2017 right around the corner, it is time to see what designers have in store, and what new trends might be popping up on the horizon. One of the most notable emerging trends is the shift away from technology and complexity, as we find comfort, solace, and retreat in simplicity and the natural world. This theme is evident in both fashion and interior design. As Gudy (2016) points out, emerging design trends reveal "our instinctive need to express ourselves in a world that is, at times, lost in a rush of souls chaos."
A similar trend towards simplicity and taking time away from harried lives was evident in New York Fashion Week Spring 2017. Loose-fitting yet highly structured elements make an appearance. Even hooded bathrobes disguised as coats make an appearance, showing that consumers are demanding greater comfort and relaxation from their lifestyles. Similarly, the brashly off-the-shoulder look and billowy white dress invite us to be looser and more relaxed. Colors are also muted, more in the range of earth tones, reflective of the organic qualities that Gudy (2016) refers to in interior design trends. Texture and comfort and more important than bling or flash.
Vogue's Spring 2017 accessories trends also reflect a welcome preoccupation with nature. The first bag featured in the slide show is a scene of a sky with clouds, covering the entire bag. It has a dreamy appearance, signaling connectivity with nature. Nature and the relaxation of cloud-gazing are more important than the achievements of fame, wealth, and power. Similarly, the puffy blue bag next in the slide show is like a pillow. It could even double as a pillow for the tired office worker. This bag reflects the relaxation and "time out" trend of the bathrobe-style coat seen at New York Fashion Week Spring 2017, and also in the Dolce & Gabbana pool slippers worn with a black chiffon dress (Vogue Spring 2017, slide 5). Even the reviled Crocs have made a comeback, albeit with greater panache, showing that comfort is key. The natural, relaxed lifestyle is also evident in trends showing how to carry yoga mats (Vogue Spring 2017, slide 10). As George-Parkin put it, "athleisure's influence still reigns," (p. 1).
Although retreat, lifestyle, and relaxation have dominated the landscape, quirkiness is still evident in a series of surprise fun elements like the back-front shoe, for when you cannot tell whether your are going or coming (Vogue Spring 2017, slide 8). Like the red show/white shoe mismatched pair in Slide 3 of the Vogue Spring 2017 slideshow, these dichotomous elements show that consumers are finding their own work/life balance. Instead of choosing one over the other, they are choosing both, and it is evident in the willingness to brandish one's one duality, wearing one's complex nature proudly.
As far as spring trends are concerned, notably absent are the flowers and pastels. Instead, strong whites and solid colors are making an appearance. Just as the interior design trends are witnessing backlash from the colored walls trend, so too is fashion experiencing a move away from the familiar spring trope of flowers and pastels and into fresher shades with more confident, bolder solids and striking stripes. Even khaki is making an appearance again. In fact, the most surprising trend is the proliferation of thick stripes, some even candy cane like. The frivolity of the stripes corresponds with the loose, fun frills that are adorning new skirts, which are long but layered and flowing.
Trends for Spring 2017 are about having fun, rediscovering the simplicity of childhood, and disconnecting from the pressures of a materialistic life. They reveal a desire to recreate the Good Life, a life that focuses more on what really matters like friends, family, and fun. "It is an anti-digital and essentially a quiet, sensitive, contemplative, inward-looking narrative where time and introspection are the current luxury," (Gudy, 2016). Within the Good Life, there is room for everyone to carve out a niche.
References
George-Parkin, H. (n.d). Top 10 trends from New York Fashion Week Spring 2017. Retrieved online: http://stylecaster.com/nyfw-trends-spring-2017/
Gudy (2016). Time out -- A lifestyle trend for spring/summer 2017. Ecclectic Trends. Retrieved online: http://www.eclectictrends.com/lifestyle-trend-summerspring-2017-2/
Ogunnaike, N. & Carreon, J. (2016). The top trends from spring 2017 New York Fashion Week. Elle. Sept 16, 2016. Retrieved online: http://www.elle.com/fashion/trend-reports/g28728/spring-2017-fashion-trends/
"Vogue: Spring 2017 Accessories Trends." Retrieved online: http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/13493291/best-spring-2017-accessories-trends/#1
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