How on earth, you might wonder, can we predict what fashion trends will be big in 2015 when the year has only just started?

It’s actually quite simple, if you follow the cycle of the international fashion collections.

In September and October of last year, we saw the latest designer collections paraded on the runways of London, New York, Milan and Paris. Those styles begin to hit the stores about February and March, and the trends picked out by the world’s most influential fashion editors begin to trickle down into the high street.

What you see on the Louis Vuitton runway, for example, will appear, in a cheaper and slightly tweaked form, on the racks in places such as Topshop and Zara.

So, what exactly are the editors predicting for 2015?

Each season, a particular decade seems to resonate with a group of designers, and this year looks to be no different. In 2015, the retro merry-go-round will halt at the 1970s — an era that hasn’t been referred to in quite a while — so you may have to revise any notions you have about the 70s being the “decade that taste forgot”.

Of course, no decade is a self-contained, neatly bookmarked capsule in which one trend or look dominates. The late 1960s — the period of long hair, suede flares, waistcoats and love beads — bled over into the early 1970s. The later part of the decade — punk and disco — would go on to have a strong influence on the alternative style and club culture of the 1980s.

This time around, what part of the 70s have been cherrypicked?

Hedi Slimane, at Saint Laurent, looked back to the glam movement and the dishevelled punk of songstress Patti Smith. At Gucci, it was all about boho: peasant blouses, folksy embroidery, brown suede and velvet. At Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquiere took the velvet theme into psychedelic territory with dresses and pantsuits in vivid hues of turquoise and red. Not for the faint-hearted, these outfits were both luxurious and startlingly bold.

Very few of us are probably going to feel confident walking down the street in a patterned velvet suit or bright green fur bolero and black flares, in Saint Laurent mode.

But it’s still possible to take cues from the 70s and modify them for a contemporary look. You may not be squeezing into denim flares or fringed waistcoats anytime soon but the silk pussy-bow blouse, suede jacket, aviator sunglasses, and long floral dresses — all classic 70s signatures — will never go out of style.

Also think about the early-70s colour palette — autumnal gold, peacock green, ochre and orange, chocolate brown and lilac — as a new-season antidote to the uniformity of black.

At Gucci, it was all about boho: peasant blouses, folksy embroidery, brown suede and velvet.

OTHER TRENDS FOR 2015

MILITARY

It’s been a while but the pendulum has swung back towards military-inspired looks. But strictly no multi-pocketed combat pants allowed: rather, think khaki satin blouses paired with a sand or biscuit-coloured pencil skirt.

ALL-WHITE

This strong 2014 trend is spilling over into the 2015 summer months. Fresh, chic, elegant and easy to co-ordinate, match your floaty white dress with sandals, a tote bag, sunglasses and a floppy hat, all in white.

GLADIATOR SANDALS

They’re back! Numerous designers paired their outfits with knee-high gladiator sandals, proving everything old is new again in fashion land. Best seen on tanned, long legs and paired with a flippy skirt or short summer dress.

GINGHAM

One print will dominate the first part of 2015: gingham, and lots of it. Michael Kors, Altuzarra, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, and Miuccia Prada at Miu Miu all put the 1950s favourite on their runways. Brigitte Bardot, eat your heart out.

DENIM AND SUEDE

The decade’s favourite two fabrics are back with a vengeance. That is not to say that double-denim is cool again (it never was). Stick to denim jeans or knee-length, A-line skirts (but probably not together). As for suede, it may not be the easiest fabric to take care of — especially in the wet — but it does look sexy, whether in the form of a suede ankle boot or a long, belted trench coat.

 

© The West Australian

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