FASHION TRENDJOURNAL VOL. 4 FASH 503
Smalika Verma 29/04/2017
BeltDU JOUR A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing. It is an item of accessory, worn by men and women alike. The New York Spring Summer 2017 & Paris Fall Winter 2017 Fashion Weeks saw a strange throng of ‘mile-long belts’ sweeping the floor. A style usually seen on the Streets trickled up to the runway.
Not a mile long, although this belt trend hangs from the waist and is either beyond knee-length or ankle-grazing. Brands like Versus Versace, Alexander McQueen, Michael Kors, Victoria Beckham, etc. have included the extra-long belt in their recent runway collections. SCAD Alumni Carmela Osorio Lugo also incorporates this trend into her collections apart from the Paperbag Waisted Pants.
Source: Image 1 (Michael Kors SS17), Image 2 (Alexander McQueen, AW17) Image 3 (Carmela Osorio Lugo, Benz Fashion Week), Image 4 (Milan Fashion Week Fall 2017) Image on Cover – Victoria Beckham AW17)
ORIGIN Burgeoning downtown NYC label Linder was the first to exhibit extra-long belts on the catwalk. Linder accessorized its genderbending collection with a broad assortment of dangling leather strap belts, most of which were ornamented with silver D-rings, chains and buckles.
Tim Coppens’ belts were a bit more simplistic in design, but they really stretched the mile in terms of length, drooping so far passed the knee cap that they nearly touched the floor. Landlord’s SS17 line featured a series of bright neon, elongated safety belts that were aligned with shimmery reflective tape and metal cam buckles. The belts in this collection were however kept knee-length.
Source: Image 1 (Linder), Image 2 (Landlord), Image 3 (Tim Coppens)
STREETRUNWAY A focus on the waist has been important this season, as items are wrapped, belted and tied as a key styling message.
The Mile-Long belt trend has been observed on the streets of New York, Milan, Stockholm, London, and Paris. A number of designers from Japan have whole-heartedly accepted this street style trend. DRESSED-UNDRESSED opted for XXXXL-length belts in their SS17 Fashion Week collection. Designer YUI HASHIMOTO used canvas floor trailing belts in his Spring 2017 collection under the brand name Ethosens. This trend might not be the most practical one, it may get stuck in doors, but is considered ‘dope’ nevertheless.
Source: Image 1 (New York Streets), Image 2 (Stockholm Street), Image 3 (WGSN – Milan Fashion Week – Streets), Image 4 (Yui Hashimoto -WWD)
Vetements VETEMENTS is a French clothing and footwear brand founded by fashion designer DEMNA GVASALIA in 2009. Debuting its SS17 collection at Paris Fashion Week and collaborating with an array of brands like COMME des GARÇONS, Manolo Blahnik, Dr. Martens, Kawasaki, Levi’s, Juicy Couture, etc. Vetements made sure to use each brand for what its best known for, while infusing each with their unique silhouettes and fits. The result is a surprisingly coherent collection that is 100% in line with previous collections of the hyped Parisian brand.
Source: Images from Vetements Paris SS17 Fashion Show – Vogue.com
OFF-WHITE
VIRGIL ABLOH
VIRGILABLOH No other show on the Paris circuit manages to draw the same mix of Vogue editors, rappers and Instagram personalities as OFF-WHITE: a sign of Abloh’s clout as a tastemaker and cultural ambassador for streetwear. Virgil Abloh is an American creative designer and the founder of the Milan-based fashion label OFF-WHITE. His FW 2017 show included OFF-WHITE’s mile-long belts have all the hallmarks of a “must-have” accessory, and the various checkerboard-patterned pieces on show looked like they’d have many streetwear fiends reaching for their wallets; likewise for the faux-fur pieces and extra-baggy JNCO-style jeans. Abloh’s ability to bridge the divide between streetwear, high fashion and contemporary pop culture is unparalleled.
Source: Image on Previous slide – HighSnobiety, Image 1 & 2 (Virgil Abloh’s FW 2017 collection)
CELEBCHECK While the ‘mile-long’ trend is pretty much street to runway, celebrities have been spotted carrying similar version of it, usually oversized and long at the same time. Kylie Jenner wore a denim extra-long belt with her head-to-toe denim ensemble for New York Fashion Week 2017. Rihanna sported a massive red leather waistcinching belt from Maison Margiela to a restaurant in Santa Monica. Gigi Hadid was spotted wearing a black leather extra long belt over a gingham dress to Paris Fashion Week 2017.
Source: Image 1 (Kylie Jenner at NYFW – Daily Mail UK), Image 2 (Rihanna – Just Jared), Image 3 (Gigi Hadid at PFW – Glamour Magazine UK)
BIBLIOGRAPHY • • • • •
Source: Virgil Abloh’s OFF-WHITE Paris Fashion Week
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Sheppard, Ciara. "Weird Trend Alert: Everyone Is Wearing Ridiculously Long Belts." Glamour UK. Glamour UK, 21 Mar. 2017. Admin. "Extra-Long Belts Were the Biggest Trend at NYFW:M SS17, but Will They Catch On?" Chicago Fashion Blogs. 18 July 2016. Spring 2017 | Vetements. Clarke, Ashley. "Ethosens Tokyo Spring 2017 Fashion Show." Vogue. Vogue, 24 Oct. 2016. Leach, Alec. "Fashion Trends 2017: What to Expect." Highsnobiety. Highsnobiety, 17 Mar. 2017. Amarca, Nico. "Extra-Long Belts Are the Next Big Fashion Trend." Highsnobiety. Highsnobiety, 18 Jul. 2016. "WGSN | Create Tomorrow | Trend Forecasting & Analytics." WGSN | Creating Tomorrow | Trend Forecasting & Analytics. Wetherille, Kelly. "Ethosens RTW Spring 2017." WWD. N.p., 25 Oct. 2016. "Rihanna Makes a Fashion Statement with Big Red Belt." Just Jared. Dailymail.com, Brittany Valadez For. "Feeling Blue! Kylie Jenner Rocks a Denim-on-denim Look." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 13 Feb. 2017.