NEW YORK, Sept 17 ― The winds of change are blowing over the fashion sphere this fall, bringing an air of freedom and expressiveness. After more than a year of cancellations, postponements, and virtual shows for the most part, New York Fashion Week has made its in-person comeback, delivering a slew of trends each more daring than the last. Gone are the grey, comfort-oriented garments of successive lockdowns; now the focus is on colour, sophisticated details, and glamour.

The most recent New York Fashion Week, which included a MET Gala where eccentricity was the watchword, made us forget, for a week, that the pandemic still isn't over. While some of the spring-summer 2022 collections still focused on comfort with pieces that reminded us that homewear has been absolutely everywhere in recent months, most shows put elegance, glamour and spontaneity back in the spotlight, as confirmed by the latest report from Tagwalk, which is often referred to as the Google of fashion.

Colour makes a comeback

After this trying period during which everyone spent more time at home than outside, what could be better than reconnecting with bright colours, which symbolise not only spontaneity and boldness but also celebration, optimism, and life. Pink, neon green, blue, and yellow electrified the runways during this New York session, mostly in monochrome looks. The trend for more vivid colour was also noted in the latest report of the Pantone Color Institute, which highlighted a dynamic palette for next summer with Skydiver blue, Innuendo pink and Daffodil yellow, synonymous with new beginnings and a taste for adventure. But the bright colours will also be accompanied by softer, pastel shades, reflecting a need for serenity, again in response to the health crisis continuing to shake the world.

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Indeed, the collections seen in the Big Apple highlighted lighter shades, which should inspire several wardrobes next spring. Water green, pastel pink, and sky blue were particularly present. Again, this is in line with Pantone's analysis, which focuses on two shades of blue, Spun Sugar, a light pastel, and Glacier Lake, a cooler one, as well as a delicate powder pink, Gossamer Pink. Bright or more nuanced, colours will (finally) be back in the spotlight to brighten up every outfit.

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Prints and frills

In this quest for freedom and optimism, prints will also feature prominently. We've seen very little of them in the last few months ― what's the point of putting on floral patterns, checks, or geometric figures when you stay at home? ― but they'll be with us next summer, starting with gingham, a vintage print that can be worn in the city as well as in the great outdoors. As Tagwalk reveals, it's showing up everywhere in women's wardrobes, from high-waisted mini-shorts to crop tops, more sophisticated suits and streetwear-inspired ensembles. As for the palette, forget the traditional white and red and embrace colors that have a fun side like yellow, orange, purple or blue.

 

Fashion is also getting back together with frills of all kinds, from bows to crumpled effects through mountains of tulle, feathers, and XXL sequins. But designers are above all betting big on fringes for the spring-summer 2022 season, ubiquitous on the New York catwalks. Evoking the Roaring Twenties ― marked by a renewed taste for cultural and artistic life ― they bring movement and energy to each outfit, and are again seen in various brightly colored versions ― a must-have.

Transparent everything

After jogging pants, leggings, and other pyjama-like styles of the last few months, make way for the sensuality of dresses, but transparent dresses, a key trend of the summer 2022 as revealed by Tagwalk. And when we say transparent, we mean transparent all over, and without a bra worn underneath. It must be said that this piece of lingerie, which was already hanging by a thin strap, losing favor through successive lockdowns, wasn't a must-have in New York, with designers favouring “no bra” styles ― even with dresses that revealed every inch ― or just about ― of skin.

It's a trend that was also seen on the red carpets of the MTV Video Music Awards and the MET Gala. Megan Fox dared the fully transparent dress adorned with a few glittering details, a creation by Mugler, while Kendall Jenner made a remarkable entrance at the bottom of the stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in a spectacular dress, also transparent, covered with rhinestones, by Givenchy. She was not the only one of the evening to have opted for such a flimsy outfit since Zoë Kravitz did the same thing a few minutes later in a creation revealing her figure, from the front as well as the back, by Yves Saint Laurent. Bold statements, liberating the body, and freedom of sartorial expression should not be lacking next summer. ― ETX Studio

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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