Resort 17 Trends – Denim: from dressed up to ultra-decorated
With Resort, or Pre-collections, evolution rather than revolution is the name of the game. But there were still plenty of trends to note. Our resident trend expert Sandra Halliday highlights the key items and detail updates that will be seen from the high end to the high street next spring in the denim sector.
Denim: From dressed-up basics to ultra decoration
Pre-summer denim offers plenty of inspiration for both fashion denim and specialist denim departments. Your easiest option for an instant update is acid-washing or bleaching. Creating a piebald or almost-camo finish, it works to add quick fashion appeal to skinnies but also works for ultra-boyfriend fits and rider jackets. Add a tiger’s head motif or embroidered florals (as at Gucci) for the most on-trend interpretation of this direction.
Colour is another option for fast updates. Whether it’s a pink, lilac or non-denim-blue wash as at Marc Jacobs or a solid colour statement (red or white are the favourites) for an oversized jacket. Again, as with acid-washing, extra embellishment adds to the fashion effect - multiple mini-sized motifs and badges offer plenty of opportunity for add-on accessory sales.
And talking of embellishment, the decorative denim trend continues to gain traction, updating skinnies, boyfriend cuts, dresses, skirt and jackets with applied florals, animals motifs or symbols like statement hearts. The perennial silver stud also puts in an appearance as a tougher alternative for denim embellishment.
Not that every shopper will be looking for a denim update that’s as high profile as any of these. For those who prefer their denim a little more low-key, but still want a reason to invest in something new, designers have taken the popular sidestripe detail and applied it to jeans. It rings the changes for a new pre-season but is an easy step for anyone who doesn’t want their jeans to take over! It also acts as a bridge between sports-influenced athleisure pieces and the under-siege denim sector.
Double denim continues to make an impact with the rider jacket (either shrunken or oversized, there’s no middle way) the most popular choice. But the denim shirt also steps up to span the divide between the tops and jackets categories. And one thing the cropped jacket or tucked-in shirt does is highlight the higher waistline. Many designers have hiked the waist up to the natural waistline level and finished it with a belt, just to underline the new positioning. That might be a hard sell on the high street but with customers having got used to a more natural waistline via their yoga pants, maybe the time is right to draw a line under low-rise?
Image credit: L-R: Bally, Closed, Marc Jacobs, Rebecca Taylor, Closed, House of Holland
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