London Fashion Week (LFW) has just finished, and brought with it some new trends to look forward to over the coming
year.
Now, one often sees dresses on the catwalk that look quite ridiculous and most unsuitable for wearing in our ordinary, every day lives. Happily, high street retailers and your favourite home shopping catalogues (Kaleidoscope included!) know that catwalk fashion needs to be made more practical and wearable before lovely ladies like you go anywhere near it. Our designers take the top catwalk trends and then turn them into clothes and dresses that you’ll love and will actually be able to wear!
September’s LFW focused on trends for spring/summer 2011, which is a cheery thought because it’s very nice to look forward to what we’ll be wearing when we next get some sunshine!
One of the main trends was sustainable fashion – in fact, LFW held its first-ever sustainable fashion show this year. Eco-wear was all the rage, as was ethically sourced clothing. Andean prints and materials sourced from communities in South America and Africa were everywhere. You can expect this to be replicated in high street clothes with lots of ethnic-looking colours and patterns. High street retailers will incorporate more ethically sourced cotton and other materials along with recycled materials into their dresses and other clothes. This is a great development as we fashionistas all need do to our bit for the planet.
The 70s are the key trend for spring/summer 2011, which will amuse those of you who were there first time round! The catwalks were full of the decade’s signature billowing dresses, fringed capes and chiffon blouses along with rock star-like jumpsuits, skinny flared jeans, platforms and aviator shades.
Now, they say that if you can remember if first time round, don’t wear it the second, but really all you need to do is choose your 70s-inspired items carefully. High street versions will be toned down – nobody expects you to wander round Sainsburys in glass platforms and Daisy Dukes! We particularly recommend getting a pair of aviators – classic, flattering and very stylish. You’ll also see the flattering aspect of 70s colour schemes in the high street – lots of nude tones mixed in with denim. This is something that looks great on everyone, so we’re looking forward to that.
Finally, one of the newest designers to London Fashion Week heralded a move away from the floral printed cotton of the last few spring/summers into sequins and silks. Michael van der Ham is a new designer whose workable new take on summer fabrics and textures is sure to be adapted by the high street. Expect to see light velvets, silks and brocade throughout fashion next season. This side of spring/summer fashion is all about the romantic and the feminine. This means that there will still be lovely long dresses to enjoy, but they will have a richer look and feel to them than in previous years. You might even spot a bit of patchwork here and there!