Part B: Style Mosiac -- Women and Children's Apparel

Industry Mosaic

Color Trends for Children for Spring/Summer '08

The Spring/Summer 2008 season had some surprising color trends for kid's clothing. Black and white combinations were shown in strong, graphic sportswear separates and in delicate prints, breaking away from the traditional bright hues for children's apparel. Colors were more sophisticated and subdued, with various shades of blue being particularly popular. The important color trends we noted were:

• Seascape: blues in pale sky to deep, inky navy
• Apple pie: a tart apple green makes a fresh accent when paired with blues
• Black and white combinations

  

• A new take on pink: designers added a dollop of warm brown to the color and teamed it with dusty lilac and deep pinky cocoa, but clean tones of true pink were still popular as well
• Lilac haze: lilac with a touch of brown or gray took the sharpness out of the hue
• Navy: paired with white or mixed with lighter shades of blue
• Silver metallic and sometimes gold, often paired with white
• Pure sunshine: soft yellow teamed with pale gray looks sophisticated
  
• White with splashes of silver or gold paired with strong colors such as fuschia or black
• Light blue, cream, olive, and other neutral colors for boys apparel
  

Sources: Early Spring/Summer 2008 Trends, Children's Designer Clothing Trends for Spring -Summer '08 Season, Kid's Fashion

Style Trends for Children for Spring/Summer '08

Children's apparel took on a laid back style in Spring & Summer of 2008. This season's styles did not have obvious references to earlier eras, but presented modern, casual looks that were very simplistic and elegant. Some of the key trends we saw were:

For girls:

• Light, gauzy shapes in all shades of blue
• Country style--plaids and prints on loose A-lines
• Embellishment--a little metallic woven into knits, cottons, and linens
• Loose A-line and empire waist dresses in lightweight, floaty materials
• Trench coats in various fabrics from lightweight denim to metallic linen, in mini to mid-knee lenghts
• Flapper style dresses
• One-button swing jackets and shrugs
• U-shaped necklines
• Grosgrain ribbon for bows at waists of dresses and laced through necklines
• Puckers adding detail at the bodice
• Tulle peaks from beneath hemlines
• Sequins
• Crocheted flowers, fabric rosettes
  

For boys:

• Vintage motifs on distressed T-shirts
• Red, white, and blue looks
• Leander shapes in shorts and pants
  
• Hawaiian inspired prints in clean shades of blue for swim trunks
• Boxy jackets in ticking stripes
• Bomber jackets
• Military style
  

Sources: Early Spring/Summer 2008 Trends, Children's Designer Clothing Trends for Spring-Summer '08 Season

Style Trends for Children for Fall/Winter '08

In Fall/Winter 2008 we saw a move towards more modest, conservative trends for children's apparel. The season offered a large range of trends that were parent friendly and fun for kids. Some of the trends we saw were:

For girls:

• Solid dresses in bold colors
• Colorful tops and sweaters (esp. in rich, saturated hues)
• Leggings
• Dark denim
• Layering--cardigans, vests, shrugs, etc.
• Flat shoes and boots
• Baby doll tops
• Longer tops gathered and banded at the bottom
• Tops with puffy sleeves
• Embellished shirts
• Cargo pants
• Camouflage pants
• Bermuda short, skimmer shorts and capris
• Colored and embellished denim
• Halter-style, dropped waist, and empire-style dresses
• Pleated denim skirts, tiered ruffle skirts, and skorts
• Minimalist looks
• Florals and lace
• Plaid
  

For boys:

• Less baggy pants
• Lots of pockets
• Camouflage prints
• Shirts influenced by sports icons and surfing
• Layered-look polo shirts
  

Sources: Fall Fashion Trends Adapted for Children, The Color Me Happy Look for Winter 2008, Helium

Color Trends for Children for Fall/Winter 2008

Fall/Winter 2008 was all about hot color combinations. Saturated colors like fuchsia and jewel-tones were paired with dark hued basics for a big punch of color. Multi colored plaids and retro prints were also prevalent. Some of the most popular color combinations included fuchsia with black, lime green with navy, a turquoise with chocolate brown and plum with black. The most prevalent/important colors were:

• Pinks and roses
• Cream and taupe
• Reds and chocolate
• Plum and wine
• Retro earthy tones
• Golds and mustards
• Grays

Sources: Fall 2008 Children's Wear Fashion Trends, The Color Me Happy Look for Winter 2008, Helium

Color Trends for Children for Fall/Winter '09

We saw a move towards earth tones and deep, rich colors in children's apparel for Fall/Winter 2009. The color trends align with the focus on eco-friendly materials and designs for kid's clothing. The hues are grouped into 3 themes:

Chic: Inspired by digital prints and holograms. This trend is dominated by solid and cold tones. Midnight blues and earth tones as well as deep pink are opposing and in that way creating a world of playful patterns. The interaction of functional blues and structured browns open out onto turbulent explorations that burst forth in stormy alchemies.

Classic: Characterized by diluted color effects. Clean and earthy colors play a big role in this section. In curious combinations they seem to be like an experiment. Brown and green tones mixed together create a hint of mystery in combination with gray and foggy shades.

Casual: Reflect the style of mixed technologies. Juicy orange tones, drunken scarlets and neutral nuances combine in a dangerous relation. The way how a dynamic brilliance and shining is created seems like a magic formula. Pavement grays brought together with dazzling lights are a contrast to passionate and theatrical tones.

Source: Color Trends for Fall 2009/Winter 2010, Eco Kids With Fashion Focus

Color Trends for Children for Spring/Summer '09

Above: Agatha Ruiz de la Prada 2009 Spring/Summer Collection

While there seems to be a consistent trend towards bright colors in children's wear for the Spring/Summer seasons, we did see a few variations this year. Some of the trends for 2009 were:

For boys:

• khaki
• green
• orange
• beige

For girls:

• beige
• pink
• fuchsia
• yellow
• olive
  

For both:

• Calm classic colors (jeans blue, grey, white, black) with classic patterns and occasional drop of color in shoes or accessories
• Mixing traditional bright kids colors (pink, blue, yellow, green) with classic white, grey, and black
• Crazy color. Very fun and full of life approach of mixing every possible bright color into one fashionable mess.

Sources: Kids Fashion 2009, Summer 2009 Trends

Trends for Children for Spring/Summer '09

Above: Miss Grant 2009 Spring/Summer Collection

Spring/Summer 2009 saw the continuation of the organic clothing trend for children. Consumers were conscious of choosing clothing made from fabric that will be gentle on the skin and good for summer activities. We also saw the gap between adult and children's apparel trends getting even smaller, as children's sections of many department stores began to resemble adult ones. Some other trends were:

For Girls:

• Floral and animal patterns
• ABC Patterns
• Big summer hats and bright accessories
  
• Light tunic dresses, lengthened vests, or loose fitting tops over leggings
• Colorful tops with layered skirts
• Embroidered jeans
  

For boys:

• Overalls and pants with wider legs/looser fits
• Practical/functional pockets in pants
• T-shirts with printed on inscriptions, logos, or pictures
• Classic patterns/colors with an occasional drop of color in shoes or accessories

Sources: Kids Fashion 2009, Tendencies in Children's Fashion: Spring/Summer 2009, Summer 2009 Trends

Trends for Children for Fall/Winter '09

Above: Macy's

The trend of eco-friendly clothing was prevalent in children's wear for Fall/Winter 2009, as was the move towards clothing that will last longer and is worth the money that we saw in women's apparel this year. Retailers stuck to what they know, producing what has been proven to sell and has been popular with children in the past and is likely to remain in demand. Designers put new spins on successful '08 styles, with more streamlining, better value, and mix-and-match capability. The following depicts some trends seen for girls and boys this season:

Girls: Pleated tops, dusty rose and earth tones, leggings, short slim skirts, skinny pants, hooded sweaters, thermal underlayers, purple, terry cloth athletic wear, ruffles

Boys: Raglan baseball tees, buttoned henleys, skinny pants, recycled fleece hoodies, thermal underlayered shirts, logo athletic wear, vintage inspired pieces, rock and roll tees

Sources: Eco Kids with Fashion Focus: Fall 09 Organic Children's Fashion Trends, Fall Trends for Kids, Fall Fashions for Boys