Winter is coming…

Upcoming winter trends from Paris Fashion Week

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

Writing about fashion—though always enjoyable—can be a difficult thing. It requires you to be able to pick out possible trends before such trends hit commercial shelves. You do this by examining the runway shows of major fashion labels, because although their presentations can be ostentatious or even somewhat gaudy, these over-the-top runways serve as the inspiration for what you’ll see at your local mall down the line. Essentially, reading fashion trends is a bit like finding the common denominator in a math equation. You see all of the crazy, and you pick out what they have in common to determine what the underlying, driving force is—and whatever that force may be, that’s your fashion trend for the season.

Seasonal fashion is usually determined by a biannual series of shows called “Fashion Week.” These occur in the four major fashion capitals; New York, London, Milan, and Paris. For the upcoming winter season, I decided to pay more attention to Paris Fashion Week, as there seems to be a steadily growing European influence within Vancouver fashion, especially as the weather turns colder.

Examining the shows of classic fashion powerhouses such as Chanel and Paco Rabanne, there is a very definitive trend towards lighter colour palettes. Greys, creams, whites, and especially silver will all play a major role in colouring our Christmas season. This isn’t to say that blacks and darker colours will be eliminated from the trend itinerary, but expect to see them softened with various off-whites and even some cool-toned pastels.

Aesthetically, this coming winter will be characterized by various highly stylized “looks.” What I mean is that, depending on your personal preference, you can expect to see both tailored and free-form silhouettes. This is because there seems to be a direct disconnect or disagreement with what type of person these labels wish to dress. This is not necessarily a bad thing. What it means is that we have both a resurgence of ’60s mod fashion for more formal or professional looks, as well as a continued fascination with casual ’90s street style. So expect to see a combination of short hemlines, boxy silhouettes, tall boots—with oversized layers, urban accents, classic athletic wear, and chunky heels.

Texturally, don’t be afraid to mix fabrics. Last winter was all about the velvet, but judging by what was shown on the runway early this autumn, this season will feature a wide range of fabric textures to mix and match. This is characteristic of both the ’60s and the ’90s, when combining classical fabrics with more modern vinyls and plastics became all the rage to reflect a growing fascination with the future. This is especially relevant now, due to fashion’s changing moral compass. Earlier this year we saw Prada state that they will no longer use real fur, and many other major labels are attempting to move towards eco-friendlier alternatives within their production cycles. As such it isn’t surprising that said labels would want to show off a bit, and encourage the consumer to explore the various textiles that they have managed to create.

As someone who loves fashion, and expressing personal style, I look forward to the coming season, and what it offers by way of the past, present, and future of the industry.