The trends for Summer 2022, a review of the milestones and proposals that marked the international fashion shows this season.
"September is the January of fashion," says editor Candy Pratts in the documentary "The September Issue." Indeed, September is a month that represents a turning point, it is the month where the international fashion show calendar proposes the fashion of the summer season. New York, London, Milan and Paris always follow one another in that order to reveal the colours, silhouettes and textures suggested by the world's most relevant brands in their respective fashion weeks. Each one with a distinctive stamp, each one contributing to the trends that via trickle down effect will be seen in the streets of the entire world.
It is said that New York has the most commercial proposal of all, that London is always at the forefront, that Milan prides itself on its technical mastery and that creativity overflows in Paris. The four international fashion capitals have already spoken and dictated their trends for the “Spring Summer 2022” season. And while people in the northern hemisphere have to wait until March for the clothes that have just been seen on the runways to be available for purchase (most shows are presented months before they are released in stores), here at the southern hemisphere we can now adopt what the big names in design propose.
Under the well-known and old premise of "three is a trend" (three is a trend), used by editors and fashion connoisseurs, and which suggests that if we see the same proposal repeated on three catwalks, it will probably win on the street; at Nashion It we analyze what the trends are, the highs, the lows and everything there is to know about Summer 2022. Use your archive, try to buy local, reuse, intervene and achieve the look of the catwalks.
Subtle drape.
There is no more romantic, delicate and subtle technique than draping. In all fairness, draping never leaves the runway, but this season it comes in a small format, which makes it even more adorable. Fans of this technique, this is how you should now use this technique.
Relaxed tailoring.
Tailoring is a typology that is also a constant on the catwalks. In the last century, when Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent began to take items from the men's closet to bring them to the women's closet, they never suspected the tremendous revolution they were starting and the extensive legacy they would leave behind. When the pandemic was at its peak, the preferred silhouette was anything that was loose and comfortable. Although today we return to work and leave our pajamas aside, we get used to comfort. Several designers propose a languid tailoring, with little structure and with a lot of slack.
Fringes.
Unlike the previous two trends, fringe is seasonal. There are seasons where they completely disappear from the catwalks, while others are filled with them. The movement that fringes bring to any garment makes them fashionable from time to time and when they reach the top it is difficult for them to leave. For a few seasons now, fringes have been at the top of the trends and will continue to be so, apparently.
Walking canvases.
The discussion about whether or not fashion is art is still inconclusive. And although we cannot venture to answer that question now, we can say that both disciplines have always been closely linked. For this season, various fashion houses propose their garments as walking works, with the quality to communicate, move and interpret society, just as art does.
dressed naked.
In times where Instagram bans the female nipple, the catwalks show it to rage. Will transparencies ever be seen massively on the street? There are not a few seasons where transparencies have broken into the fashion debate, but they have never achieved the massiveness of other seasonal trends. It takes daring to use them, it's true, but it's less and less shocking to see an exposed body. And we are more and more owners and conscious of our bodies. Let them take the streets, please!
Color blocking.
On some catwalks, color blocks were the chromatic proposal. Nothing new under the sun, but this season several brands have emphasized the mix of strong colors. This, added to several references to the 2000s on various catwalks, could help us to infer that seasons with this decade as honorees are coming. Do we like the idea?
Elizabethan volumes
There are not a few brands that proposed exaggerated volumes, which announce lavishness in times where discretion is the norm. Could it be that designers already want to get out of this austere mood to reach a more extravagant and bombastic aesthetic? The truth is that these silhouettes serve a lot to keep social distance. ;)
geometric silhouettes
It's time to innovate in silhouettes and the edges and vertices are helping designers find new silhouettes to offer to the avid fashionistas. A trend that results in a futuristic and minimalist look, not always very easy to digest, nor friendly to all bodies.
intricate cuts
Another trend with a futuristic imprint is what the designers who presented collections with intricate cuts propose. In addition to being futuristic, the general mood of this trend is linked to sports.
Beauty trends.
Along with the clothing proposals, the shows also create and directly influence the trends and uses of the beauty and makeup industry. The best MUAs (Make Up Artists) take charge of the backstage, from where they communicate their color palette, their creative vision and their idea of beauty with brushes. Under the same logic of the "three is a trend" we show you the most notorious makeup trends of this season.
striking eyes.
Forget eyeliner or a simple shadow, your face is a canvas and your eyes are a very important point of contact in our communication. The Dior and Versace shows arrive with this simple but very effective proposal.
tinted eyebrows
Would you dare to make your eyebrows disappear and impose it as a trend. Richard Quin and Dsquared2 dare with this statement that leaves no one indifferent. You have to be brave to get rid of your eyebrows, but again: we are becoming more and more owners and conscious of our bodies.
The very red lip.
Being very honest, it has never gone out of style. They are a classic, which this season was repeated on several catwalks. If Michael Kors and Saint Laurent say so, deep red this summer is more fashionable than ever.
Make me blush!
The blush helps to contour the cheeks, to highlight the cheekbones. For this season, do not be afraid to exaggerate, the make-up artists of the Carolina Herrera and Anna Sui fashion shows want you with your cheeks brimming with color.
The good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.
All fashion weeks have ups and downs; good things and others not so much that mark the season.
As a low point this season, we mention the fact that the vast majority of brands once again showed their collections with face-to-face fashion shows, just as they had been doing before the pandemic. During the lockdowns, brands invented new ways to show their collections, which excited us, surprised us, and gave dynamism to a way of showing collections that hasn't undergone major changes for a long time. How is it possible that an industry whose motor is creativity cannot innovate in that sense?
That, added to a kind of general creative exhaustion we could say are the low points of this season. There are very few absolutely innovative proposals, most of the parades presented proposals already seen, already digested, already marketed before. It is true that fashion is cyclical, it remakes itself and styles repeat themselves, but a creative catalyst is missing, some Alexander McQueen that blows our minds, makes us think and rethink fashion.
Good thing the good things outnumber the bad. We started with Balenciaga, a brand that -speaking of innovating in how to show collections- designed an event in such a way that the guests ended up seeing the red carpet on a screen. That was the catwalk: the red carpet, where characters like Cardi B, Elliot Page, alternated with Balenciaga employees, all treated like celebrities. The second part of the show showed an unpublished 10-minute episode of The Simpsons alluding to Balenciaga. An interesting and intelligent collaboration with a series that is transgenerational.
In another high point, New York Fashion Week closed with The Met Gala, which returned after being suspended last year and postponed to this date from what should have been in May. This year's theme was “American Independence.” At a low point of the high point, not all the red carpet guests got the dress code right. It would be a good idea to continue linking fashion week with the MET Gala.
Finally, the tribute to Alber Elbaz from more than 40 brands and labels that came together to celebrate his legacy. The aesthetics of the designer, who died of COVID this year, was interpreted by the brands that participated in the event. “Love brings love” is the name given to this emotional instance that was the golden closing for this parade season.
