Fashion Trends 2007

‘Culture versus Cult’

Time out
At the beginning of this new millennium and certainly at the end of the last century the present, the ‘now’ moments, and the huge curiosity and longing for ‘tomorrow’ and an even more remote future were major influencing factors in fashion. Looking back did not make sense, we wanted to live in the now. Actuality was very important because the world changed so quickly, there were so many new developments, and we had high expectations of the new time and ‘the new economy’. Almost nothing is left from these ‘dreams’. They seem to have been a soap bubble, a fairy tale. The millennium bug was the first threat and big joke that shook us up with fear. Nothing happened.
                                                                                                         
In the meantime, more remarkable events than ever in such a short period of time happened and became important anchor points. They have had a major influence on how people stand in this world today. 11 September and the terrorist fear, the hunt for Osama and the consequences of all this, the huge bookkeeping scandals, the Tsunami, but also the end of great ideologies in many places in the world; time stood still for a moment and made us aware of its real meaning and of what a major change can happen in one instant with so great an impact. What is at stake. What we must not forget and what we can improve.

The world has a different future today. After years of neglecting it, we re-discover our own history again. We re-appreciate old values, traditions, rituals and cherish them as treasures now. We dive into the past looking for our roots, something to hold on; we need a time out to reposition ourselves.

Looking forward in fashion is looking back in time
This is exactly how we feel and what happens in fashion too. We are looking for a new balance in a confused world. History is our new toy for inspiration.This (fashion) world is overflooded with look-alikes, which are earlier on the market than the originals, and which give more and more power to only a few players. It is time for a moment of resignation, a fashion pause instead of real innovation, to go deeper instead of going one step further, to see a more contemplative vision than quick trends, cults and hypes.

The memory fever, the nostalgia trend of today, we have to take it serious. Just like in politics, a neo-conservative wave of ‘good old values, norms, discipline, class and style’ is clearly visible in fashion too. Chanel’s  motto inspires us now: Style is never out of fashion!

Echoes of the past, romanticism
Our history brings back our own culture. In fashion we make a history tour through Europe and we cherish and re-invent old treasures, going back to the times of Napoleon and Josephine, la Belle Époque, Marie Antoinette with lots of romanticism, but also strict uniform styles; till our great grandmothers’ laces and embroideries, and we see retro-trends reaching back almost to the end of the last century, the eighties and even the nineties.

Aristocrats, and ‘wanna be’s’
Allure, class, elegance and style are keywords for 2007! We find inspiration in the old aristocrats, in today’s royalty circles and in high society. The girly princess is a sophisticated lady now, a majestic queen or even an empress. The new upper class luxury is discreet and less opulent, in contrast to the ‘show-off’ fashion styles and the Bling Bling glitter, that characterizes the Nouveau Riches, the ‘wannabe’s and the Hip Hop scene.
 
Classics in style or twisted
Couture classics, British classics, masculine weaving classics, due to today’s conservatism all these are great sources of inspiration, which are styled with elegance and class, translated into very feminine styles for bodyfashion and often twisted or even put upside down by youngsters! 

Bohemian moods, echoes of folk, and country life
Our history tour crosses all borders and countries, from British, French, Russian, Balkan and Bohemian aristocrat upper class styles to country life, folk and gypsy styles; we also find inspiration in the first European pioneers emigrating to ‘the new world’ of America, the Amish people, Shakers and Quakers and in the Provence.
Border decorations are very important in all these ‘cultural’ fashion expressions…. should this be a statement that we want our ‘borders’, and our ‘own’ lost culture treasures back for each and every country in Europe?

Echoes of ethnics
The influence of the Far East countries is decreasing. (Whereas in economy it becomes more and more a real competitive threat to the Western world!) On the other hand, there are the exotic cultural expressions of African (Muslim) countries with their beautiful jewelry and embroidery and their colourful, ethnic and graphic decorations. But also and in particular their pure, rough ‘natural’ looks.

Clear is that in fashion for 2007 nothing is clear, we’ll see only echoes of all the above….

Natural, naturalness and luxury
After a long period with too much opulence, color, shine, crazy fashion design, print and pattern mixes and combinations, our mind and eyes want some peace, elegance, sophistication, and a different kind of luxury. The treasures of the earth, their natural expressions of textures and sparkles, the ‘rough’ dry, the frozen, or fluid, and ‘wet’ materials, they fascinate us.

It is the quality and endurance of a textile, the class, style and excellence of a design,  the ‘hidden’, yet expensive, precious, and often even exquisite luxury we go for now. It is the range of quick, crazy fashion hypes and cults we are tired of; we desire timeless, ageless, just comfortable clothes. Far from ‘cheap’ basics, but with looks that underline our ‘high’ standards and levels of living. Modern, high-tech innovation must be ‘felt’ and experienced, in stead of ‘seen’ as something futuristic. And we want all these extra values for less money.

Fabrics Styling
Harmony and well considered intelligent and beautiful matching composés are the new keywords for styling combinations of different motives, patterns, different materials and prints together in one fabric or outfit. Atrandom mixing, mix-and-pick styling, mixed patchwork and extreme style clashes are really gone! The art of several techniques, which we had forgotten in the past, like old handcrafts, fabric manipulation (by hand)and hand shaping ‘moulage’ techniques, is re-discovered again and very important throughout all fashion trends in 2007. The desire to wear or create something special, something unique that does not look like a mass-product is getting even stronger.

Silhouettes
Rounding up spherical and styled with allure‘Dress-up’ styling was the motto of the last season, with many feminine skirts and dresses. It will go on even more pronounced. People don’t feel so ‘free’ to dress in sportswear and ‘streetwear’ like before anymore, they want to dress up in style; elite-sports influences and their dress-up styles are ‘hot’. Echoes of strict uniform styling and their details are coming up, especially among youngsters; it is in line with their political preferences and the need for more discipline and order.

The feminine silhouette is getting large, often with royal volume and layers, almost with a couture-like, aristocratic and majestic allure; it is ‘rounding up’ to egg forms. Skirts and dresses have Empire lines, petticoats, balloon, tulip and bulb shapes, even panties come in balloon shapes. Sleeves and shoulders also have that roundness and volume. Such shapes are always contrasted with a wasp waist or tight breast.  Dorlastan gives comfort to the more body-conscious areas and a nice ‘fall’ and ‘handle’ to drapes, to envelope shapes and several wrapping and moulding techniques.                         

Natural silhouette
On the other hand there are the looser, more relaxed and natural designs, often inspired by country life. Remarkable and an important example for bodyfashion: the computer heroine Lara Croft, a teenage icon since 1995, had a makeover in her new game ‘the Legend’; she had a breast diminution and went from cup DD to C! Lara with guns and boobs, the symbol she used to be for teen boys, no longer exists.
                                                                               
The times of breast enlargements and push ups just to please the partner seem to be over; women and girls accept and respect themselves, and body accents are changing, are placing new focuses; a more natural shape is coming up; even the bandeau shape is  returning.Another remarkable fact: panty shapes are becoming larger and the hipster line is changing into a very high waistline!