This spring is going to be doused with stronger femininity, whether it will be the serious inclination towards the urbane woman with easy ensembles and futuristic yet sensual cuts or the strictly glamorous one decorated in intricate laces, sequins and iridescent surfaces. Innovative paneling will give way to eccentric shapes while merging craftsmanship with exquisite pattern-making skills. A series of artistic draping, twisting, cutouts, cinching and folding techniques seen on skirts and dresses will give way to warped capes, sectional volumes and pleats. The recurring bombers and sweatpants will be explored with opulent details, peg pants will be traded in for culottes and wide-legged pants, crop tops would be easily stretched to a wider range of fabrics and styles, knits will find a way into summerwear and icy pastel palettes would have a devoted following.
Wrap Dress
A 1970’s symbol of women’s liberation, wrap dresses have been a comfortable go-to option for women. While the season had erratic affairs with more eras than one, this staple of the seventies was taken up with a sartorial air, twisted and revived to befit the contemporary realms of fashion. Dresses can be wrapped, some tied like a classic DVF wrap and the rest, draped like traditional, oriental attires. The diagonal wrap on knee-length versions spread to asymmetrical slits, with the plackets shifting to the side on a few. The trend, however, translates familiarly on midi-length dresses, held together by belts, with some refreshingly choosing to construct the same in glossy leather.
One Piece
Jumpsuits are mostly synonymous with casual or workwear but this time around, will be incorporated in ways worthy of red carpet sophistication. Designers used denim and leather one piece, symbolic of rugged tomboyish looks, buttoned down halfway through and with pockets aplenty. As for the polished woman, there were tube jumpsuits – in tropical summer prints, plain monotone and even gleaming metallic ones. Some can be cinched at the waist by belts and others by drawstrings, each can differ from the other in the way the pants are constructed, from cropped to slouchy to straight fit, draping of the fabric transforms the silhouettes immensely.
Knit Dress
A knit dress has all the qualities of a stellar, ready-to-wear separate. Uncomplicated comfort aside, what makes this trend even more viable for the summer is its direct association with the much-accepted phenomenon of transparency. As most versions keep the silhouette body hugging, the silhouette mostly knocks on crochet and lace detailing with beads for its intricate appeal. As for the ones that flared out at the end, the skirts were mostly gently flared. Finished at a length, either below the mid-thigh, the various interpretations of the dress differ through the unique patterns being formed. Designers who viewed the trend in light of dainty eveningwear gave into deep V and strappy necklines, in addition to full sleeves for a lasting impact.
Slit Skirt
Recognized as the most infectious trend to crop up this season, the slit skirt can be interpreted in various different ways. All kinds of skirts – pencil, maxi, wrap – are reintroduced with fierceness, crediting to the inclusion of a slit, au milieu de the skirt. Thigh high or mid thigh, the overlapping slit, usually sliced in the centre for ease of walking, has sharply shifted sideways for a more risqué appeal. From leather to cotton to silk, the trend has been rendered in all fabric qualities possible, with some designers covering their slit skirts in a myriad of prints. As houndstooth, bird print, splatter and neon did the rounds; clashing prints on the reverse side of the skirts as they flung open further diversify the trend.
Culotte
Somewhere between the long tailored shorts and the classic wide legged trouser, come the roomy culottes. Designers toyed around with the length, as some versions spotted had low-swung hemlines ending right above the ankle and others, finished just below the knee. The plus sized culottes that closely resemble an A-line midi-length skirt achieved ample diversity through the art of pleating. Fabrics explored can span from luxe velvety ones to suiting fabric to modest ones like cotton, whereas, different styles can be explored through form and straight fitting pieces being constructed for a formal appeal and the floaty exaggerated ones being rightfully reserved for a more casual affair.
