Your Comprehensive Guide To the Top 15 Spring 2018 Trends
Fashion month—the colloquial name for the marathon that is New York, London, Milan, and Paris Fashion Weeks—is finally over. While many lamented the loss in New York Fashion Week of Altuzarra, Thom Browne, Proenza Schouler, and Rodarte, smaller labels took advantage of a schedule that wasn’t swarming with shows and were able to stand out, including the beautiful Brock Collection, Vaquera, and Snow Xue Gao. In Milan, the supers returned to the runway at Versace, and Cindy, Claudi, Helena, Carla and Naomi were all that anyone could talk about. In Paris, editors looked forward to the debuts of Natacha Ramsay-Levi at Chloé and Clare Waight Keller at Givenchy. After taking in hundreds of shows, key trends begin to emerge. So, without further ado, the top 15 trends to look forward to come spring. To look ahead and discover Spring 2019’s key must-have trends, click here.
Art-Inspired Art popped up everywhere on the runways for Spring 2018. Starting in New York, Raf Simons commissioned Sterling Ruby to create a colorful set and placed Andy Warhol prints on plastic panels on dresses. In Milan, both Prada’s set and collection were printed with cartoon works from female artists from the ’30s and ’60s. In Paris, Rei Kawakubo sent out looks that featured the prints of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, an Italian painter whose work included surreal interpretations of fruits and vegetables.
L to R: Versace, CALVIN KLEIN 205W39, Comme des Garcons, Dior, Prada.|||
Chic Bling Certain fashion houses are never afraid of some embellishment and shine, and yet this season, it seemed like everyone wanted to escape into the sparkling lights of the party. Even Céline showed an all-white sequin floor-length dress—that’s saying something.
L to R: Dior, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Paco Rabanne, Valentino.|||
Slip Dress Redux The slip dress is not new, and yet this season it has translated from a minimal easy-dressing piece to more of a statement. It is embellished, it has a bit of shine to it, and it’s certainly ready to come out of the bedroom and onto the streets.
L to R: Alexander Wang, Dior, Christopher Kane, Coach 1941, Salvatore Ferragamo.|||
Sheer Now is the time to layer on diaphanous fabrics. Many designers presented looks featuring sheer tulle pieces layered over other ready-to-wear pieces, or simply on sheer pieces on top of other sheer pieces, to a dazzling effect.
L to R: Calvin Klein 205W39, Dries Van Noten, Max Mara, Miu Miu, Victoria Beckham. |||
Fantastic Plastic Clearly everything see-through is having a moment. Th trend picked up steam after Simons debuted a plastic-covered fur coat for Calvin Klein 205W39 for fall, and now we have Balmain, Chanel, and Off-White all picking up on the trend.
L to R: Balmain, CALVIN KLEIN 205W39, Chanel 1941, Off-White, Valentino.|||
Sorbet Shades Pastel may not be the most ground-breaking trend, but it sure is pretty. Shades of lavender, lint, and pink were especially popular on the runway for Spring 2018.
L to R: Miu Miu, Nina Ricci, Valentino, Versace, Victoria Beckham.|||
Perfect Parkas When a fashion house like romantic Valentino offers a parka as part of their spring line-up, it is hard to ignore the face that the lowly nylon staple is having a moment. The essential also showed up at Calvin Klein 205W39 and Balenciaga.
L to R: Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein 205W39, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino.|||
The Updated Trench Another piece of outerwear is still going strong as the item du jour, and that is the classic trench. For Spring 2018, however, designers updated the staple to give costumers a reason to pick up another one. At Céline, two trenches were combined together to form one cape-like coat, and Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson sliced and diced his classic trench to create a coat that is sure to be a favorite among the street style set come February shows.
L to R: Celine, Chloe, Loewe, Max Mara, Michael Kors.|||
The Return of Punk Punk inspired clothing is ripe for a comeback, and if this season indicates, we may be seeing more of this in the seasons to come. Prada and Balenciaga led the pack with leopard and plaid, and even Altuzarra, known for his more refined take on womenswear, offered up black and white looks with fishnet.
L to R: Altuzarra, Balmain, Christian Dior, Moschino, Prada.|||
Birds of a Feather The feather trend that Miuccia Prada did so well is not showing any signs of stopping, with a plethora of designers showing everthing from feather trimmings (Céline, Nina Ricci) to full-on looks (Saint Laurent).
L to R: Adam Selman, Céline, Marques Almeida, Nina Ricci, Saint Laurent.|||
Fringe For a different take on fanciful trimmings, give fringe a try—especially the Calvin Klein 205W39TH version of fringe, which is fashioned after a high school cheerleader’s pom pom.
L to R: Calvin Klein 205W39, Celine, Dior, Loewe, Paco Rabanne.|||
’60s Florals Previously, these floral prints may have been found on tablecloths, but now they have been elevated for Spring 2018 thanks to Balenciaga and Marni.
L to R: Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, Marni, Miu Miu, Thom Browne.|||
Shorts Short shorts? Not so much. The bike short is back, as is the classic, preppy short. No matter which style you plan to wear come spring, it is work getting those work-outs in now so you can bear your toned gams like Naomi Campbell did as she walked down Off-White’s runway.
L to R: Fendi, Loewe, Miu Miu, Off-White, Prada.|||
Brand Essentials One thing that really came into focus this season is that major labels who have developed devout followings—think Gucci and Balenciaga—are not flip-flopping every season, chasing a trend. Instead, they are pushing their aesthetic further every season. Its an idea that gives shoppers full confidence that the items they truly want, as they still will be in line with the label’s identity next season.
L to R: Balenciaga, CALVIN KLEIN 205W39, Christian Dior, Gucci.|||
Logo Mania Logos are, once again, everywhere. Brands that haven’t relied heavily on their logos are now starting to, including Monse. But the highlight is seeing how brands like Loewe and Versace take their logo and keep it fresh season after season.
L to R: Balenciaga, Fendi, Gucci, Loewe, Versace.|||
Related: 10 Trends Straight From the Spring Runways That You Can Shop Now
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