20 things we learned from the international catwalks

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Vertical Stripes

Bold humbug and deckchair stripes rejuvenated the pyjama stripe trend that has been popular this season. Seen best at Alexander McQueen and AMI.

IMAGE: AMI

Cowboy shirts

Taking their lead from the ‘Midnight Cowboy’ inspired eclectic mix of Wild-West and Metropolis styling, embellished cowboy shirts, with embroidery and beading were the order of the day at many shows including Topman Design and Bally.

IMAGE: BALLY

Loose fit & fluid tailoring

Tailored silhouettes are moving away from the scalpel sharp shouldered and neatly fitted to a much softer edged look. Fluid fabrics in cool summer wools and up-sized proportions defined the new dandy, epitomised by Bottega Veneta and Dries van Noten.

IMAGE: BOTTEGA VENETA

The tracksuit

A chavalanche of 1980’s influenced shell suits that took their lead from the football terraces and the inner-city estates made an appearance throughout London and Milan, and were elevated by designers by using interesting fabrics from denim through to silk and even leather. Best seen at Neil Barrett and Christopher Shannon.

IMAGE: CHRISTOPHER SHANNON

Acid house

Music and youth culture played a large part in this season’s key trends from all 4 of the European cities. One of the boldest and most accessible was the resurgence of the ‘Summer of Love’ and ‘Acid House’ citing Manchester’s ‘Hacienda’ as inspiration. Coach and House of Holland led this revival.

IMAGE: COACH

Urban military

Military marches on with a new minimalist and urban aesthetic. The signature detailing associated with uniform, such as epaulettes on shirts and combat pockets remain, but the silhouette has moved on with cleaner lines and a more paired down, utilitarian style. Valentino Uomo and Diesel Black Gold were at the coal face of this new movement.

IMAGE: DIESEL BLACK GOLD

The blouson

The bomber, as a key wardrobe staple, seems to go from strength to strength with no signs of waning any time soon. For summer ’17, designers have been more playful with the item, using print, proportion (mainly oversized) and use of luxury fabrics to give it a new lease of life. Best seen at Dries van Noten and Liam Hodges.

IMAGE: DRIES VAN NOTEN

Glam rock

Marc Bolan inspired sprayed-on metallic jeans, magenta glittered platforms and ‘New York Dolls’ influenced tightly permed hair made an appearance at some of the presentations, probably fuelled by the passing of Bowie. DSquared2 and Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli spearheaded the revival.

IMAGE: DSQUARED2

New names to watch

London is a Launchpad for many new designers, not-coincidentally the two that caught our attention best this season are both colleagues of Kim Jones, helping to supplement the launch of their own labels by working with Jones in Paris at Louis Vuitton. It’s a win-win situation for Edward Crutchley and Daniel W. Fletcher and of course Jones himself who obviously has an eye for nurturing talent.

IMAGE: EDWARD CRUTCHLEY

Poolside Hair

Wet-look locks made a splash in all of the fashion capitals, a nod to the idea that you have just dipped in and out of the pool and swept your hair loosely back without drying it before slipping into your towelling polo. To best achieve the look you need some heavy duty styling product, our suggestion is the Xtreme Hold 48H Indestructible gel by L’Oreal Paris Studio Line.

IMAGE: FENDI/L’OREAL PARIS STUDIO LINE XTREME HOLD 48H INDESTRUCTIBLE GEL 

Bold checks

Oversized windowpane and Glen checks proved a popular and very graphic choice for many designers including Gucci and Wooyoungmi.

IMAGE: GUCCI

Tie-dye

A festival favourite, tie-dye made an entrance in some of the least expected places over the course of the European catwalk circuit. While we might have predicted it would show face within some of the more cutting edge presentations, it was also the highlight in many of the more established collections. Best seen at Hermes and Prada.

IMAGE: HERMES

The broken suit

In the same way the silhouette of suits has been relaxed, so has the practice of how to wear tailoring. The broken suit – i.e a mis-matched jacket with mis-matched trousers looked more contemporary on the runways than the ubiquitous two piece. Lanvin mastered this trend alongside Armani.

IMAGE: LANVIN

A punk attitude

Sid Vicious was used as a role model for many designers for spring 2017, with bondage detailing used on trousers, mohair knits and tartan all proving popular. Best seen at Louis Vuitton and at Nasir Mazhar.

IMAGE: LOUIS VUITTON 

The sou'wester

The traditional protective headgear favoured by fishermen made more than a few appearances. Expect to see them at Glastonbury next year. Shown by both Gucci and Margaret Howell.

IMAGE: MARGARET HOWELL

Rubberised outerwear

The multi-function coat, in rubberised and techno fabrics proved not only a practical solution to erratic weather patterns but also a stylish antidote to the classic mac. Best seen at Marni and at Prada.

IMAGE: MARNI

A tribute to Robert Mapplethorpe

Mapplethorpe’s warped view of masculinity has long been a reference point for the fashion world. For spring 2017 it came to life as the key inspiration for Raf Simons who showed in Florence, as well as making an appearance at DSquared2.

IMAGE: RAF SIMONS

Shorts get shorter

Having steadily come down over the past few seasons, hemlines for shorts have risen again to thigh high. Epitomised at Fendi and Topman Design.

IMAGE: TOPMAN DESIGN

Camouflage

Military styling was a reoccurring trend, with camouflage being the fall-back print, shown in abstract as well as more traditional guises. Best shown at Valentino Uomo and Dries van Noten.

IMAGE: VALENTINO

Sheer fabrications

Cobweb knits, lightweight parachute silks and sheer synthetic fabrics allowed for layering without compromising your comfort during the hotter months of the season.

IMAGE: VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

Thanks to Mercedes-Benz