Promise of a New Day

from A Magazine, Issue 97

by Aïshti

Roaring in Red

From prints galore to intricate craft work, spring trends herald a fresh and festive fashion season.

That joyous feeling of spring is back, and with it come the latest designer collections. This year, the warm weather season is marked by an abundance of mischievous and playful trends, for both men and women. Here’s a look at four key trends spotted on the 2019 spring runway.

Beige Knows Best

It’s perhaps the most unexpected spring trend: the color beige. A great number of fashion labels offer outfits in this most neutral of colors, sometimes as a total look and other times mixed in with whites and pastels. Beige is most evident in Riccardo Tisci’s first collection for Burberry. As a nod to the British fashion house’s checkered-and-beige past, the designer unveiled a women’s collection in which beige reigns supreme and is enhanced with Burberry’s signature check here and there. From the classic Burberry trench – reinvented with Tisci’s sleek lines – to flouncy dresses and fitted mid-length skirts, beige dominates the label’s summer outfits.

Italian designer Alberta Ferretti pairs her beige offerings with pretty pastels and other neutral shades: a utilitarian beige miniskirt with oversized pockets looks delicious with a bleached blue denim jacket, while fitted beige cotton pants with flared bottoms go great with a casual powder pink jacket. At Dsquared2, beige is always paired with bright, vivacious colors: check out the beige shorts worn with a colorful striped corset. A head-to-toe beige look comes courtesy of Spanish label Loewe, including sleek pants worn with an oversized, loose-fitting shirt – and a green collar for a slightly eccentric touch.

Besides Burberry, Fendi is the other major label to celebrate beige in grand fashion. The Italian label’s designs include a tailored beige leather dress with futuristic power shoulders, a beige leather mini dress that zips up in front and a long beige leather skirt adorned with the Fendi logo and with an ultra-high waist. In a mostly colorful collection, French fashion house Balenciaga introduced one beige number for men: a loose-fitting coat with the words Balenciaga and Paris emblazoned across the coat’s entire length.

Sensual Craft

True, the 1980s are big in spring 2019, but the 1970s have made a noticeable appearance as well, with an abundance of craft elements seemingly inspired by the immortal Stevie Nicks and her ‘70s heyday: crochet, fisherman weaves, artisanal handiwork and macramé appliqué.

Dolce & Gabbana leads the pack, with a magnificent collection in which every item appears to have been made by hand, by skilled craftspeople and artisans. There’s a heart-stopping top covered with oversized and abundantly colored flowers in 3D; a tiny, tiny skirt with hand-stitched, rainbow-colored beads; and a beige and blue tasseled dressed that effortlessly sways with the beauty of 1,000 fringes. It’s a veritable tour de force for the Italian brand.

The craft trend extends to British label Alexander McQueen, where dresses and tops in light summer hues are reminiscent of traditional handmade lace. Similarly, at Alberta Ferretti, you’ll find white crocheted pants, chiffon caftan-style dresses and knitwear in the form of a long, flowing transparent dress. Loewe pushes the craft trend to the fore as well, offering a light blue top with an outrageous, cascading fringe collar in a mix of pink, blue and orange.

Dolce & Gabbana's looks appear to have been made by skilled artisans"

Spring styles feature an abundance of craft elements seemingly inspired by the immortal Stevie Nicks and her ‘70s heyday"

Prints of every kind and of all sizes show up in various spring collections"

Power of Print

Prints of every kind and of all sizes show up in various spring collections, beginning with Balenciaga and its fitted animal print coat with a turned-up collar. Alexander McQueen takes the print trend even further, splattering it across the label’s evening dresses: loose or fitted, demure or revealing, Alexander McQueen dresses shock with a multitude of floral prints in virtually every color imaginable. Over at Burberry, both men and women are treated to a delightful print overdose. For men, there’s a long sleeve shirt in Burberry’s trademark check paired with an animal-print zip-up vest, and for women, looks range from tops and skirts in animal print to a dazzling top that has both colorful floral prints on its front and wild animal print on its sleeves.

London-based brand Alessandra Rich’s designs showcase a more subdued, more casual use of prints. There’s a black-and-white jumpsuit in animal print and a regal black dress with cream-colored polka dots – both ideal for a low-key spring evening celebration. Even hip Italian label Dsquared2 gets into the print spirit, with a purple, orange and black men’s jacket rich with multicolored floral designs.

Fresh as Fruit

Spring and summer always celebrate color and this year’s no different. In 2019, designers introduced suits in a rainbow of bright colors: it’s the power suit drenched in juicy candy colors.

The traditional suit is transformed into a yellow fantasy at Italy’s MaxMara: it’s cinched at the waist like a dress and worn with matching yellow heels or transformed into an overcoat with its own hood. Loewe’s green take on the suit comes with bold orange paint splashes, while Italian brand Moschino offers up a multicolored suit that’s as pop as an Andy Warhol painting. Moschino also has a glittery disco-inspired tailored suit rich with gold and rainbow-colored lozenges. At Burberry, fruity suiting is also in store for men. The label’s spring suits come in monochrome, soft candy shades, adding a youthful, playful vibe to traditional menswear.