How to wear spring fashion
After a surprisingly exciting Fashion Month, Meadhbh McGrath reviews the four major new looks to come off the catwalks of New York, London, Milan and Paris
It’s easy to grow fatigued with the biannual Fashion Month, but the most recent edition has been a little more exciting than usual. There were show-stopping moments (Anthony Vaccarello staged his Yves Saint Laurent catwalk underneath the Eiffel Tower, a fashion first), unexpected revivals (welcome back, Burberry check) and an instantly iconic supermodel reunion at Versace, where Donatella enlisted Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen and Carla Bruni to pay tribute to her late brother Gianni.
Thanks to this unpredictable weather, most of us are only just starting to get to grips with autumn fashion, so spring-summer may seem a long way away. But the clothes from fashion month will have a big impact on what we’re all wearing in six months’ time. Here, we break down four of the major trends from each of the fashion capitals.
NEW YORK
To kick things off, the catwalks of the Big Apple were coated in sugary pastels. Victoria Beckham credited her daughter Harper’s influence on her collection, which was filled with soft lilacs, blush pinks and cool blues across slouchy suiting, dreamy organza pencil skirts and boxy check shirts, perfect for the office or dressy summer nights. At Tom Ford, Gigi Hadid was pretty in pink eveningwear with shimmering sleeves, while buzzy label Sies Marjan offered a deliciously fresh palette of gelatto shades.
LONDON
Following their high street ubiquity this past spring, you might be sick of ruffles, but prepare for more next season. Instead of ruffled shirting and gothic occasionwear, however, this time the look is romantic, ideal for date night or wedding season. They cascaded down silk, lace and organza gowns at Erdem and Preen, while Christopher Kane loaded them up on dresses and shoes, and Simone Rocha played with volume and proportion by layering Victorian-inspired ruffles on oversized shapes.
MILAN
We’ve had all sorts of variations on the midi skirt in the past few seasons, from voluminous silhouettes to micro pleats to fluid satiny numbers. But next season, the pencil skirt is making a major comeback. The workwear staple was given a modern makeover at Fendi, where Karl Lagerfeld offered black leather versions or covered in sheeny chevron stripes. Skirts were styled with socks and sandals almost everywhere, while Gucci added check blazers, and Prada opted for kitten keels and sharp collars.
PARIS
The autumn-winter catwalks heralded a return to glamour, and the mood has carried over to springsummer to dazzling effect. New York, London and Milan were all covered in glitter, and it’s already dominating the Paris shows, which kicked off on Tuesday. At Yves Saint Laurent, creative director Anthony Vaccarello has shown a preference for all-out glitz, and his spring show amped it up even further with party-ready dresses ballooning with sequins and sparkle.
Dries Van Noten drizzled glistening sequins on everything from slip dresses to coats, while Maria Grazia Chiuri closed her Dior show with a parade of rainbow glitter gowns, which we’re already forecasting as red carpet favourites for the coming Oscar season.
On the high street, expect to see shiny pyjamas and ballet flats or glitzy shifts with knee-high flat boots for day, and for night, think leather shorts, ostrich feathers, duchesse satin, gleaming mini dresses and billowing disco blouses. Whether you dare to try YSL’s sexy Yeti boots in electric blue or ice white, however, is up to you.