Follow us

Menu
PARTNER WITH USFREE NEWSLETTER
VISIT TheIndustry.beauty

AW19 print & pattern: Our top five takeaways

Sandra Halliday
10 March 2019

Considering the recent shows were for autumn/winter (well, most of them were), there was a surprisingly spring-like feel as the floral swept all before it. And what florals they were.

Extravagant blooms (think roses above all else) came complete with 50s-style glamour, as tiny sprigs that felt full-on feminine, in painterly sweeps, as cartoon-like placements, or as photo-real indulgences. Scaled down, they worked as dense allovers or oversized and extravagant against a dark background they added a winter edge to evening. Some vintage florals also fed into the season’s 70s trend. They made a massive impact as individual placements and hinted at romance when multiple florals (see main image) were scattered across dresses or outerwear.

AW19

Placement florals: Richard Quinn, Coach, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Richard Quinn/Moncler genius, Prada, Dries Van Noten

So was there room for anything else? Of course, florals may have been dominant but designers know that not everyone will take to them.

AW19

Checks: Fashion East/Charlotte Knowles, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Off-White, Off-White, Victoria Beckham, Off-White, I-Am-Chen

Checks felt more businesslike but while traditional tailoring was a key trend, designers moved to more offbeat check options than the traditional options we usually expect. Think windowpane or chequerboard incarnations, and linear checks that also made strong colour statements. Tilt them a little and you have diamonds too. In fact, Harlequin ran riot in powerful colour and shine options, although subtler, more wearable diamonds felt easy and commercial.

Key carryovers included animal prints, although these don’t seem quite as prominent as the last two seasons, and logos. It seems labels still love to plaster their names all over their product, even if the trend feels like it’s reached its peak.

AW19

Harlequin: Coach, Gucci, Chloé, Blumarine, Chloé

Scenic prints, however, felt like they have longer to run. Whether quirky and abstract, photo-real, or influenced by toile de jouy, they told fashion stories as well as simply looking decorative.

AW19

Scenic: Chloé, Chloé, Dior, Johanna Ortiz, Stella Jean, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Act n°1, agnès b

Free NewsletterVISIT TheIndustry.beauty
cross