February, 2014

(from left: RED Valentino, Fausto Puglisi, Matthew Williamson, Dries van Noten)

It’s been busy around here as we start to kick the Cruise 2015 wheels into motion, so pardon us if we’ve fallen behind with the Fall/Winter 2014 runways. As we play catch-up, certain trends really *pop* out at us. First, there’s your “classic” pop art: bright color blocking, dizzying graphics, Lichtenstein-esque comic book caricature. Dries van Noten just showed in Paris today and is a favorite for sure. On the (sort of) other end of the spectrum, you get low culture kitsch at its finest: advertising, typography, and cartoons. Marc by Marc Jacobs’ motocross, Rodarte’s Star Wars printed dresses, and Moschino’s candy wrapper couture—not the most beautiful clothes in the world, but Andy Warhol would be proud.

(from left: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Rodarte, Moschino, Jeremy Scott)

New York Fashion Week wraps up today, and while we’re having trouble being excited for NEXT Fall/Winter when we can’t seem to shake this one (and obviously we’re a little partial to warmer weather seasons) we like what we’ve seen so far. Here are just a few of the trends for Fall/Winter 2014:

 PLAID ON PLAID ON PLAID

(from left: Band of Outsiders, 3.1 Philip Lim, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, Altuzarra)

One could spot plaid in practically every designer’s Fall/Winter collection. Could it be another reaction to last year’s Punk at the Met? From simple grid prints to bold tartans, laidback parkas to structured sheaths, it was all there.

HIGH FIVES

(from left: Alice + Olivia, Karen Walker, Opening Ceremony)

A bit obscurer than the other trends, but it’s worth mentioning that we spotted a hand motif in three different shows. It calls to mind vintage Moschino, but otherwise we’re not sure where it came from. Opening Ceremony even had hands on the hardware of their accessories. Graphics and typography were popular on the runways this past week; even Star Wars characters made a cameo.

TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOATS

(from left: Custo Barcelona, Thakoon, Alexander Wang, Altuzarra, Libertine, Carolina Herrera)

Fall collections tend to stay on the neutral, darker end of the color spectrum, and while this season was not quite an exception, a few daring souls turned the volume way up! There was certainly a lot of color out there overall–deep jewel tones and a carry-over of last Fall’s pale pink trend–but then there were multicolored furs…

BLAVY

(from left: MM6 Maison Martin Margiela, 3.1 Philip Lim, Thom Browne, Timo Weiland, Herve Leger)

Wearing black and navy blue hasn’t been a faux pas for years now, but we just love this understated, yet edgy-chic trend

RED ALERT

(from left: Naeem Khan, Vivienne Tam, M Missoni, Reem Acra, Tory Burch, Oscar de la Renta)

We realize red is not a novel concept either, especially with Valentine’s Day (literally) around the corner, but we couldn’t help noticing so many textured prints, laces and brocades (even mixed with eachother) all in deep red hues! Think power and elegance with a twist.

COMING UP ROSES

(from left: Co, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Naeem Khan, Honor, Alice + Olivia)

We had our fun with Rosettes for last Cruise season’s Wonderland-esque collection, so maybe we still have roses on our minds (and again, maybe it’s just Valentine’s Day being so close), but there seemed to be quite a few roses out there. Floral prints popped up in a surprising number of collections, actually. Could it be a sign from the fashion gods that next winter’s weather will be a little more like spring? We can only hope.

As for other trends, it looks like the oversized sweater (and sweatshirt) is sticking around and overalls might be making a comeback as well. We also spotted a handful of what can only be described as a “bath robe coat.” Designer aesthetics seem less minimalist then in recent seasons–tons of mixed media and embellishment. Intentionally too much? We can’t wait to see more from London, Paris, and Milan.