It was the best of times and... well, just the best of times quite frankly. The spring 2016 collections across New York, London, Milan and Paris were a testament to the pioneering spirit in fashion. Every show was a breath of fresh air in an uncertain world - it reminded us once again that life is beautiful. And while each season speaks to a number of different trends (see below for my favorite call-outs), this season seemed to have one goal in sight: to champion and empower the modern day woman with clothes that quietly scream - my favorite oxymoron. What was your favorite trend of the season?
RAINBOW BRIGHT
The runways were alive with radiating optimism. I’m going to take a leap of faith and say the recent Supreme Court decision ruling same-sex couples have the right to marry nationwide paved the way for all this ROYGBIV action. Acid-hued lace at Christopher Kane, rainbow bright knits at Gucci, easy breezy color in a diaphanous maxi from Chloe, hyper-saturated digitized patterns at Chanel, and a show stopping tulle train of chiffon plumage ombré-dipped in sorbet shades at Marchesa.
DOPE DENIM
I know it’s not a trend but the denim was so freakin’ cool this season that it kinda was. Botanical printed styles at Chanel, Victorian embellishments at Alexander McQueen and acid-wash frays at Chloe are killer options. But it was the Marc Jacobs look on model Molly Blair – imagine a punk princess with a penchant for Alfred Hitchcock heading to a night at the opera – that stole my breath away.
GREEN WITH ENVY
I don’t understand why but I found myself living for the green moments on the runways. A jade mini hugging Joan Smalls at Balmain, olive sequins glistening at Nina Ricci, and sexbomb suiting in forest green at Versace made a very strong case for the color.
MAD(CAP) WORLD
Alice in Wonderland was the unsung hero of the spring collections. Fashion went down the rabbit hole and threw everything and the kitchen sink into the mix. There was no restraint: a sporty anorak, dual-toned sequins, black bralet and gauzy green maxi-skirt were tossed together with reckless abandon at Dsquared2. The Powerpuff Girls took LSD at Moschino. The nerdy bookworm wore maddening metallics, a snow-bunny white beret, dangling jeweled earrings, and spiky sandals at Gucci. How to nail this look: take ecstasy while getting dressed for a night out. How to nail this look drug-free (the way to be, sidenote): throw on seven things from your closet, see if it looks crazy, and add more shit.
VICTORIAN VIXENS
Puffy-sleeves, high-collared necklines, intricate lace, rippling ruffles, somber florals - these looks evoked the austere mood of the Victorian era. The clear winner: Sarah Burton’s little white dress at Alexander McQueen felt like something a Bronte sister might wear in 2015 – as she takes a Valencia-filtered selfie and posts it on Instagram. #brontebae
LATIN CLASS
Bold Spanish flavor was sprinkled throughout the collections. Flamenco tiers and ruffles at Balmain and Oscar de la Renta in clementine and cherry red, Toreador-tinged touches at Proenza Schouler and a sensual romance at Etro that felt like a tantalizing tango. It reminded me of one of my favorite Vogue editorials of the past – check it out here – and gave me hope to see many more stunning matador-themed editorials to come.
PALE FIRE
White is always right. Always. Grecian style and crumpled with reckless abandon at Altuzarra, ladylike jetset glamour on Liya Kebede seen at Max Mara, sprinkled with sequins from Tibi, or provocatively lacy on Raquel Zimmerman at Givenchy. White was the predominant color of the season. The biggest testament was Alexander Wang’s swan song to Balenciaga - an exclusively white palette felt light and beautiful but with an almost sinister undertone.