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From New York to London to Milan and finally Paris, designers showcased all things bright and beautiful with updated styles, silhouettes and interesting fabrications. Paris ended the Spring/summer 2018 show on a high note as shows exhibited fresh colour twists and design details.
Opaque’s and sheers were seen across all shows and became a key theme for Paris Fashion Week (PFW) as variations of sheers were displayed with polka-dot patterning, lettering and ruffles. These floor length garments once dressed over full looks progressed into more underdressed ensembles with only intimates and bodysuits below.
Spring/summer provided abstract silhouettes overall and Paris concluded that the deformed silhouette will most definitely be a key theme for the season as structured layering creates a more masculine look and feel, giving femininity a power boost.
Deep primaries such as red, cobalt, forest green with hues of yellow being the synonym for summer wardrobes. The electrifying cobalt blue demanded attention as designers such as Emanuel Ungaro set up an entire atmosphere of blue tube lights, emphasizing the cobalt movement.
Cobalt Blues
Forest Greens
In contrast to these powerful tones, PFW also displayed soft tones such as candy floss pink in soft ruffled silhouettes, as seen by Dries Van Noten and Giambattista Valli, while Redemption showcased muted skin tones in delicate materials – the epitome of modest femininity. In conjunction to the neutral colour palettes, ecru also played a part, yet with boxy, more structured silhouettes as Loewe sent an ecru contrast lapel look down the catwalk.
Soft Cosmetics
Prints and patterns are always an exciting aspect for fashion week as we wait in anticipation to view designer’s eclectic or understated graphics. Paris proved that slogans and typography are still relevant and has moved onto larger lettering and all-over prints as seen by Balenciaga and Each X Other.
Slogans & Typography
Stripes remained a consistency across all shows for the Spring/summer ’18 season with mixtures and combinations of thick, thin, verticals and horizontal placements with recurring patterns seen amongst outerwear and in coordinated fashions.
The reinterpretation of mosaics was found applied amongst a variation of styles for the season as PFW exhibited physical mirror pieces attached to blazers, as seen by Mugler and Maison Margiela, while designers such as Issey Miyake went for a patterned print fabrication in contrast hues of rusts and turquoise and in turn, creating dimension to the garment.
Mosaics
Metallics have been persistent across New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks with differentiations in volume of presence. Paris approached a moderate metallic aesthetic as looks comprised of a mixture between metallics and non-metallics with the exception of a statement outerwear pieces as exemplified by Alexis Mabille.
The city of love provided many romanticized pieces with ruched details more specifically fabricated at the waist for a fitted, textural look and feel, often complimented by dainty florals and soft textile compositions. Isabel Marant makes use of the ruched waist detail and an off-shoulder puff sleeve in combination to the dark floral print.
Romantic Ruching
The puff became a running theme on this year’s catwalk as the oversized, voluminous sleeve came in many different forms – some more subtle than others – with the overall dimension of the sleeve complimenting the holistic look and feel of the garment.
The Puff
Twists progress into Paris for Spring/summer 2018 with the reintroduction of fringing and tassels as designers such as Chanel and Altuzarra showcased short fringing while other designers opted for longer length and silky textures. Nina Ricci pitched a softer fringing statement as feather fringing wafted down the runway as throwback glam detail. While for some the feathers became a foundation for the garment, others went for an accessorized approach.
Fringing & Tassels
With the momentum of metallics, sequins have piggy-backed onto this fabric statement as the glitzy look is seen in full length gowns, as shown by Valentino, to coordinated suit sets by Redemption and cocktail party dresses by Paco Rabanne.
While blazers were a key item across all shows, Paris revealed an edgier look and feel as blazers flaunted an accentuated padded shoulder with alterations between pointed, dropped and puffed shoulders in a multitude of sophisticated, subverted minimalist and Victorian inspired styles.
The Edgy Blazer
The shoulder baring trend of Spring/summer ’17 evolves into a single shoulder style focus, explored into asymmetry, frills, slip down style while more structural fabrications such as leather were employed by Each X Other.
The Bare Shoulder
Paris Fashion Week confirms double denim dressing as a key styling element for Spring\summer ’18 with designers such as Chanel and Nehera sporting head-to-toe denim looks with a focus on light wash denim, while Lutz Huelle combines deeper denim tones with authentic denim washes.
Double Denim