Menswear Trends -- Style Mosaic

Back at the school..- MT RP by ♫~A.I.S.L.~♫ (OFF) featuring Hurley

Who says guys can't be stylish? by PolkaDottedGirl featuring American Eagle Outfitters

Keepin' it Simple by Faithfashion! featuring Converse shoes

Menswear -- Style

5/50 by Musadinessuno_new contest! featuring GAP bags

yummi by bona dea ♥♥♥ featuring GAP

Color Trends for Fall/Winter 2008

Fall 2008 was described as the "season of change" defined by rich, elegant and vibrant hues. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute states that "fall is traditionally a time for subdued, quiet colors, but this season we are seeing a shift toward cool hues with bright, exciting undertones". Gill Hart summarized the 10 colors:

• Blue Iris - This is Pantone’s color of the year for 2008, according to their report. A rich beautiful blue with purple undertones which has been a firm favorite amongst such designers as Leger, Costello Tagliapetra, Diana Von Furstenberg and Oscar De La Renta. Combining the regal richness of purple with cool and calming aspects of blue.
• Royal Lilac - Dramatic Royal Lilac is a combination of bluish purples and cheerful red undertones. undertones.
• Shady Glade -It provides a willing companion to shady glade, a mossy green base color which is a departure from the more traditional greens of the past.
• Caribbean Blue -Evokes memories of tropical vacations which adds intensity to its color companions.
• Twilight Blue - Twilight Blue is a twist on a classic navy, a strong, powerful steady color.
• Aurora Red - Reds and purples are a keynote combination for Fall 2008. Given its dash of energy and vitality to the palette Aurora red is not exception.
• Withered Rose - Moving on to dusky brownish pinks, Withered Rose blends with almost any shade.
• Burnt Orange - Powerful and robust, Burnt Orange is subtle enough to be worn by most skin tones, but steady enough to be a backdrop and strong enough to be at the fore front of an outfit.
• Ochre - Adding a touch of lightness traditional autumnal color is Ochre with a hint of mustard against mellow yellow.
• Shitake - "The color of a Japanese mushroom, this complex yet modest shade is intriguingly understated," states the Pantone report, "especially when teamed with the robust colors of fall" '08.

Other important colors were:
black (especially as base color)
grays - charcoal, medium gray, light gray
gold
purples - magenta, royal purple, dark purple
scarlet red
fuchsia
black & white
olive
cowboy brown
camel
royal blue
raspberry
orange


Source: Pantone, Fashion Colors for Fall 2008, Pantone Fashion Color Reports, Fall Winter 2008 Fashion Trends

Color Trends for Spring/Summer 2008

For Spring/Summer 2008, Pantone released a pastel heavy palette with an emphasis on metallics. According to Pantone, "refreshing splashes of invigorating brights punctuate classic, versatile neutrals as designers offer a playful spring palette for endless exploration and creative combinations. Variations on popular colors such as energizing red, cool, waterborne blue and eco-friendly greens also play a key role in this season."

• Snorkel Blue: Your dependable navy but with more sophistication and animation
• Freesia: Warm and cheerful, a friendly, inviting color to which people are naturally drawn
• Rococco Red: An exciting, attention-getting classic
• Spring Crocus: Deep pink undertones in this flowery hue make it among the prettiest, most wearable purples
• Daiquiri Green: Revitalizing; a bright and cheerful version of the popular earth-tone yellow-greens naturally associated with eco-awareness
• Pink Mist: Delicate, subtle pink with blue undertones
• Cantaloupe: Luscious, warm, nurturing, and sweetly appealing; great with chocolate browns
• Silver Gray: Glitzy, has a sheen reminiscent of the popular metallics that will continue to add a touch of excitement to any outfit
• Croissant: A warm, enticing hue with beautiful undertones; a delicious base for spring's more exciting accents
• Golden Olive: Trans-seasonal; another distinctive staple and tasteful accompaniment to 2008's newest shades
  

Other important colors were:
white
light/muted gray
beige/khaki
navy
yellows (all shades - light, banana, bumblebee, mustard)
red (all shades)
orange (also all shades in brighter tones)
cream
black
grape
melon
lime green
turquoise
lavender
pastels

Source: Pantone, Pantone Spring 2008 Colour Palette, Spring - Summer 2008 Fashion Trends

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

Trends for Women for Spring '09

Above: Badgley Mischka Spring 2009

Spring 2009 brought back the 80's, embracing mismatched styling, sheer fabrics, and big accessories. "A number of trends emerged in terms of wearable covetable clothes, (and less covetable, like horrendous harem pants and all over animal prints). The hottest tips, according to "Its back to shoulder pads as Top Shop embraces the '80s'" by Liz Jones of the Daily Mail (September 16, 2008)is the clashing of colors….. piling on the layers…. and wearing anything sheer.”

Gill Hart gave a breakdown of the main trends from the runways of London Fashion Week for Spring '09:

• 1980s – think shoulder pads and power dressing
• Navy, cerise, lilac and lime -- clash those colors for a trendy look
• Ruffles and frills -- layer upon layer
• Sporty chic
• Peplum Waists
• Harem Pants - Jumpsuits
• All over animal prints
  

Glamour Magazine picked out the most wearable trends from New York Fashion Week for Spring 2009, leaving out the over-the-top, unflattering styles that were unlikely to be relevant in mainstream retail stores:

• Zipper accents
• Relax-fit pants
• The Sophisticated Trench
• Hot pink
• Oversize necklaces
• Black-on-white print
• The Oversize Pattern Bag
• Big Bangles
• A Touch of Neon
• Mix-and-Match Patterns
• Pastel suits
• Sequins
• The Military Jacket
• Color-Block prints
• '80's flair
• Embellished Boho

Sources: Spring 2009 Trends to Watch, Spring 2009 Fashion Week's Most Wearable Trends
Photo Source: Style.com

Key Looks for Women for Fall/Winter '09

Oscar de la Renta Fall 2009

Gill Hart picked out New York runway trends from Fall/Winter 2009 that would inevitably be seen in retail stores across the globe. Some of the styles she noted were:

• Animal prints
• Bold shoulders
• Less traditional fall hues: reds, blues, purples mixed with neutral gray & beige mixes
• Metallic tones
• Wintry bandage dresses
• One-shoulder toga style dresses, low necklines
• Texture: brocade, velvet, leather, lace, fur, chiffon
• Skin-tight bold colored leather trousers, cigarette pants, narrow-leg satin suit trousers

The German based European Trend Institute (ETI) came up with 4 key styles for women's apparel for Fall/Winter '09:

Realistic - A combination of subtle neutrals and glossy metallic provide some urban chic. Silk and jersey provide femininity and large graphic patterns take on a more softer look. The statement necklace plays an important part with shiny metallics and varnished ornaments, providing art-deco influences.

Sensitive - Voluminous but cosy fabrics in warm and dusty tones. Outercoats take on a semi-transparent quality, along with hairy light flannels. Think rich velvets in soft pastels, and seductive lace.

Magical - Warm forest-inspired tones of brown and forest-green. Plaids and checks are given a modern twist with an ombre effect and prints redefine animal motifs.

Expressive - An eclectic mix of folk, neohippie and artsy prints in unusual cold/warm contrasts. Denims, tweeds and checks provide a splash of high color.

Overall for women's apparel Fall/Winter '09 was about staple pieces like the little black dress, textured leather jackets and wide trousers with pleating. The boyfriend jacket remained strong as did pencil and dirndl skirts, and the key investment piece was a coat for all seasons in suede, silk twill or flannel.

Sources: New York Runway Trends for Fall 2009, Key Looks for Fall 2009

Color Trends for Spring/Summer 2009

For Spring/Summer 2009, Pantone released a set of more vibrant, hopeful colors in their color report in contrast to the more dismal hues for Fall/Winter 2009. According to Leatrice Eiseman (executive director of Pantone), "New York's fashion designers encourage hopeful attitudes with lively colors, while sophisticated, grounded hues address the need for stability in times of economic uncertainty." Once again Gill Hart summarized Pantone's set of hues:

• Palace Blue — a favorite amongst designers which takes a navy undertone and makes it sparkle. A cross between a sky blue and strong navy. This is a color which works with almost any other, pink, yellow, lavender or green.
• Lavender — the regal purple of fall has been adapted to a softer lighter lilac, feminine and romantic, and slightly mystical.
• Rose Dust — a pale pinky blue, which is a welcome break from traditional neutrals. Almost a white-washed lavender, this is one of the coolest colors.
• Slate Gray — a cool and calming nuanced neutral which provides a backdrop to any of Pantone’s 9 other colors and is a perfect pairing to lavender hues.
• Fuchsia Red –—Vibrant yet seductive, powerful and robust. Fresh and dazzling, fuchsia features heavily in nail polish and lipsticks too.
• Salmon Rose — Mixing a soft salmon pink with the subtleness of oranges which is flattering to most complexions and gives a warm healthy glow.
• Vibrant Green — a mossy mid-green which is bright but not harsh
• Dark Citron — a calm, almost olive color which blends perfectly with this season’s lemon tones.
• Lucite Green — a clean, subtle, soft green which adds a slight shimmer
• Super Lemon — brings a fun, optimistic outlook to the Palette,” states the Pantone Spring 2009 report. “Its luminosity is determined to evoke a smile and attract the roving consumer’s eyes.”

Sources: Pantone, Top 10 Fashion Colors for Spring 2009