After Christmas, carols and your New Year’s hangover come the sales and fashionistas’ eternal question: what are we going to wear this year? I love predicting trends, so I’ve selected five key fashions for 2017, so that when you hit the sales you’ll have one eye on what’s hot and one eye on your bank balance. If savings are what you’re after, there’s no better way than knowing what we’re going to be wearing so you don’t spend your cash on anything that will end up in the bin. Start making notes!
Stripes, structured patterns and layers. Stripes have featured in many seasons and in 2017, they’re more visible than ever on shirt dresses, A-line skirts, wide-leg trousers, loose-fitting women’s jackets and more. There’s no item of clothing that can resist vertical or horizontal prints in all shapes and sizes, from pinstripes to wide and spaced-out lines, colourful patterns and more uniform looks. In Paris, Sacai combined them with checks, but the key look for 2017 will be stripes layered on all kinds of clothes.
Sportswear and comfort above all else. The It girls have tired of heels and we mere mortals are grateful for it. In 2017, heels are shrinking to mule-size, and we’re wearing trainers in our day-to-day lives without losing out on style points. These will be mules and trainers with a twist, for example animal print, different materials and touches of spangles and studs. More standard trainers won’t be quite as fashionable, but we’ll still see classic Converse, Vans and Stan Smith on the street. The sports look will also have an eye on accessories: backpacks will be a must-have, but baseball caps will be 2017’s boldest, most on-trend accessory. At Paris Fashion Week, Chanel’s catwalk show was packed full of caps with different styles, materials, colours and prints. Combine them with skirts, blazers, dresses and sporty ballerinas. All this adds up to a mix of styles and fabrics which work perfectly together and provide lots of inspiration for the next SS season.
Volume, frills and structure. It’s going to be super easy to add volume where we need it most in 2017. Giambattista Valli, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Kenzo, Jacquemus and others are all using big shoulders with puffy sleeves and/or voluminous frills. Wide, fluid trousers and full, voluminous maxi skirts will be some of the most comfy items we’ll be wearing, giving us a neat waistline and an hourglass figure.
See-through, lace, tulle and lingerie details. The year just passed was the year of the lingerie revolution. We saw it on tops, bralets, crop tops and dresses, invading our wardrobes and our daily looks. In 2017, lingerie will still be a part of our day-to-day wear, but we’ll be opting for satin dresses with slanting edges and slits teamed with fishnets. Tulle will be everywhere during special occasions, from skirts to mid-length dresses. See-through fabric will become almost our second skin. Romantic looks will have an ethnic, gypsy style inspired by Alberta Ferreti.
Greenery (the colour of the year) and florals. Gucci and Balenciaga have included “Greenery”, the top Pantone shade for 2017, in their SS collections. This light-inflected green captures all the beauty of nature. They’ve also replicated a natural look in eye-catching, bucolic, vibrant florals. So we’ll be wearing Greenery, but also yellow, Niagara blue, hot pink, pastel pink and army green, which I particularly love for its versatility. Army green will be a colour that works everywhere all year round – use it in lighter or darker shades to suit each season.
So I’m all set! I’m ready and waiting for an SS season 2017 that’s full of colour, frills, volume, stripes, florals, lace and romantic looks, and for a year that’s kicking off with vim, vigour, warmth and light. We’re heading into a 2017 full of choices and possibilities – are you ready too?
By Vanessa Cano de Infrontrowstlyle
Main Picture: DKSStyle / Shutters