Trends

World of colour

The urban avant-garde city-smart trend has a streamlined look. The trend is masculine, with uniforms being a strong influence. Black is the dominant colour, with white and shades of grey providing contrast with black, dark grey or brown.

Darker colours are getting a new treatment, with colours from one colour group being combined with their contrasting colours to provide subtle shades of light and dark, or cold and warm contrasts, for example reds and greens. White is used as a contrasting colour, usually seen in the form of a blouse, and is used to perk up black or other dark colours.

The building world is now influencing fashion through colours — stones, walls, and metal all lend their colours to the mix.

An important element is the mixing of interesting contrasts — a play of light and dark, matte and shine, black and white with various greys in between. Colours that preside in this group are cement, mauve, steel, asphalt, ink and lava.

Inky blues, greens and deep purples are used on thick-grain country leathers, matt snake and crocodile skin, washed leather (with a used look), printed nubuck and waxed surfaces.

Influenced by Michelangelo and Albrecht Dürer’s frescos, soft beige and brown shades are used together with pale, almost dusty-looking, pastel hues, and gold and brass nuances. The dominating colours are alabaster, taupe, powder, rosewood, bark, earth and cigar.

The feminine urban poetry trend is characterised by lovely colours and materials, which are mixed with feminine, decorative details. Typical colours in this trend are brown shades of honey, rusty brown and turf and dark brown and matt metallic colours of brass and copper. Also look out for blues and greens, including dark blue and petrol or duck blue, which creates a stylish mix when used with sage or khaki green. Reds are not excluded, ranging from burgundy to lilac to shades of violet.

Combine bright floral colours with darker colours.

The folkloric trend goes with deep, intense colours with a discreet shimmer that range from red and rosé tones to burgundy and violet.

A green/blue palette ranges from cool shades of winter turquoise and petrol, to dark blue and warm moss to khaki, sage, fawn and yellowish tones of brass, to browns.

Most of the combinations are in matching colours, but there are also contrasts of warm and cold.

Trousers and skirts are the fashion celebrities in many styles, from the slim-fitting long pencil skirt to shorter pants; even bermuda shorts and culottes (a woman’s full trousers cut to resemble a skirt) make their appearance with skirts embracing the knee.

British heritage sneaks into fashion conscious cupboards, bringing with it the British colours, wools, checks, tweeds and herringbones. Foggy colours are often livened up with vibrant, untypical colours (for example apple green, pink or lilac) teamed with white blouses.

Biba Bohème continues the yearning for imaginative, romantic, individual fashion that we saw in the summer ‘07 trend forecast. This trend is influenced by art décor combined with hints of Bohemianism. The trend is either young and carefree or stylish — but always feminine.

Men’s clothing is slender, look trim and have subdued colour. Short, slim-fitting coats are making a comeback. For the British heritage themes, use colours with foggy autumn shades on soft wool fabrics and liven it up with lilac, grass green, orange or red tones. Sportswear has softer colours with washed-out neutral tones, shades of warm brown and different greens and marine blue.