What’s happening overseas?
RUNWAY TO STORES
With almost 30 mainstream designer brands presenting ‘see now, shop now’ collections last year, 2017 could be the beginning of the end of fast fashion as we know it, as more brands plan to do the same. In previous years, high street stores such as Zara and H&M carried affordable ‘designer-inspired’ versions of catwalk collections before the luxury pieces could make it to stores. But with the instantaneous character of the ‘seasonless’ shows, it will make it impossible for affordable stores to beat the luxury brands to it – with the latest trends suggesting a change in how we shop and what we shop for in 2017.
THE NEW FASHION ICONS
This year is going to see a huge curveball mixed in with our modern fashion icons. While she’s surrounded by controversy, there’s no doubt Melania Trump’s style choices are going to be making headlines. Dolce & Gabbana already dressed her for a 44 New Year’s party, and while many designers have refused to dress her, Melania is surely going to have supporters for her style. Kate Middleton can also take a back seat this year as it’s Prince Harry’s actress girlfriend Meghan Markle who will be attracting the attention of designers and industry insiders. Meghan’s classic style with an edgy twist is much more accessible than the prim and proper fashion choices of the Duchess of Cambridge.
PLUS-SIZE FASHION MAKING AN IMPACT
Following in the footsteps of Alexandra Shulman’s decision to put plus-size model Ashley Graham on the cover of British Vogue in 2016, let’s hope 2017 is the year models of all shapes and sizes on magazine covers finally becomes the norm. While it’s unlikely to be every month, the determination of Vogue to continue with its cover despite many brands refusing to dress the American
WHERE WILL OUR FASHION TRENDS COME FROM?
For as long as I can remember, fashion trends have been dictated by what’s on the catwalk, which then filters down to the high street for us mere mortals to buy. However, as we step into 2017, I recently had a conversation with a colleague about a recent trend to wear fishnet tights under ripped jeans and where this had come from. As far as I can recall this isn’t something I have seen on any recent catwalk. And then it hit me. This is not a catwalk trend but instead a style trend as started by the Kardashian/Jenner family, all of which have been wearing this particular outfit in the past few weeks. With sites now reporting this as one of ‘2017’s biggest trends’, can it be that our style choices this year will be dictated by celebrities and reality TV stars rather than the classic method of fashion designers?