresses. Prada matched this trend with red wedges, but Gucci’s snakeskin boots were definetly the highlight of the 60’s inspired footwear. Fendi displayed patch works of faded abstract prints influenced by the 60s love of colour. The decade’s notorious use of bold pinks and blues could be seen at many shows, with designers such as Marni giving a nod to the 60’s abstract, art-inspired culture. This was in contrast to the use of pastel shades and feminine formed pieces that were fit for a classic beauty.
COLOUR BLOCKING
This trend re-emerges year in, year out, but this year it returns with a twist. The new way to colour block is with colour patches – in doing this multiple blocks of colour are integrated into a single garment to create pieces with bold, geometric forms. Marni included patchwork panels on their coats to produce striking outerwear. Bottega Veneta added silk strips to dresses to give beautiful texture. This style could also be seen on collections for Angona and Missoni. This winter expect to see different coloured sleeves and colour patches on clothes, with no need to mix and match your layers as this trend will do it for you.
FLATS
We can look forward to a season of comfortable T-bar flats with added luxurious embellishments so you won’t feel out of place in glamorous evening wear. Majority of Milan fashion houses had their models walking in everything from patent loafers to pointed slipper shoes. Dolce & Gabbana presented their bejewelled flats alongside elegant knee-length skirts and flaring trousers. Giorgio Armani championed this trend but the lack of heels didn’t stop Armani’s show being one of the most compelling. Think of this as a ‘high heel hibernation’ as we don’t expect heel-wearing to wake until after winter 2014.
FORREST FAIRYTALE
Subtlety obviously wasn’t in mind for Dolce & Gabbana when their catwalk showcased clothing embellished with scenes of woodland animals. The collection envisaged scenes from a Fairy-tale that included owls as a major focus point – bringing back a much loved trend in 2012. Other designer’s collections were scattered with squirrels, foxes and other animal motifs. Antonio Marras and Sergio Rossi took similar inspiration. Whether these make it to the high street or not, they are adorable! Although off the catwalk could be a different story…
ART DECO
Last week we saw reflections of other 20th century decades, beginning with the recurring 1920’s theme. The pastel and nude colour palettes combined with the block colour templates used by Bottega Veneta saw fashion reminiscent of Art Deco detailing. Reinforcing this trend was Prada, with their strong lines and prints.
