TRENd JOURNAL
retail buying simulation
Mackenzie Dakin
of Table
contents 2 dvf: journey of a dress 4 let’s hear it for the boys street style:plaid 6 blanket statement 8 brooklyn boy 10 12 50 shades of blue modern embellishments 14 gray matter 16
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dvf: journey of a dress
JANUARY 12- On a Friday night in the middle of January, Diane Von Furstenberg celebrated the 40th anniversary of the wrap dress by the exhibition Journey of a Dress, solely in her honor. In a 20,000 square foot space, each room captures the very essence of Von Furstenberg while dedicating rooms to art, installations, and 200 mannequins donned with the iconic dress. The exhibition, currently residing in the Wilshire May Company Building, kicks off its North American tour in Los Angeles where it will stay until the first of April. Diane is known for her confidence, her independence as a woman. The wrap dress holds so much power to any woman who wears it, allowing the garment to mean something different to every owner. Each woman knew why they were at the exhibition. “Everyone has a story about her first wrap dress,” said Coco Rocha who, alongside Andy Cohen, provided behind the scenes access live from the red carpet. Almost every woman donned DVF that night; celebrities and socialites traveled from one room to another taking in every essence of vibrant beauty that covered the space. Retailers could benefit from following what Diane is doing. Connecting to consumers on a personal level allows growth of the brand and a guarantee of returning customers. Loyalty was present with every attendee at the Journey of a Dress, each woman having her own stories and experiences wearing a DVF dress. By organizing events centered around your brand essence, this would be a huge investment for retailers to explore new territories that they haven’t yet ventured to. It would be extremely successful within brands that already have a wide customer base, yet could allow a star up or smaller name to rise to the occasion and bring in new and returning customers.
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lets hear it JANUARY 17- With the Menswear Fall 2014 Collections in full swing, many designers have taken a modernistic approach in having more gender neutral pieces. Long tunics, floral patterns, vivid colors, and a casual chic vibe have been seen walking down the menswear runways. It’s no surprise that womenswear is known to take some inspiration from the boys, but it seems that in the upcoming fall season, the tables have turned. This season has featured an extensive use of color allowing mens apparel to offer a wide variety of new styles and silhouettes to be explored. Bias draping, mohair, laying skirts with pants, and feminine shapes have us girls wanting to borrow pieces from the boys’ closets! This allows designers and retailers an extreme advantage and opportunity when it comes to buying and product development. Although the designer will design with a specific sex in mind, it brings a lot of growth to the industry. Designing for one gender in mind, yet it can be bought and styled by both! Retailers will be able to take full advantage of this rise in gender neutral garments in that they will be able to build sales volume, attract a wider consumer base, and ultimately earn more profit. There seems to be a sense of freedom in these designs which are mostly styled by adding on different layers for the fall. This is a great opportunity for brands to widen their audiences and design garments that can easily be worked into someone’s wardrobe and become their most beloved piece.
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street style: paris in plaid
JANUARY 25- Whether it’s walking down the Pre-Fall runways or the streets of Paris, the revival of the 90s trend is re-emerging from the closets of our most fashionable socialites and design houses. This is a trend that will forever be in our closets and something that will never go out of style. Plaids can be mixed, worn with other prints, or paired with a simple garment so that it stands out from the crowd. It may not be seasonally appropriate but designers including Christian Dior, Marissa Webb, Altuzarra, Nicole Miller and Alexander McQueen have all infused the classic pattern into their collections with modern updates and new color schemes. This has allowed street style to follow suit, showcasing unique pairings of a trend that is here to stay.
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Even menswear designers have incorporated this timeless print into their collections. It’s also making it’s way to accessories, for those who prefer to use the print in an accented piece.
PRE-FALL MEGATREND:
blanket statement
FEBRUARY 1- The rise of the blanket coat is essential to the expression of creative men and women in interpreting who they are through fashion. Seen on men’s and women’s RTW runways, the Sundance Film Festival, and on the streets during fashion week, the statement of a blanket coat is a perfect combination of comfort and fashion. Depending on the style and pattern, this megatrend can cater to the modern woman or the free spirit. This trend is essential to street style in particular; it incorporates the excessive sense of layering that has been apparent in the upcoming fall season. By wearing layers of light weight garments underneath, the blanket coat is something that is easily thrown over it all, yet doesn’t look unplanned or last minute. It’s ability to have many shapes and variations allows it to stay current and evolve with the seasons.
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brooklyn boy
FEBRUARY 9- After bringing all of fashion society from the city to Brooklyn in the midst of a snowstorm, Alexander Wang did not disappoint. From start to finish, every aspect of his Fall 2014 RTW collection is edgy, fresh, and full of innovation. The collection was extremely conceptual of hitting the pavement of New York City with inspiration taken from extreme sports that highlight extreme conditions and survival. That inspiration is evident throughout the entire collection with it’s abundant amount of varying pockets, boots, textural fabrics, and heat-sensitive leathers. This collection is extremely innovative because while it’s practical it doesn’t threat it’s ability to be incredibly fashion forward. The show-stopping finale revealed the latest enhancements in technological fabrics; the heat sensitive leathers proved that Alexander Wang is on the verge of something amazing. Living in an era where fashion has to have functionality, Alexander Wang’s collection fits perfectly into the market that is required to attract today’s consumer.
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50 shades of blue
FEBRUARY 15- Pastel colors are normally thought to be worn in the spring, yet they’ve been popping up all over the fall runways. Each shade of blue brings new life to a normally darker season which opens up the possibilities for consumers and retailers. From cornflower to periwinkle to indigo, blue has a strong presence in the fall runways by adding a fresh touch to tailored silhouettes and an ethereal feeling to soft, feminine fabrics. Whether it’s in details or throughout the entire garment, blue adds a sense of ease and freshness to an outfit that will carry on all throughout spring into fall. The soft colors will stand out against the harsh colors of winter while the more saturated shades will be a bold statement against the warm colors of autumn. Fabrics from lace to wool are donning the vast array of hues that this color has to offer, adding to the variety of ways this color can be worn.
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the modern
emblishment
FEBRUARY 21- From guilded ladies to embroidered florals, embellishments have glittered the fall runways and caught the eye of onlookers everywhere. From the most subtle details to the most outlandish of embellishments, this trend is so vast and can be interpreted in so many different ways. In the Dolce & Gabbana fall/winter runway show, the fairytale setting catered perfectly to the animal and floral embroidered garments that were shown in dresses and outerwear. The show ended with a mass group of models wearing structured fully embellished garments that resembled armor. The fashion house showed their range of delicate embroidery to strong styles. Other designers including Mary Katrantzou, Emilio Pucci, Valentino,KTZ, and Temperley London showcased this explosive trend, revealing how to either play it safe or go all out.
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GRaY MATTER
FEBRUARY 27- Although soft pastel colors have been seen on all the runways, various shades of gray have been making a huge appearance in the upcoming fall season. The color gray could have previous been thought of as a bland and boring color, but it’s been making a comeback in the new fabric and silhouettes choices. Wearing all black has been known to be very simple and chic way of dressing, but with use of various shades of gray adds a whole new element to the way of monochromatic dressing. This is a huge opportunity for retailers and consumers everywhere. There is the option of wearing all one shade, wearing a range, or adding a pop of color to stand out against the dark color. Whether it’s in a heavy knit or a silk charmeuse, the use of gray in an outfit has the ability to be comfortable and casual or extremely professional.;the possibilities are endless.
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