Designer Payal Jain says that trends of 2018 will break the old dogmas and dictates while creating a new language of mismatched madness
Creative finishing, innovative fabrics and treatments — bright splashes and metallic accents dominated runway in 2017.
BRIGHTNESS OVERlOAD
Brightness overload came with an explosion of vivid saturated bright colours with simple silhouettes, oversized shapes, leather and metallic trims and cool accessories. Metallic accents, glossy surfaces and shimmering highlights were seen across the bright palette.
80’S REVIVAl
The 70’s inspired silhouettes evolved into 80’s pinched waists, high waisted pants, ruffles, feminine forms, calf length dresses, exaggerated shoulders and collars. Fabrics preferred were ultra-feminine decorative silks and satins, strong jacquards, floral embroidered chiffons and tulle, layered appliqué laces. And the surface ornaments delicate.
STEPPING INTO 2018
Switching on to 2018, the new trends will be vintage, minimalistic and eclectic. These can overlap, intermingle or stand their own strong individuality, depending on the brand ethos and design aesthetics.
AUTUMN WINTER
Autumn Winter 2018 will warm up in tones and treatments and textures....moving to rich velvets, luscious silk tafettas, mohair and alpaca wools, tartan checks and bold herringbones, houndstooth and wide stripes. The mismatched look will remain strong, with a Vintage/Eclectic twist to colours, yarns and surface ornamentation. Metallica will be liberally sprinkled as details and accessories. Oversized hoodies, ponchos, wraps and throws will complete the winter mood, along with bold bags, boots, scarfs and hats.
DENIMS REVISITED
Denim collections reinventing classical denim and presented it along with couture collections, giving it a new lease of life. Vibrant embroideries on denim jackets, cool sun dresses, off-shoulder shifts, ra-ra skirts, ruffled blouses, tunic dresses and fun jumpsuits made it big right through 2017, with every woman wanting to expand her denim wardrobe from jeans to semi-formal day and evening wear.
Blues ranging from mid-blue to the deepest indigo, with off-beat washes, cutwork, lace, leather fringes and embroidery accents prevailed in 2017. Key mantras for the season remained casual blended with formal, shapes which span from day through evening, textures and yarns with interesting surface play.
Overall trend for 2017 was to “Dress up” versus “Dress down”, with a strong focus on craftsmanship and textile….ensembles that speak for themselves in simple colour statements, prefect finishes, researched textiles, immaculate detailing and purity of design.
SPRING SUMMER
Spring Summer 2018 is about colour, texture, print, surface ornamentation, adventure, experimentation and boldness. The international collections have full-on colour, big bold prints, three-dimensional textures, layered silhouettes, mismatched separates and cool accessories! A comprehensive and planned collection is passé this season, the world is ready to have fun with their fashion wardrobe, throwing simple basic shapes with quirky accessories, vintage layers, hot colours which pop out to create a mismatched yet strong statement. Fabrics like knitted jersey, woven cottons, silk blends, linen gauze, vibrant brocades, tonal jacquards, satin and velvet trimmings, metallic accents, and leather/fur details will all be seen in unison this season.
WEDDING COllECTIONS
Wedding collections also will tend to lean towards the adventurous and off-beat for new brides and their families. Bright vibrant colour splashes, bold prints juxtaposed with eclectic embroidered sprays, fringed trims and metallic accents write the new language for bridal ensembles. long gowns, corsets with skirts, body-hugging blouses and jackets with divided skirts and long, translucent and sexy tunics worn with skinny pants and cropped culottes are the season’s mantra.
RESORT WEAR
Resort wear tends to be casual, fun, cool and breezy with bold prints, vintage shapes, handmade wraps, ponchos and kaftans, oversized tote bags and big sun hats to complete the beach holiday look. Woven experimental fabrics, knits combined with macrame and crochet detailing, fringes, bead work and tribal colour accents, complete this season’s resort wear look.
THE CORPORATE lOOK
Corporate dressing does not really depend on the season’s look. It stays in the simple, understated and sophisticated space as the purpose of corporate dressing is to convey efficiency and professionalism. Accessories such as scarves, bags and jewellery may change for women according to the current trends and pocket square or tie for men, but beyond that the look remains crisp and business-like, as expected in the corporate environment.
INDIAN AND INDO-WESTERN ENSEMBlES
Indian and Indo-western ensembles seem to have merged over the past few years. What we called Indian has now become Indo-western and vice versa. The true definition of Indian wear today is the saree, which too can be seen in various tied/stitched and draped versions today. Traditional Indian garments have ceased to exist in order to facilitate ease, comfort, practicality, cost considerations and time required to create these. Indianness is visible today in the varied ensembles.