Fashion Week Series – Biggest Trends From MFW

Next up on the Fashion Month agenda was Milan, a beautiful Italian paradise for fashion which brought forward a multitude of new and exciting trends. Read on to see my top pick of the trends we saw time and time again during Milan Fashion Week.

METALLIC

Metallics were a big trend at Milan Fashion Week, particularly silver, and I’m excited to see how this is shown on the high street next season. The first collection to include this trend was Alberto Zambelli, who showed off a catwalk full of pieces adorned with silver drapes and ruffles. Byblos included this trend across the whole collection in small silver edgings and intricate details, as well as more obvious pieces such as this one. By using the new silver trend on something as classic as a trench coat Byblos has really shown the contrast between the clash of old and new trends next Spring and how they can work in harmony. Gabriele Colangelo included other metallic tones in their collection with hints of gold and copper coming through; this gold and trench coat combination mirrors what we saw in Byblos’ collection with the merging of two trends into one piece and shows a suggestion of how to layer this metallic trend in a wearable way.

SUITS

Suits and formal attire are back in a big way this season and it looks like this trend is just going to keep getting bigger. Jil Sander showed off the boxy suit trend with this over-sized black piece; the boxy, almost shapeless frame, and over-sized buttons is a combination I noticed a lot in Milan and we’re bound to see this hitting our shelves. This more tailored, high waisted suit from Max Mara, shows the other side of this trend; a very tailored approach to suits which focuses on defining and praising the feminine form; I really like the shape of this suit and feel that this could potentially be more flattering on a petite person like me as the boxier shape could potentially drown my tiny frame. Salvatore Ferragamo presented the trend in a much more colourful way with bright pinks combined with a daring red blouse; a world away from Sander and Mara’s monochrome and nude tones. With all the bright colours we’ve seen across fashion week it isn’t hard to imagine all of the colourful suits we’ll be seeing next season.

FRINGE

This seemingly firework inspired dress from Byblos‘ collection is made almost entirely from fringe in funky, bright colours. This trend is occurring almost a century on from the ‘roaring 20s’ and looks like it’s going to bring the beautiful age of flapper dresses into a new light, adding a new twist to it to keep it modern. Next up is this lime green elaborately fringed dress from No.21; this takes the fringe trend to the extreme with many dresses throughout the collection being adorned with fringe. MSGM included fringe not only on an array of dresses but also across the front of heels in an intense fringe focused piece. I love the integration of bright colours, particularly pink into this piece.

ORANGE

Orange was arguably the colour of Milan Fashion Week, as we saw it splashed across countless catwalks on everything from suits to dresses. This orange combo from Fendi, including an orange trench coat and paper-bag high waisted shorts, shows off this colourful trend combined with two very classic styles. Versace integrated orange into their pieces in plaid patterns as well as in block colour coats, showing us two ways to wear this colour trend. I particularly like the inclusion of orange in the plaid and tartan patterns as it’s not a typical colour used in these and it adds a modern twist to a very classic look. This look also includes two separate orange tones in one outfit; a very pale orange paired with a deeper blood orange. Agnona also played around with the use of two different orange tones in one look, suggesting that this dual toned combination will be a big trend next year.

TIE DYE

This hippy, 60s inspired trend was seen quite a few times in Milan and, although it does painfully remind me of the awful tie dye bag I had to make in Year 6, I’m interested to see how it develops itself on to the high street. Prada included it a lot in their collection, for example on this pink tie dye dress with added beading details; this is quite a bold, full on tie dye look but it somehow still manages to look chic. Gabriele Colangelo combined tie dye, a very free, wild technique, with a very structured suit style to seemingly juxtapose the two styles. This is possibly a more wearable way to wear the trend as most people wouldn’t head out head to toe in tie dye, but this uses the trend decoratively in a much more subtle way. MSGM showed a way to interpret this trend if your style is more edgy (cool street style Instagrammers I’m talking to you) with funky tie dye denim; this could be a great way to wear this trend if your style would suit it.

PLASTIC

Plastic is a trend that has popped up time and time again throughout Fashion Month and in Milan it was no different; this new take on plastic throughout a number of different designs is exciting and I can’t wait for all the pretty patterned raincoats next season! Anteprima showed off so many plastic pieces in their collection; from patterned plastic trousers to plain plastic corsets and belts, it’s clear that they view this as an important Spring trend. Fendi showed off this trend with transparent plastic trench coats and jackets, perfect for showing off your fabulous outfit underneath while still staying warm and waterproof; the nude coloured edging adds a twist to the classic look while keeping it within a neutral colour palette. This third look is another from Anteprima, showing a slightly different use to plastic to before; this ties in with the figure hugging pieces we’ve seen previously as the plastic is used to accentuate the shape of the model.

SHEER MATERIAL

This reoccurring trend appears yet again in Milan and was seen countless times across different catwalks. Alberta Ferretti included this piece in their collection which shows off the sheer material trend, but also incorporating the pastel colours that we see every Spring and the earthy tones that are coming back in a big way next season. Soft pastel tones arise again in the Missoni collection in this beautiful sheer ruffled piece which shows delicate hints of a female figure beneath the layers of tulle and organza. The trend of pleated skirts that we first saw in New York Fashion Week is seen again in Marco de Vincenzo‘s collection, whilst also using the sheer material trend. The combination of soft pleats and delicate fabric leads to a very feminine look, which I’m very excited to see next season.

That concludes the trends that I noticed time and time again throughout Milan Fashion Week. I’m very excited about some of the very feminine pieces that we’ve seen during this fashion week and I think this is a very interesting set of trends that will be seen next season.