What started as a hopeful and enthusiastic return to in-person live showcases post what seemed like forever amidst a pandemic, finished under a cloud of war and no one can predict what will happen next.
Though spirits in the second half of fashion week were dampened by Russia’s unjust invasion of Ukraine, those who attended got a sneak peek at the trends set to dominate the fashion industry in the months ahead – hopefully in more peaceful times.
As consumers emerge from a slew of lockdowns, self-expression and going all out is a key theme across product categories.
Dressing in bright colours is known to elevate one’s mood – and no stone was left unturned to ensure just that. Along with garments rendered in rainbow combinations, designers also showed looks in head-to-toe colours. At Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli showed 40 looks in fuchsia pink. He said that it was to “remove distractions and concentrate the viewers’ eyes on distinguishing the differences between silhouette and detail.” Others who furthered the head-to-toe colour trend included Dion Lee, Eudon Choi, Alexander McQueen, Courrèges and Versace.
On the other hand, sobre yet classic browns became luminous all the while adding a new sophistication to earthy, humble tones. Tan tones have been enriched, and deeper, darker hues appear to glow with undertones of subtle yellow and peach.
In contradiction to other trends, designers showed very short, body-conscious looks in colourful prints, often accessorised with thigh high boots. Andrew Gn, Ellie Saab, Leonard Paris and Isabel Marant all showed versions.
Chequered print patterns are having a moment – with tartans and plaids emerging as a recurring theme across runways.
While the plight of the Ukrainian people was constantly at the back of everyone’s minds, after two years of the pandemic, buyers and the fashion press were keen to return to watching live shows. The events pointed towards some strong trends in prints and colours, few of which we have elaborated below:
TARTAN AND PLAID
Tartan, plaid and checks can depict many moods – from preppy and traditional to rebellious and punk rock.
Following on from the pre-Fall collections, designers showcasing at Paris and Milan amongst many other fashion weeks across the globe, introduced an umpteen number of outfits rendered in tartan and plaid patterns.
Paris showed a myriad of versions. There were ‘mod’ looks including a two-piece suit at Akris and a cape at Nina Ricci, while Uma Wang, Dior, Off-White and Victoria/Tomas all showed check separates. Marina Serra, a showstopping coat in a variety of plaids, checks and tartans, made quite a statement.
In Milan, designers and brands used the said prints in an anarchic way, case in point being Francesco Risso, who showed an earthy-toned tartan skirt with a shredded satin pink top and overlong red and black pants. Elsewhere at AC9, oversized pleated plaid pants were shown with a long line bra and long fingerless organza gloves.
Gucci’s collaboration with adidas also saw a statement yellow and brown tartan skirt worn over classic blue adidas track pants that were teamed with a tailored look on top. At Roberto Cavalli, Fausto Puglisi showed a layered mini kilt over an all-in-one printed with roses and thorns.
FLORAL FRENZY
Flowers for Spring are nothing radical, but flowers for Fall are what we are betting on!
High fashion brands and designers across the board have opted for a variety of floral prints and patterns as a key trend of choice for the upcoming Fall/Winter 2022 season.
Enlarged and oversized florals in full bloom emerge as a dominant trend for Fall 2022. Richard Quinn, Dries van Noten and Preen embraced using fabrics with oversized flowers. Other brands took the 3D route with large flowers placed onto the garments, giving a very early aughts look. This was seen being crucially implemented at Blumarine, Roberto Cavalli and even Saint Laurent!
MEADOW VIOLET
Following in the footsteps and success enjoyed by the Color of The Year Very Peri, the only purple trending for the upcoming season, Meadow Violet was spotted mainly in London.
Both Raf Simons and Edward Crutchley used the enchanting colour in their collections over delicate dresses. In New York, the colour was used in Carolina Herrera’s collection for a stunning ball gown.
From darker versions at Raf Simons to paler tones at Edward Crutchley, Meadow Violet became a monochromatic colour icon in its own right. Described as ‘enchanting’ and ‘intriguing,’ this is a trending winter colour that one should take note of for certain.
WINTER PASTELS
The demand of consumers opting for trans-seasonal colours is steadily growing and this season marks a definite point in the journey with multiple designers and high fashion brands opting to present collections in colourways that can go from Spring to Autumn to Winter.
In this regard, Winter White has been trending for many seasons and will be joined this Fall by various pastel shades that have in the past, been more traditionally associated with Spring.
At Fendi, icy pink, green and lavender, work back to pearl grey and a pop of red. At Jil Sander, colours inspired by the Easter egg such as pale yellow, lavender and peach were worked into a palette of earth tones and monochromes. Marco Ramhaldi’s sporty collection of mostly knit pieces was rendered in pastels, while at MM6, Maison Margiela showed a group of looks in pale colours including a peachy toned parka.
HOUNDSTOOTH
Houndstooth is a recurring theme on the runway that never goes out of style. With the recent dents in the socio-economic structure of the world forcing consumers to make more careful buying decisions, this trend’s classic nature offers reassurance by lending wardrobe longevity.
Furthermore, the trend feeds into the Royal aesthetic which has been heightened by TV shows and streaming platforms that are increasingly setting trends. While Royal fashion has always been influential and preppy dressing is having a moment, series such as The Crown and Emily In Paris have cultivated an even greater taste for traditional, British-inspired clothing.
From Princess Diana to The Queen, houndstooth is a firm favourite of the monarchy, demonstrating how the trend works for all ages from teen to mid and mature. What’s more, it even works across genders.
Womenswear currently dominates this pattern, with just 12 per cent of products in stock ascribed to menswear, as reported by Edited. This signals a huge opportunity for retailers to step in and fill the gap. Unisex is also something to consider with consumers and the industry opening its doors wide to gender fluid dressing.
“As other preppy trends have returned, I was betting it was only a matter of time before houndstooth makes a resurgence, and the Fall/Winter 2022 collections proved me right,” Jasmine Fox-Suliaman wrote in her article for Who What Wear.
From a coat at Ami to oversized suiting at Botter and eclectic takes on houndstooth at both Versace and Coach, this classic pattern is certainly coming for everyone in the Fall.
GREGARIOUS GREENS
A colour symbolic of abundance, growth and renewal, Green promotes a sense of rest and security, making it the perfect choice for many designers as the world recovers from the pandemic and prays for better days amidst the Russia-Ukraine war.
Playful and rejuvenating Abundant Green emerged as a cult popular Pantone option in London and Milan. A cousin of Kelly Green, this green hue was added in to render small pops of colour throughout Vivienne Westwood’s neutral collection and Temperley London’s Wild West-inspired runway.
In yet another appearance, Amazon – a lush and easy to accentuate green, presented itself as a colour that served as the backbone of many prints for the Fall/Winter 2022 season. While it was combined more subtly at Tanya Taylor, Zimmermann and Jason Wu launched a full offensive to show off the brilliant hue.
A lemon tinted green, Cardamon Seed provided a bit of citrusy flair to the London runways. Both Emilia Wickstead and Yuhan Wang carefully played with the colour in their Fall collections.
Transcending seasons, this colour has been doing the rounds in Spring as well, declaring it as a versatile colour option that is expected to trend up until next year.
INTO THE WILD
Animal prints have been around long enough to be safely crowned as a classic in terms of fashion trends, and this season has been no different.
Speedy and chic, the cheetah pattern was used as a muse for designers across fashion capitals from New York to Milan to London to Paris.
At Alice + Olivia, cheetah prints only played a small role in the elements of the collection as they appeared as heightened details whilst, at Roberto Cavalli, they sat at the top of the food chain dictating the collection with look-at-me pops of statement prints.
BEHOLD THE BROWNS
Earthy and dependable, brown is a solid colour that exemplifies resilience and security. A colour that is not new to the colder months, is rejuvenating itself in darker hues for the upcoming Fall/Winter 2022 season.
Selected as one of Pantone Institute’s Fall 2022 Colour Trends, Chicory Coffee was spotted at presentations of designers ranging from Jason Wu to Michael Kors. The aromatic brown was often spotted paired with whites or used as a stand-alone colour to create a statement.
Summer might bring iced coffees in the physical sense, but in the figurative sense, it seems that designers are embracing the colour of Iced Coffee for fall. Stand out looks include Edward Crutchley and Temperley London’s collections as a simple and seductive base.
Last but not the least, Pantone’s Caramel Café is a delicate lighter brown, a colour that is lighter than the other trending browns of the season – but with just the right undertones that allow it to mix with any of the other colours. Spotted in the Zimmermann and Zero + Maria Cornejo collections, this sweet caramel hue hits all the right spots for the season.
Additionally, luxurious materials, soft but with a subtle sheen, amplify colour radiance and bring a statement quality to a core palette colour.
ALL OVER PLACEMENT PRINTS
All over prints presented a strong case for the print of the season with designers embracing a wide variety of twisting swirls and abstract designs, creating a sophisticated ode to eclectic ‘60s fashion.
Anna Sui weaved her signature design aesthetic to create, yet again, design dominated by this print trend, whilst Ulla Johnson, Altuzarra, and Etro presented soft swirls throughout their collections.
Even Coach seemed to embrace this trippy sense of chaos by creating clothing that was coated in graffiti head-to-toe creating quite a statement!
PAINTING THE TOWN RED
A classic fall colour, red tones emerged as a common connect across fashion capitals and became a mainstay on multiple runway presentations. Red as a colour symbolises passion, sexuality and courage – a highly saturated hue that is perfect for fall.
Amongst the reds making a mark for the Fall/Winter 2022 season, we have the vibrant and intense red, Molten Lava, which emerged to be highly popular at London Fashion Week. From David Koma to Vivienne Westwood, the sensual colour provided plenty of inspiration across presentations.
In Milan, Raf Simons also embraced the warm tone to show the fiery passion for this flaming red.
The intense red further lent a bright and fiery aesthetic at both Vivienne Westwood and David Koma. While wearing Westwood’s red funeral-style veil to an actual funeral would certainly raise some eyebrows, the sultry hat is perfect for a night out.
Next up, a bright and stunning hue, Lava Falls which essentially is an orangey-red, became the ultimate statement colour of the season, with Carolina Herrera, Christian Cowan, Derek Lam and David Koma all using the colour to create eye-catching and sensual dresses.
Standout looks included Christian Cowan and Carolina Herrera’s floor-length formal dresses.
Pantone’s Cherry Red tones found comfort this season as well, with brilliant tones of fiery reds emerging on the runways of Moschino, where Jeremy Scott used the crimson tinted hue on the velvet puffed sleeves of his flowing strapless dress. Other Italian designers that went all out with this tone included the likes of Blumarine and Dolce & Gabbana.
TRANSLUCENCE
When we talk about colour, there is also a need to mention the lack thereof – hence, a special mention to diaphanous and see-through looks that were all over the runway, whether it be at Fendi or at Bottega Veneta.
Fendi’s barely-there silk chiffon skirts and slacks in soft tones of apricot, mint and rose left little to the imagination. N°21 presented an innovative take on texture, while Lorenzo Serafini at Philosophy ticked two boxes with a super sheer nude turtleneck exposing generous shoulder pads which feature as a key trend under silhouettes for the season.
Missoni showcased its signature zig zag pattern on subtly transparent lurex fabric sewn into shimmering slip dresses and long, form-fitting tunics, while at Prada, legs peeked out through diaphanous silk on tiered, below-the-knee cigarette skirts. Bottega Veneta on the other hand showed shimmering, translucent slip dresses bedecked with transparent sequins.
Retail BrandFall/Winter
