The influence of Fashion Week trends on the 2019 style

New York, Paris, Milan and London are the fashion capitals, known as the “Big Four”. They hold the most outstanding fashion weeks throughout the year, showcasing the latest fashion houses’ collections. Throughout the months of January to March, the fashion shows were the latest news and the fashion houses were revealing the trends for the upcoming seasons.

The over the top and extravagant runway wardrobes are dramatic renditions of the year’s approaching “in-things”. The fashion weeks provide a preview into the upcoming season’s trends before they are assembled to be sold in retail stores.

According to fashion week, the overall style is smart-casual. There are several main trends within this style that continuously appeared on the runways this year and will “make it big” in 2019. It combines sophisticated minimalism with the touch of street style to adorn the most modern fashionistas. Comfort has a huge impact on the thought process of fashion designing. This year specifically, it is important to keep the trends practical and cozy. For a universally stylish look, it is essential to keep tabs on the fit, the colours and the patterns!

Patterns

With all the previews we received from fashion week, we can now be one step ahead in the fashion world. Starting with patterns, you can embody the blooming flowers of our upcoming spring season with floral prints. The Glamour advises, “make like these high-end labels, and opt for styles with a muted base colour and bright, decorative petals splashed across.” The type, size and disarray of florals varies between the designers, some of which are styled by Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana and Richard Quinn.

Don’t forget animal prints. By being ferocious in some cheetah or snake print clothing and accessories, you can make a bold statement and stand out from the crowd. Some of which can be spotted on designs from Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli and Off-White.

A newer trend that has been properly introduced to the runway, is doodled pop art material. By taking raw, drawn mixed patterns and printing them on clothes in the an abstract collage, it creates a never-ending wallpaper effect. Brands such as Balenciaga, Dior and Versace are supporting these mixed patterns in their designs.

But nonetheless, for a more classic and minimalistic look, embracing the simplicity of nude colours is the way to go. Celebrities like the Kardashian Jenners and Gigi Hadid are supporting the recurring trend of wearing full nude outfits. It gives off the natural look while emphasizing women’s curves. This colourway can be found at A.W.A.K.E., Max Mara and Dior.

The classy patterns of black and white polka dots and layering plaid and tartan can reveal elegance for an everyday cozy office look. These designs stick to a simple overlay of primary colours, focusing on the thickness of circles and lines. Brands such as Carolina Herrera, Burberry and Dior are expressing this pattern.

2019 has proven that people can not only wear the scarf pattern around their neck, but they can also wear it as a shirt. Designers are creating pieces of clothing with the delicate and intricate pattern of scarfs. This newly designed pattern is being introduced in work offices for a mature look. Etro, Marine Serre and Richard Quinn are some of the several brands modeling this design.

What is coming back?

When looking at the styles presented by the fashion houses, they convey the impression of bright, bold colours; not pastels. The 80’s neon style is back with a bang, showcasing its electrifying colour range. Specifically centralizing around a splash of yellow. With the warmer seasons approaching, this fresh, cheerful colour is striking to the eye as it catches the sunlight. The fluorescent colours can be found on outfits styled by Saint Laurent, Prabal Gurung and Off-White.

2019 fashion is all about bringing back previous generations: Embracing the 60’s hippie look from mesmerizing tie dyes to scandalous white or black fishnet; some of which are showcased by Chloe, Altuzarra and R13. Or rather building from the 20’s flapper dress, with the addition of fringe, along with layering and feather accent. They can be spotted on designs from Gucci, Mary Katrantzou and Sacai. Or perhaps, the recurring modern take on the 80’s puffed shoulders for a striking business daytime piece. Brands such as MSGM, Beaufille and Balmain carry out this design in their pieces. But, designers don’t want stylists to forget about the 2017 bermuda shorts trend. The light-weight and skin-hugging biker shorts are key to putting together a “street” inspired look for casual days at the grocery store or Sunday mornings. This design can be seen in clothes from Fendi, Roberto Cavalli and Miu Miu.

Accessories

Fashionistas are achieving the high-end look by dressing up their outfits with designer accessories. They can completely change the price’s appearance or on the other hand, they can complete the ensemble. This trend is currently motivating shoppers to be stylish while keeping their bank accounts happy.

Currently, a common way to accessorize with designer items is through backpacks or purses. The designers at fashion weeks primarily opted for belt, shoulder and hand held bags. Plus, a new wave of love for mini designer backpacks has developed amongst teens and young adults. Stores such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel are familiar picks for petite backpacks. These purses and backpacks are promoting the importance of convenience in 2019.

Not everyone is keen on wearing bags, so don’t worry, the fashion weeks this year are encouraging people to make a statement through your look by using jewelry, sunglasses, oversized hats or shoes. The importance of these statement pieces is to convey a clear expression or attitude based on the stylist’s personality. They add different characteristics to the outfits depending on the season. Statement jewelry can be worn all year round to emphasize a certain aspect of the look, whether it is showing off that new updo with earrings or outlining the neckline with a pendant necklace. Brands such as Escada, Marni and Moschino provide a variety of these styles.

As the spring and summer seasons approach, sunglasses and oversized hats are crucial to shield from the sun rays, but they also give a dazzling touch to an outfit. There are several examples of high-end sunglasses from Fendi, Gucci and Chanel. Not to mention the many stores that are sporting dramatic hats with large rims such as Nina Ricci, Ann Demeulemeester and Dior.

Nevertheless, you can’t go wrong with a pair of statement shoes. As Coco Chanel says, “a woman with good shoes is never ugly.” Depending on the occasion, designer shoes can vary from casual chunky sneakers and sandals to sophisticated heels and boots. The “Triple S” was one of the earliest chunky shoes that were designed by Balenciaga and shoppers quickly followed the trend and it gained popularity. Contraily, to dress up a look, heels and boots are the way to go. The most popular shapes that were exposed on the runway were square and pointy toe shoes; some of which were designed by Proenza Schouler, Brock Collection and Lela Rose.

Designers are not afraid to break barriers, create new trends and bring back notorious styles from previous generations. The potentiality is endless when it comes to lighting up the room and making eyes turn through the power of fashion. Christian Dior says, “Even when there are no more secrets, fashion remains a mystery.” But that can be solved with guidance from the looks on the runways!

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