Last week Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York finally came to an end, and fashionistas who had flocked to the city of dreams can finally be free of their towering high heels. Now that everything is all said and done, we can start to examine what we came away with – besides those blisters of course. A season well done, below are the top 17 trends from New York Fashion Week.
1. Harnesses. The runway took a turn for the sexy this season, and we’re not just referring to sheers or sky-high hemlines. Seemingly influenced by the popular of the book 50 Shades of Gray, harnesses appeared on runways in a major manor, and surprising enough, onlookers were filled with excitement. Yes, this season you can add harness to your shopping list, folks.
→ See BCBG Maxazria
2. Sheer Paneling. A combination of fall’s paneling trend and the seemingly never-ending sheer trend, designers like Alexander Wang, Nicole Miller, and Reed Krakoff mixed sheer and solid fabrics to create paneled garments. Alexander Wang in particular pulled it off perfectly – in fact, this might have been his strongest season in a while.
→ See Alexander Wang
3. Unexpected Leather. Always a staple, leather for Spring/Summer 2013 goes way beyond the bomber. Seen in mid and high-end lines across the board, leather trenches, boyfriend jackets, pants, and long skirts were evident in black and in color.
→ See Rag & Bone
4. Sporty. MM6 Maison Martin Margiela was the line’s first runway show, and it to me it was the perfect cumulation of all the sportiness we had seen up until then. Mesh, high fashion sweatshirt pullovers, and windbreaker materials are all things we can expect to see more of this coming season. Proenza Schouler also did meshes right in what was my person favorite collection of this season.
→ See MM6 Maison Martin Margiela
5. Brocade. One of my favorite fabrics usually considered more for curtains than clothing, I was delighted to see much brocade on the runway this season. In some cases it was all over in suits and dresses, and in other is was just a touch. For some it was used classically, like in Jill Stuart’s collection, and in others, like Anna Sui, it was fused with other patterns. Regardless, this fabric makes for a high impact across the board.
→ See Ruffian
6. Lace. The classic fabric hit the runway on stunning dresses and gowns. Unlike the interpretations we see at our local Forever21, the lace of the runways is delicate, intricate and seeming to move and flow like magic. My favorites were the full length gowns present in the Tadashi Shoji show, and Jill Stuart did lace right as well.
→ See Jill Stuart
7. Coral, Pink, and Orange. The pleasant side of the color wheel made a major impact this season at fashion week. Ranging from calming coral to punch-packed orange, designers dig these color tones and the model’s made it look all too wearable.
→ See Karen Walker
8. Black & White. A look that always makes people jump up and say “Coco!” every time black and white emerged this season in manners that were classic, edgy and everything in between. Big proponents of this look were Diane Von Furstenburg, who showed it in large, bold patterns, and Lela Rose, who did it in a more delicate, ladylike method.
→ See Lela Rose
9. Stripes. Though Marc Jacobs may been the biggest toter of stripes, lines were seen runway shows, such as Marc by Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, and Diane Von Furstenburg, in bold all-overs or subtle accents.
→ See Marc Jacobs
10. Plastic. A personal favorite of mine though it might be a smaller trend for the season, transparent plastic was seen on the runways and in the streets on accessories, in MM6 Maison Martion Margiela, for example, but also on clothing. Charlotte Ronson and Milly paraded models down the runways in clear jackets in color or without…completely amazing.
→ See Charlotte Ronson
11. Sheer. I don’t know about you, but I am ready to see the sheer trend die already. Well, designers thought otherwise – a huge trend over the last two spring/summer seasons, sheer was evident in chiffons and laces, and clearly isn’t going anywhere.
→ See Nicole Miller
12. Lower Waists. As a lover of the high waist trend, it was much to my dismay that some designers started featuring lower waists on models this season. Paired with crop tops in Marc Jacobs, it did seem to be just a little too much skin, but other designers, such as Rebecca Minkoff and Prabal Gurung, paired these low waist bottoms with longer tops making them mildly acceptable (okay, and even a little chic) in my eyes.
→ See Prabal Gurung
13. Lemon. Bright and ready to revive your mood after winter is over, one of the most heavily used colors for Spring/Summer 2013 was a fun shade of yellow called lemon.
→ See Jenni Kayne
14. Patterns. Designers’ passion for patterns isn’t going anywhere this season. From bold graphic prints, to new takes on classics like houndstooth, these aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
→ See Rodarte
15. Blues. If Pantone is right, then “Monaco Blue” is the color of the season. Though we can’t take the garments off the runway and compare them to paint swatches, blue was ever present in more classic likes like Ralph Lauren, and also in more edgy likes like Theyskens’ Theory.
→ See Theyskens’ Theory
16. Cut-Outs. They aren’t moving away just yet! Though siginficantly classier and better fun than the kinds of cut-out garments and shoes you find at your mall, designers are still heavily enamored with cut-outs on clothing and shoes. Alexander Wang debuted some absolutely superb cut-out tall boots that surely everyone will want to get their hands on.
→ See Richard Chai Love
17. Tropical. A carry-over from spring/summer 2012, though it wasn’t last season’s biggest trend, New York-based designers still wish to send you alohas from the big apple. Even if you’re not a jetsetter, Hawaiian prints might just be the pick-you-up you need after those dreary winter months are over.
→ See W118 Walter Baker
By Sarah
Images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
