MOMMA KNOWS… spring 2015 fashion trends (europe has spoken)

London, Milan and Paris runway has shown and the spring 2015 fashion trends have emerged and it looks like everything is going to be sexy, fun, futuristic and fabulous.  As we saw in during the New York collections black and white dominated the runway but the european shows gave us a more glamorous edgier side to look forward to.  Spring 2015 fashion trends seem to be a very slow shift from fall/winter as we still see plenty of traditionally cold weather fabrics and hues but with a bit more skin…  The european collections have always been more directional, experimental and edgier – we don’t just see where fashion will be in the next 6 months but where it’s going well beyond that…  Some things that come down the runway (which you can see more of on style.com may never see the light of Bergdorf Goodman’s racks but may just make it on to the red carpet and the pages of vogue.  The Spring 2015 fashion trends we see on the runway today will certainly be moderated for public consumption, but it’s a beautiful thing to see where it starts…  Fashion, after all, is an art and far more than the sum of the clothes on our back.  Enjoy my preview of the spring 2015 fashion trends – it’ll give you some inspiration for what you can buy this fall that you will be able to keep wearing come spring!

Mad men – 60′s & 70′s eat your heart out!  That’s right, everything from a bit of floral print hippie boho chic 60′s at Gucci, Chloe, Valentino and even Prada to a touch of 60′s mod at Versace and Balmain progressed into super hot 70′s studio 54 glamrock chick (or chic as the case may be) courtesy of Tom Ford and Saint Laurent.  The 60′s and 70′s have long been 2 of my favorite fashion decades and now the merging of these retro stylings means we have a LOT to look forward to come spring. Kate Moss, eat your heart out – swinging london meets boho traveller has exploded on the runway (think Edie Sedwick and Bianca Jagger had a baby) aka fashion heaven.  Micro mini shift dresses, grommets, caged silhouettes with peekaboo plastic,  clashing floral prints under suede trench coats and those 3 70′s s’s (sequins, sheer and shine) are major and certain to set your fashion heartbeats racing!

Black, white and black & white…  As I mentioned after New York collections – one of the big spring 2015 fashion trends is the colors black (on black), white (on white) and, of course, black on white.  While you will find New Yorkers in black all year round it’s rare for it to be so dominant on the runway for Spring but here is it – black is the new black, white is the new white and it’s all about looking clean and crisp.  I would talk about who featured this trend but it was so dominant there was hardly anyone who didn’t!  So hold onto your black and your winter whites because they’ll take you through the next 12 months!

Pretty pastels – while black and white reigned supreme we did see a nice bit of pastel injections throughout the european collections.  Pretty powdery hues of pinks, lavenders, blues and so forth peppered the runway bringing color to spring.  Powerhouse designers such as Fendi, Balenciaga and Christian Dior made sure to include some sprinkles of these pastels to take us back to our warm happy place.

Leather and Suede – that’s right, another one of the unexpected spring 2015 fashion trends was the presence of leather and suede, a traditionally cold weather fabric made it’s way on multiple runways.  For spring the leather seemed lighter in weight and was often laser cut to create a more interesting warm weather dimension.  With design houses such as Versace, Fendi, Chloe, Chanel, Givenchy, Mcqueen, Chanel, Gucci & Prada it is impossible to ignore the fact that we will all be wearing leather still come Spring!

Coats (for spring?)  Once again, it appears that designers aren’t quite ready to let go of Fall just yet because there were plenty of coats in the Spring/summer collections.  Everything from trench coats to duster were heavily (pun intended) featured.  Perhaps we’re looking forward to another very long winter and designers want to make sure they have plenty of layering options… Also, lets not forget that we tend to start to see the spring collections hit stores when snow is often still on the ground – so smart move! Versace, Gucci, Christian Dior, Chanel, Prada, Balenciaga, Celine and so many others made sure to include a spring coat for your layering “warm” weather pleasure.

Gladiator – that’s right, New York we saw utilitarian, military influences and while we still see a hint of that in the Mialn and Paris collections the gladiator clearly dominated.  Givenchy, Valentino, Chloe and Alexander Mcqueen included a truly desirable gladiator influence from the amazing footwear (get me those shoes!!) to the more editorial headpieces at McQueen.  From toga inspired (with a beautifully feminine 60′s touch) at Valentino and Chloe to proper foot soldiers ready to do some battle at Givenchy and McQueen I think the gladiator trend is going to have many layers of fabulous come spring!

Cropped and cutouts aren’t going anywhere!  As we saw during New York collections (and for this Fall and last Spring) cropped tops and cutouts are here to stay (well, at least until fall 2015 then who knows).  The midriff continues to reign supreme among the fashion elite so keep doing those crunches and put down the oreos (she says while tucking into her 3 package of pumpkin oreos).  All you have to do is check out Versace, Fendi, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Tom Ford, Celine and Balmain (to name a few) to know the cutout and cropped trend is alive and even dominant.  Of course there is a new modern, even futuristic (whilst still referencing 60′s mod) take on cutouts which is interesting – everything from caged to laser cut to slashed – designers are certainly not resting on their laurels by coming up with new innovative takes on last season’s trend.

Sheer and Mesh – again, not a new trend but the take on is fresh and modern while still referencing that 60′s mod.  Now you see it now you don’t is the name of the gam – it’s illusion its layered – the sheer and mesh spring 2015 fashion trends has more texture than ever before.  Micro mesh to wide netting was layered over over and under garments giving new dimension to spring looks giving a sexy yet coy appeal.  We saw mesh and sheer everywhere including at Versace, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Givenchy and Tom Ford to name a few – it was one part rock chick and one part modern muse but 100% fabulous.

Future perfect/Architectural – designers have been playing with structure, silhouette and the idea of what will the future hold since the days of Cristobel Balenciaga and Christian Dior – and here we are decades later  still playing with these notions.  Of course, textiles have come such a long way that it’s completely awe inspiring to see how this futuristic, architectural trend continues to emerge.  Structure is supreme and silhouettes exaggerated  to create surprisingly desirable garments that will make phenomenal editorial images but can still be wearable (once the volume has been condensed) for the marketplace.  This futuristic /architectural trend wowed fashionistas at Balenciaga, Dior, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen and Balmain’s runway shows just to name a few.

Embellished – while there were a lot of austere minimal moments for spring there were also a lot of over the top details.  Embellishment may not have dominated but it was certainly widely featured and put some flash into fashion.  Everything from feathers and appliqué to sequins and beading made pieces that much richer.  Exquisite details at Fendi, Saint Laurent, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, Celine, Chloe, Givenchy, Balenciaga and Tom Ford gave an extra luxe touch to the collections.

Menswear vs Ladylike – everything from pretty polished to slouchy cigarette pants and blazers or vest came together on the runway.  The play on masculine and feminine  reigned supreme and it was all about tailoring.  The ladylike pieces were all about fit, flare and femininity while the menswear inspired pieces were all about exquisite tailoring and a long and lean silhouette.  Every designer was loving on this masculine/feminine play – but some of my favorites were: Tom Ford, Chanel, Celine, Balmain, Fendi and Dior.

Sporty spice – another trend that’s not going anywhere is the play on sportswear.  Techno fabrics and sporty styling giveaway to an athletic aesthetic which plenty of designers are still including in their collections. Balenciaga, Fendi and Versace all included nods to the sporty trend.  Perhaps it’s the masculine/feminine, sheer/mesh and cropped/cutout trends that naturally lend themselves to a more sporty look but whatever it is – it’s working out (ha ha pun intended).  Whether you prefer a more feminine tennis inspired little dress or a more literal cropped top and shorts look these style will certainly inspire you to get to the gym (while looking fabulous en route).

And of course we still saw quite a bit of red, mixed media, florals and clashing prints – so hold on to your fall wardrobe because spring 2015 fashion trends aren’t such a huge deviation – it’s all about mixing, matching and celebrating the trends that resonate with you and your personal style!  Street fashion is so huge and such an inspiration for today’s designers because the modern approach to style is all about what real people are really wearing – how we’re putting our looks together.  We are the modern muse – so when these trends hit the store always make sure to shop for your own aesthetic – what you are most connected with – this is what modern style is all about.