A Sweater for Christmas with a Twist

Unless you resurrect your Christmas jumper year after year, or hand-knit your own, I object on principle to the idea of a knitted item to be worn for only two weeks of the year. Perhaps these two trends can fulfil both the need of staying on trend and giving that Christmas 2016 HO HO HO glow, while lasting a little longer!

Alexander McQueen Spring 17

AW1718 Landscape sweaters

Paint a pictorial scene in yarn. this is a gret trend for knit and a highly commercial one. I'm personally very excited about this as a designer. I have started working on this for clients already some time back, having seen this one coming as soon as Matches released those lovely beauties onto the market and then Vicky Beckham followed up with her scenic scenes and then her embroidery... how the high street with handle it? As one off pieces? or will the pictorial landscape disseminate into the Christmas jumper range?

AW1718 Walk Like A Lady

AW16 catwalks were awash with ladylike sweaters, Gucci and Mui Mui were two designers who put the chic back into the librarian look. Chanel has also pulled out the old style pearl as a key detail as well as pretty bows and pink pink pink. So we can see that this traditional Lady look with a capital "L" will be coming down the line for AW1718. Pitti filati also forecast a back to work trend so the two looks neatly tie up together.

Aw1718 Pick One Colour: RED

Peclers are putting their money behind one colour apparently, next year according to Janet Holbrook of Holbrook Studio. I attended a presentation last week- DIT, Arthur Ryan, Retail Centre and Janet revealed that the head of the Paris office had been heard to say to an American retailer when quizzed for a one colour of the season prediction " well, if you have to have one colour, it hazzz to beee RED"... so there you are... 

AW1718 New Colour Combos

Next season the traditonal spicey autumals will get a modern twist, be that with an injection of a solar yellow or by unexpected combination. Military greens & khaki are coming through these are being worn with dusty pink or combined with block red or spicey orange, injecting punch. In terms of fabric combine also the unexpected- lace & mirror satin for day, with fur (fake & highly coloured) suede, leather and printed woodblock effects.

AW1718 New Colour Combos flight of the bumblebee

As we accidentally nuke the humble bumble in our mighty fight against zika, the fashion world pledges a left field rememberance day. AW1718 will drink their nectar and pillage from their honey filled comb. Black, spicey ochre and solar yellows dance like little rays of light on dark grey days.

Pitti Filati Florence Knitwear Trend Aw1718

A sensural knit story of soft handfeel. Drape and viscose in fine gauge. Hairy soft and transparent yarns in chunkier gauges but still ligtweight. lots of pattern and a sophisticated palette of dark nightskies a beautiful combination of purple, blue and jade.

Pitti Filati Florence AW1718 Knitwear trends

Weave and Embroidery and other crafts have been heavily influnencing knit, artisan crafts. Pattern is heavy in this trend, winter garden, applique leaves, kidsplay, scribbled embroidery crafted yarns and interwoven layered yarns. Again jacquard this time in bright contrasting playful colours on double beds and textural heavy guage sweaters for later seasons. Treated yarns, fringes, checks, woven in ends... this is a playful trend full of creativity the only limit is imagination.

Pitti Filati Florence Knitwear AW1718 trend 2

We are officially back to work... the world is coming out of recession and we are getting dressed for the occassion. Again jacquard is important in repeat pattern with classic workwear motif, like lettering and check making an appearance. The palette a subdued blend of blue and a return of green undertones with classic camel.

Pitti Filati Florence Knitwear For Aw1718

Its a 24/7 world, "wake up, wake up, get up get up"... get out out of bed and get the day started... knitwear that is all about stretch and starting out. Pattern at play, jacquards are key in soft stretches, and mixed playful converstaion patterns. Get up, get out, walk that dog, get active, stretch. 

Marc Jacobs Resort SS17

Gucci Resort SS17

Shown in Westminster Abbey, the Gucci collection took a deep dive into British culture and eccentricity. As Alesandro Michele declared "with this inspiration I could work all my life". A nod to punk, tartan, skinny pants, references to victoriana, embellished with details from the 70's to gothic, slick with Italian style but keenly with a nod to both British pop culture of old and new. May Brexit take note, you have always been IN.

Chanel Resort SS17

Catwalk Update AW1617

An update from the recent runway shows FW 1617.  From a knit perspective... when will the high end catch up with the high street...? Afterall they are showing this collection just in the last two months and we are meant to salivate and wait... for another six to buy it? While high street stores turn out new fashion every size weeks. Meanwhile I have already completed my trends for FW 17- a full year away. 

We all know that the faster high street retailers will now have enough time to copy these catwalks to fly in and flood every chain in time for Autumn, Making a farce of the cycle anyhow... jcrew showed Autumn in "spring" colours... knits are now worn with bikinis... and most of us have the luxury of working in air conditioned or centrally heated spaces throuhout the year anyhow. Seasons now make little sense in fashion.

Spring 17 Its a Fine Balance

"Its a Fine Balance" our world... and this fashion knit trend takes inspiration from that. Honeycomb textures in stitch make referance to the bees. Fine linear stripes look to topography and landscape through mapping. Micro jacquards take influence from the interior of broken rocks or micro- biology and cells under the micro-scope. 3D printing has already begun to break into the high end of the industry, it may be some time before it is afforable enough for the mass market, however the publics awareness is already there. 3D texture and articultion may increasingly become prevalent on the high street.

Spring 17 Global Village

Global Village for Spring Summer 17. A knitwear trend that takes influence from every corner of the globe. This traveller chooses  to collect experience and memories rather than selfies and products. Her beach party vibe of layering pieces over swimwear influence our knits, fine transparent stripes, multicolurs in mini stripes and mixed gauges together with mixed textures. Tropical foliage prints are predicted these may be worked into knit collections as jacquards.  

Spring 17 Indigo Maritime

Spring 17 will promise to be truely blue. Working denim has had a huge influence and washed indigo tones influence colour and texture, as well as workwear detailing. The space dye and twist yarn cottons reflect the broken nature of denim and cotton twill. Mending has been a trend through the Autumn season and may continue into summer. Micro patterns and textures break up the monotony of colour. Adding opposites of orange and reds in unexpected stripes or mixes accents helps to keep this truely blue palette fresh.

Spring 17 Time for Calm Reflection

Knitwear trends for Spring Summer 17, a small snapshot of what I am working on, forecasting and designing for future upcoming seasons, with the highstreet in mind. A calm and reflective palette of soft colour, on a backdrop of neutral pale unisex grey and white.

Ribs are strong, knits follow wovens and take influence from pleating and folding. cables remain but become fashion basics. 3D printing influences high end designers such as Pringle of scotland who have begun to use this technique, how the high street responds is through texture.

Pre Fall AW 16 for intake AW16

From the Pre Fall catwalks of 16, for this winters Aw intakes, lets take a quick look at the key knit trends- PATCHWORK, FRINGE, DARK CHARCOAL, ANIMAL SEVENTIES, SCANDI, POLO