Party Trends 2018
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WELCOME & CONTENTS 4
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TREND ALERT 2018
PARTY PEOPLE TALK PARTY TRENDS IN HINDSIGHT: 2017 REVISITED FIVE YEARS OF TREND-VOLUTION ALL ABOUT THE CAKE TAKING A LOOK AROUND VENDORS FEATURED
HELLO FROM THE EDITOR! And so another year of party trends has come and gone. Mythical creatures, nature, pop culture, ancient tales, art and so much more continue to fuel our creativity, pushing the envelope of party ideas. It's a fast paced world, with an abundance of trends rising right before our eyes in a matter of moments. Only the very best continue to linger long enough to stamp the consciousness of those outside the party sphere. Like most things in life, trends are cyclical. A trend doesn't mean that an old idea has died to make way for a new one, nor does it outline the limits of our creativity at any point in time. Trends simply define what has captivated our attention at that point in time, leaving other ideas to rest behind the spotlight - making it a perfect time to explore their next re-invention. One thing is for certain - whether you follow trends or not, every party is truly special. Esther, Confetti Fair
Right; marble cake by Buds 'n Petal Cakes; Stand from Petite Events Hire Cover; left to right; marble cakes by Buds 'n Petal Cakes; galaxy drip cake by Frosting Cakery; black and gold flower cake by Delleicious.by.elle; purple lace cake by Aida's Sweet Treats. All cake stands from Petite Events Hire.
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trend alert 2018 THIS YEAR IS ALL ABOUT TAKING IT TO THE MAX. THE CLEAREST DECOR, THE HIGHEST BALLOON ART, THE MOODIEST TONES AND THE TALLEST CAKE EMBELLISHMENTS. BY MARIA ANDRIOPOULOS.
What are the biggest party trends of 2018? We did a little research to see what ideas, themes and colours would permeate across your soirées this year. Here's what we found during our discovery.
BIG AND BOLD Another colour prediction is one of big, bright and loud colours (a phenomenon attributed to the rise of 80’s and 90’s patterns). Whether primary or neon, these colours are in your face and hard to miss.
LIVING IN COLOUR
COLOURFUL FONTS Fonts are about to get more colourful and playful too, with some new graphic design developments allowing for fonts to be easily designed with gradients, patterns and multiple colours. This will definitely influence signage and party stationery.
Our one main prediction of colour is that it will be dramatic, rich and bold. Whether moody or bright, subtle is out and it’s here to make a statement. PURPLES, MAUVES AND LILACS Pantone recently announced Ultra Violet (a striking shade of purple) as their colour of the year. This seems to be a huge departure from the earthy Greenery of 2017, but not so much. Nature still abounds. The colour reminds us of grapes and pretty lilacs and is definitely evocative of the space and geode themes that have been bubbling around for a few years (which we're told are on the cusp of exploding). We are heavily reminded of the deep sea, and lush mermaids - a theme that might just take over unicorns! MOODY HUES We’ve been seeing a lot of dark, rich romantic themed weddings recently, with perfectly styled twilight set-ups softened by candlelight. I think this will start to trickle down to other parties. Indeed, if we look at the rise of darker coloured cakes, the connection is obvious. 4
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG PARTY Finally, we just want to touch on neon. We're already seeing alot of neon come through in wedding party signage, it's only a matter of time before it becomes popular across all parties and neon type colours start being used in parties too - another 80's throwback.
SCHEMES AND THEMES These two elements are together because both frame the direction of a party. However, a theme is based around an animal, an idea or movie, rather than a design element or colour.
Left; a cute little party set-up by Sweet Dreams and Goodnight, featuring ever popular metallic Rose Gold partyware from Hip & Hooray.
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FUNKY FAUNA In terms of popular animals, we've heard from some crafting circles (where they tend to keep a close eye on fabric and stationery trends) that llamas, sloths and pandas will be top of the list. In the avian world, hummingbirds and pelicans seem to be gaining ground.
AND THE REST After having a look at what's bubbling up on Instagram, it looks like we'll l also be seeing lots of Mexican fiesta, Frida Kahlo, dinosaurs and fairies.
EXOTIC FLORA Tropical will still linger, but the flowers will be more exotic and also appear with exotic birds (bye bye flamingo?) At Confetti HQ we would love to see some more birds of paradise here!
DESSERTS FOR ALL The biggest dessert (and party) trend to reach its climax this year will be the vegan, gluten free and paleo cakes. Creators will love the challenge of creating new flavours and textures whilst paying attention to the dietary requirements of guests.
GO RETRO In line with the bold colour schemes, 80’s and 90’s patterns will also be very popular.
IT AIN’T A PARTY WITHOUT CAKE
FRUITY AND PRETTY As an extension of the vegan cake, and a slant toward health, Instagram seems to be awash THE NEW WOODLAND in fruit covered cakes, typically with the added With the popularity of unicorns and woodland embellishment of flowers and other tasty treats. This themes, it may only be a matter of time before we trend is exploding right now, thanks to the number see more magical enchanted forest themes, mythical cookie cakes of Adi Klinghofer (@adikosh123). Given elves, nymphs and wizards. the we are also in a 80’s/90’s revival phase, could we soon be seeing the return of the humble fruit flan to MAIN METALLICS dessert tables? Despite their demise being predicted annually, we are not ready to let go of these yet. Rose gold is still HELLO, RUBY! in vogue, but it might be time to make way for the Whilst it hasn't made a huge explosion yet, we've less popular tones such as yellowy brass, greyish seen alot about Ruby Chocolate. What’s so special pewter and silver. about it? Well its naturally pink and tastes of cocoa and berries! It's set to hit retail later this year. TO THE CINEMA Looking to the movies, Dr Seuss, Peter Rabbit and Above; Galaxy themed tableware by We Love the recently released Paddington Bear will all have Sundays; Gluten Free drip cake by Homemade Bliss. an influence. From Disney, we’ll also see Gigantic, a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, Toy Story and Left; sequin cake with huge flower by Commie's Captain Marvel. Cupcakes, demonstrating 3D elements in cake art. 6
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CREATIVE DISPLAYS Donuts will continue to stay popular, as have macarons and cupcakes before them, but what will change is that we'll be really pushing the envelope in display, as was seen with the origin of the donut wall. We'll be exploring DIY shelving, hooks and more (yay for more trips to Bunnings)! 3D AND ART It addition to 3D effects created with layers of fondant and freehand cutting, we’ll also see 3D printing and architectural styles on cakes. Shards, essentially 3D brush strokes, will also be around, making for spectacular works of art that are unique and gravity defying. Classical art will also have an influence.
DO MORE WITH DECOR It would be silly to assume that trends tidily go away year in and year out. We are still on a greenery wave, and this, along with the hoop backdrop trend of 2017 will pave the way for a something in 2018... ENTER THE WREATH! No longer just for Christmas, we’ll be seeing wreaths made of florals, foliage, paper, foam and you name it! They’ll come in all shapes and sizes, not just circles, and they’ll be embellished with balloons, streamers and even laser cut and neon signs. NO TO OPACITY Transparent and translucent items will also be huge. We’ve seen ghost chairs, but this will expand into
crystalline platters, cutlery and tables. It's already being used in signage and it looks amazing. Translucence won't stop there - pink, black and lots of other clear coloured plastics will captivate us too. SHINY IS STILL HANGING AROUND Metallics are still reigning supreme. With the recent release of chrome balloons by Qualatex, it doesn't look like the trend will be dying anytime soon. The metallic obsession will also see the iridescent and holographic material trends reach a zenith too. DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF WITH PAPER A move away from paper decor is on the cards.. Fringing, feathers, yarn tassels and laser cut acrylic props (such as these pretty chandeliers), can work overtime and be reused as interior items as well as for subsequent parties, whilst helping the environment. FLOOR TO CEILING It's forecast that we'll be making much more use of our surroundings including the ceilings, You can expect balloon art to continue to span the roofs (or reach them) and hanging gardens with floral art taking up all 3 planes of height, width and length! SETTING THE SCENE Let’s not forget invitations. Typography, geometry and abstract will still be popular, with a definite leaning towards cute Kawaii style illustrations or minimal, mid-century modern (think vintage travel posters). Foiling will give way to the other old printing arts such as blind embossing.
Do you agree with our 2018 trend predictions? Give us a shout on social, we'd love to hear from you! See the last page to check out the Trends 2018 social challenge. Left; donut wall by Coastal Fringe Cronulla.
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This page; clockwise from top left - floral ceiling installation by Arnold Events; fruit, meringue, and petal topped vanilla cupcakes by Our Pretty Party; Decorative chandelier in pink acrylic by Chandelier by NK; holographic decor avalable from and styled by Favour Lane Party Boutique and Stylish Soirees Perth, photography by Chantelle Venter; moody tones and neon signage feature in this wedding styled by Ashdown and Bee.
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PARTY PEOPLE TALK PARTY TRENDS FROM STYLING, TO CAKES AND DECOR, WE ASKED SOME PARTY PEEPS TO GIVE US THE LOW DOWN ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN 2018
'Continued love of all things unicorn, lots of metallic, and geo designs'! –JILLIAN TOHBER LESLIE,
CATCH MY PARTY
www.catchmyparty.com is one of the top sources of online party inspo Left; unicorn hats by Party Hat Designs
'There is one design that everyone is going crazy for that I think will be a hit in 2018. People have started making them in a circular shape instead of numbers. It's basically a sponge filled with mascarpone or buttercream topped with meringues & fresh fruit. It's so vibrant and fresh'!
Below; Love cookie cake by Sassy Sprinkles Cakery, inspired by @adikosh123
–TARA, THE SWEETEST CRUMBS
The Sweetest Crumbs is a Sydney based creator of cakes, cupcake cookies and dessert cups. 10
'Lots of colour and texture, with a continued focus on personalisation, as well as combining hand lettering with unexpected and contrasting materials in my toppers and party decor'! –CLAIRE, EMBAR DESIGNS Clockwise from top; Swan party by Glam Wonderland, Timber sign by Embar Designs. Metallic Straws by Ginger Ray.
Embar Designs creates beautiful custom party decor including unique hand lettered pieces.
'I see swan party coming through, and unicorns are not going anywhere. There will be lots of metallics again– rose gold will continue to be strong. The Pantone colour of the year will encourage the use of purple and mauve tones. Brides-to-be will have no trouble celebrating in style in 2018– white and metallic gold decor will help with that. Lastly, balloons in every way, shape and form! The highlight will be the new 'chrome finish' latex balloons. We know that shine wins every time and these babies are all that and more.'
–SHELLEY, FAVOR LANE PARTY BOUTIQUE
Favor Lane Party Boutique is a Perth based online party shop with a great range of party needs.
'More sci-fi and space-themed events. Nerding out has never been more mainstream, and ‘space’ can be interpreted to even have a sparkly, disco, retro sci-fi, or futurist bent to it. Something we saw lots of in the latter part of 2017 was beautiful garden party-style events. The Venuemob team believes we’ll see even more of them. Which is excellent! They’re a beautiful way to host a relatively informal event that ends up being memorable and stylish'.
–RACHEL, VENUEMOB
Venuemob is one of Australia's best event venue directories and planning tools. 11
IN HINDSIGHT
IN OUR OUT? REVISITING THE TRENDS WE PREDICTED LAST YEAR!
STILL RIDING ON HIGH We predicted a few trends which had started to bubble up by late 2017. Several of these are still huge, with no indication of them dying out. These include balloon garlands (they became way more epic as the year progressed), no doubt inspired by the amazing work of Geronimo Balloons. THEIR MOMENT WILL COME This year, we thought that the mirror cake might achieve the same level of hype as the drip cake. But as beautiful as they are, they are just not as fun to eat, and the drip cake remains the first choice for many party lovers. Another development we predicted to explode was the rise of Liberty type florals over the more abstract style. Whist Meri-Meri have released a Liberty range, it does not appear to have left it's stamp on the party world as much as other types of floral prints. But we still think these two trends may have their viral moment.
Finally, whilst they are popular, we're still waiting for ĂŠclairs to replace donuts, because they're just so luxe and decadent! Why not pick some up and start your own viral Instagram trend? DRUMROLL PLEASE.... So we did correctly predict a couple of things, black cakes have definitely had an increase in popularity this year. Same with the Beauty and the Beast party theme, to coincide with the live action movie of the same name. The other one was giant paper flowers.
Left; Fruit and oreo topped eclairs by Opal Rains. Below left; Meri Meri Liberty decor range, available at Ruby Rabbit and below right; black cake by The Sweetest Crumbs.
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Re-read ou 2017 foreca r s last summe t in edition on I r's ssuu
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FIVE YEARS OF TREND-VOLUTION CHEVRON
2013/2014/2015 CANDY BARS
RED VELVET
CAKE POPS
FLOWER WALLS
BOHO
TIFFANY CHAIRS
RUSTIC
CIRCUS
BURLAP
BUNTING FLAGS
SHABBY CHIC
MARQUEE LIGHTS
CHALKBOARD SIGNS STRIPES
CAKE POPS
DEER HEADS
TASSEL BALLOONS
Clockwise from left; tassel balloon by Ginger Ray; Ghost chairs from Kogan; and bottom right unicorn themed sugar stamps by Confectionately Yours.
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NAKED CAKE
2015/
CONFETTI BALLOONS
LASER CUT SIGNS
METALLICS UNICORNS
DECORATED HOOPS
PAPER FLOWERS
BALLOON ART
TRENDS DON'T DIE. THEY JUST EVOLVE ONLY TO BE RE-INVENTED IN A BIGGER AND BETTER WAY! BELOW WE TRACK WHAT'S BEEN POPULAR SINCE #PARTYSTYING EXPLODED ON INSTAGRAM.
Check out our 2018 trend hashtags on page 22
Below, mermaid party by Sugar Style Me and left, Tropical plate by Ginger Ray.
/2016
TASSEL GARLANDS
TROPICAL VIBES
GREENERY BACKDROPS
ORB BALLOONS
FLAMINGOS
DRIP CAKES
SPACE & GALAXY TRANSPARENT ELEMENTS FRINGING
MERMAIDS DONUT WALLS
2018 and beyond! OMBRE CAKE
LETTER BUNTING
IRIDESCENCE & HOLOGRAPHIC
FAIRIES
NEONS
ROOM-FILLING INSTALLATIONS
ENCHANTED FOREST
CHROME BALLOONS
PURPLES
3D CAKE ART 15
All About
SOME TRENDS ARE TOO BEAUTIFUL TO GO AWAY. EXPLORING THE RECURRING CAKE TRENDS OF THE LAST FEW YEARS.
SHINY STAR THE CLASSIC
Floral, marble and greenery will never fail you for a grown up affair whether it be shower or anniversary.
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Rose gold has persisted in staying on trend. Perfect for weddings and engagements that call for extra glam.
FUN LOVI
Drip, swirls and oozing with deligh match made in he kiddies soirees
t the Cake NEW HEIGHTS
With purple tones, lace effects, brush stroke flowers and 3D stenciling, this work of art will take any special occassion to the next level. BANG ON-TREND
ING
d sprinkles ght are a heaven for
Unique flowers, ganache popsicles, metallic edible leaf, geometry and black fondant make this the ultimate cake for an edgy and upmarket affaor.
Stands by Petite Events Hire; marble cakes by Buds 'n Petal Cakes; drip cake by Frosting Cakery; lace cake by Aida's Sweet Treats and black cake by Delleicious.by.elle. 17
Taking a Look Around
THE WORLD OF DESIGN, FASHION AND STATIONERY HAVE A HUGE INFLUENCE ON PARTY TRENDS. WE SUMMARISE WHAT TREND AUTHORITIES IN EACH INDUSTRY ARE RAVING ABOUT IN 2018.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
> BRIGHT COLOURS > METALLIC ELEMENTS > COLOUR TRANSITION > MAXIMALISM AND ECCENTRICITY > RETRO-MODERN ILLUSTRATIONS > 80'S & 90'S COLOR PALETTES & PATTERNS
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INTERIORS material layering metallic (more brass, less copper) dark woods luxe imperfection drink carts velvet Industrial parrots bamboo red accents terrazzo fringing
Sequins
Lavender
Checks
Polka dots
Gelato hues
Feathers
Plastic
Pink & Red
Fringing
Straw
Bold colour
Glitter
Transparency
Velvet
Saturated colour
STATIONERY • POP CULTURE INSPIRED • PUNS • ELECTRIC JUNGLE • BOLD GRAPHIC PATTERNS • BRIGHT PASTELS • FUNKY CALLIGRAPHY • DARK & METALLIC • MONOGRAMS AND CRESTS • 80'S AND 90'S ABSTRACT
Right, Beyoncé Cake Topper by Love Board. Above, Beyoncé Stickers by Love Board.
Harlow & Grey Erika Napkin from Ruby Rabbit; ombre cake from Crumbs with Love; gold bamboo console table by Audenza; velvet fringed chair by Sweetpea & Willow. Top, Heart wedding clutch bag for brides by Threaded by Pooja from And so to Shop; feather garland by Poppies for Grace available at Hip & Hooray.
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Vendor list AIDA'S SWEET TREATS ASHDOWN & BEE AND SO TO SHOP ARNOLD EVENTS BUDS 'N PETAL CAKES CATCH MY PARTY CONFECTIONATELY YOURS COASTAL FRINGE CRONULLA COMMIE'S CUPCAKES CRUMBS WITH LOVE CHANDELIER BY NK DELLEICIOUS.BY.ELLE EMBAR DESIGNS FAVOR LANE PARTY BOUTIQUE FROSTING CAKERY GINGER RAY GLAM WONDERLAND HIP & HOORAY HOMEMADE BLISS LOVE BOARD OPAL RAINS OUR PRETTY PARTY 20
PARTY HAT DESIGNS PETITE EVENTS HIRE RUBY RABBIT SUGAR STYLE ME SWEET DREAMS & GOODNIGHT SWEETPEA & WILLOW SASSY SPRINKLES CAKERY THE SWEETEST CRUMBS THREADED BY POOJA VENUEMOB WE LOVE SUNDAYS
Turn the page to read about the trend challenge!
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THE TREND CHALLENGE 2018 WE'D LOVE TO SEE THESE PREDICTED TRENDS IN ACTION. TAKE THE TREND CHALLENGE AND USE ONE OF THESE HASHTAGS IN YOUR RELEVANT PARTIES, TOGETHER WITH #PARTYTREND2018. There'll be a chance to get featured on our blog and Instagram. We'll add all tagged images to our 2018 Trend Pinterest board. This challenge is for all party lovers, professional and DIY!
#UltraVioletTheme #PurpleTheme #MoodyHuesTheme #BigBoldColourTheme #BrightColourTheme #GalaxyTheme #SpaceTheme #CeilingInstallation #LaserCutProps #NeonPartySign #NeonBackdrop #IridescentParty #HolographicParty #MermaidParty #FairyParty #EnchantedForestParty #LlamaParty #SlothParty #GhostChairs #FringedDecor #90stheme #80stheme #FeatherGarland #ExoticBirdParty #SilverPartyTheme #ParrotParty 22
#FruitToppedCake #CookieCake #BlackCake #OmbreCake #ArtCake #TallCake #Donuts #DonutWall #DessertWall #DessertDisplay #ChromeBalloons #ClearDecor #TransparentDecor
#HummingbirdParty #MexicanParty #FridaKahloParty #DinosaurParty #PeterRabbitTheme #VeganPartyCake #PaleoPartyCake #RawPartyCake #GFPartyCake #3DArtCake #BalloonArt #WreathBackdrop #PartyWreath
#PARTYTREND2018
GET YOUR PARTY FIX IN PRINT! ISSUE 7 OUT DECEMBER NOW
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