TRENDJOURNAL

Elva Jiang

CONTENTS

TRENDS

crop top 2013. 09.22

pencil skirt 2013.09.29

structured 2013.10.06

shirt dress 2013.10.13

African Beat 2013.10.20

Moto Coat 2013.10.27

Couture Denim 2013.11.03

Sneakerboots 2013.11.10

Sheer Exposure 2014.01.12

In Bloom 2014.01.19

Oversized Sweater 2014.01.26

Japan Street Style 2014.02.02

Robe Coat 2014.02.10

Fur 2014.02.17

Tunic Shape 2014.02.24

Bomber Jacket 2014.03.03

BIBLIOGRAPHYCROP TOP

PENCIL SKIRT Huff, Jessica. “The History of Pencil Skirt | EHow.” EHow. Demand Media, 28 June 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://w w w . e h o w . c o m / f a c t s _ 5 1 3 3 3 1 2 _ h i s t o r y - p e n c i l - s k i r t . h t m l > .

“A Radical Last Collection from Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton S/S 2014 (Video).” Examiner.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.exam-iner.com/article/monochrome-black-louis-vuitton-s-s-2014-collection>.

Washington, Tanya Leigh. “Celebrity Trend Alert: Statement Pen-cil Skirts.” StyleBistro. N.p., 16 July 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.stylebistro.com/Trends%20to%20Try/articles/_AGwn8t_m90/C e l e b r i t y % 2 0 T r e n d % 2 0 A l e r t % 2 0 S t a t e m e n t % 2 0 P e n c i l % 2 0 S k i r t s > .

“Fashion.” Fashion Magazine Main RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.fashionmagazine.com/blogs/spring-fashion-2013/crop-top-trend/>.

“The History Of: The Crop Top | Toronto Standard.” Toronto Standard RSS10. N.p., 02 Aug. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://w w w . t o r o n t o s t a n d a r d . c o m / s t y l e / t h e - h i s t o r y - o f - t h e - c r o p - t o p > .

STRUCTUREDBarry, Colleen. “Edmonton Journal.” Www.edmontonjournal.com. N.p., 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.edmon-t o n j o u r n a l . c o m / l i f e / f a s h i o n / F e r r e % 2 0 d e s i g n e r s % 2 0 m a i n -t a i n % 2 0 a r c h i t e c t u r a l % 2 0 w i t h % 2 0 h i g h l y / 8 9 4 7 8 2 6 / s t o r y . h t m l > .

Binnie, Isla. Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 22 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://news.yahoo.com/ancient-modern-archi-t e c t u r e - i n s p i r e s - m i l a n - f a s h i o n - w e e k - 0 0 3 7 1 3 2 4 4 . h t m l > .

Weymouth, Kara. “Top 5 Designers to Watch During New York Fashion Week.” Lucky Community. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://contributors.luck-ymag.com/post/top-5-designers-to-watch-during-new-york-fashion-week>.

SHIRT-DRESSMcMahon, Mary, and Bronwyn Harris. “What Is a Shirt Dress.” WiseGeek. Conjecture, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-shirtdress.htm>.

SNEAKERBOOT“REGISTER.” Women’s SneakerBoot Collection. Nike.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nike.com/us/e n _ u s / c / s p o r t s w e a r / s t o r i e s / 2 0 1 3 / 9 / w o m e n s _ s n e a k e r b o o t s > .

COUTURE DENIM“Cruise 2014 Denim Runway Highlights.” BlogStylesight. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://blog.stylesight.c o m / d e n i m / c r u i s e - 2 0 1 4 - d e n i m - r u n w a y - h i g h l i g h t s > .

“Chanel Spring-Summer 2014 Collection by Karl Lagerfeld.” Chanel Spring-Summer 2014 Collection by Karl Lagerfeld. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://news.bgfashion.net/article/8183/35/C h a n e l - S p r i n g - S u m m e r - 2 0 1 4 - c o l l e c t i o n - b y - K a r l - L a g e r f e l d > .

MOTO COAT“A Brief History of the Black Leather Motorcycle Jacket.” EBay. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ebay.com/gds/A-Brief-History-of-the-Black-Leather-Motorcycle-Jacket-/10000000010856549/g.html>.

AFRICAN BEAT“See Africa Differently .” See Africa Differently. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.seeafricadifferently.com/n e w s / a f r i c a n - i n f l u e n c e s - o n - t h e - g l o b a l - f a s h i o n - i n d u s t r y > .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

SHEER EXPOSURE

IN BLOOM “The Menswear Spring 2014 Trend Report.” Style.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.style.com/t r e n d s s h o p p i n g / t r e n d r e p o r t / 0 7 1 5 1 3 _ M e n s w e a r _ T r e n d s / > .

“Men’s Fashion Trends to Look out for in 2014.” NY Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nydailynews.com/l i f e - s t y l e / f a s h i o n / m e n - f a s h i o n - t r e n d s - 2 0 1 4 - a r t i c l e - 1 . 1 5 6 4 6 7 2 > .

“The Transparent Trend Spring 2014.” Amaka Design House. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.amakadesign.com/blog/the-transparent-trend-spring-summer-2014/#sthash.raV5Q6u4.dpuf>.

OVERSIZED SWEATER“Off the Shoulder Sweater.” RSS Main. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://guestofaguest.com/new-york/fashion/trend-alert-h o w - t o - s t y l e - y o u r - o v e r s i z e d - s w e a t e r - t h i s - s e a s o n % 2 6 s l i d e % 3 D 1 > .

“Get Cozy: Styling Oversized Sweater.” BurdaStyle. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/get-cozy-styling-oversized-sweaters>.

JAPAN STREE STYLE Japanese Street Style.” Issuu. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://i s s u u . c o m / b l o o m s b u r y p u b l i s h i n g / d o c s / j a p a n e s e s t r e e t s t y l e > .

BOMBER JACKET“Spring 2014 Fashion Trends: The Looks to Look Forward To.” The Ep-och Times Spring 2014 Fashion Trends The Looks to Look Forward To Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/438310-spring-2014-fashion-trends-the-looks-to-look-forward-to/>.

TUNIC SHAPE“Runway Trend Alert – Tunic Shapes.” BlogStylesight. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://blog.stylesight.com/beauty/runway-trend-alert-tunic-shapes>.

“Try a Tunic: The Fall Trend That Flatters Everyone.” RSS 20. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.thefashion-s p o t . c o m / s t y l e - t r e n d s / 3 4 3 7 3 9 - t u n i c - t r e n d - f a l l - 2 0 1 3 / > .

FUR“5 Trends for Fall from Fashion Week in New York City.” VoxTalk. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.voxmagazine.com/blog/2014/02/5-trends-for-fall-from-fashion-week-in-new-york-city/#sthash.KBRT0FcR.dpuf>.

ROBE COATKruspe, Dana. “Robe Coats Are All Over the Runways at New York Fashion Week.” Fashionista. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://fash-ionista.com/2014/02/robe-coats-new-york-fashion-week-fall-2014/>.

“Crop tops took over the run-ways at New York Fash-ion Week at shows includ-ing Lela Rose, Tracy Reese, 3.1 Phillip Lam and Zim-m e r m a n n . ”

CROP TOP

Crop top has been an ongoing trend since the 90s. During the fashion week for 2014 S/S, different forms of crop top-- bra tops, ruffled bandeaus and corsets—revealed a distinct 1990s feels, especially when paired with high-waisted skirt, which is also a key trend of the season. However, differing from the sexy, schoolgirl look known with Madonna and Britney Spears, the crop top look has been mellowed for a more mature, sophisticated and comfort-able style. As Stylesight suggests, “Elegant embellishments and cut-out hemlines hit-ting just above the waistline create a so-phisticated, grown up feel to boxy crop tops.” Paired with everything from tai-lored trousers (BCBG, Rag & Bone) to body hugging skirt (Tracy Reese, Herve Leger) and even matched up with sheer pieces (3.1 Phillip Lim, Vera Wang), this silhouette is not going away any time soon.

The crop top trend has come a long way from its late 1990s. Britney Spears’ outfit in “Baby One More Time” in 1999 with the knotted blouse is still considered one of her most iconic look. However, the first known appearance of the crop top was in the Mid-dle East by Belly Dancers, traditionally known as “West Asian” performers. Cus-tomary belly dancing costumes are general-ly two-pieces and contain stunning accesso-ries such as beaded fringe and coins. North America was first introduced to belly danc-ing by way of Egyptian performer ‘Little Egypt’ at Chicago’s World Fair in 1893. While designer Madeleine Vionnet rein-troduced e bare belly to western fashion in 1932 when she showed a dress with stra-tegically-placed cutouts, and fashion be-came significantly more innovative since.

On the runways of 2014 S/S, the sophis-ticated feel of the crop top is mainly cre-ated by the monochromatic color story. Designers such as Jil Sander utilized a story of pale and clean colors to unite the collection. One of her crop top looks in the collection paired the structured crop top with a beige-color pencil skirt. The look not only reveals the sophisticated elegance of women, but also empowers them with the simple and edgy cut. From the merchant’s point of view, a look like this cannot be missed in the buying process, as women will be a particularly powerful force in coming years. Antonio Marras’s crop top paired with a sheer pencil skirt. But simi-lar to Jil Sander, he also utilized the black and white color story to create the edgy feel.

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PENCIL SKIRT

“Introduced by Dior in the late ‘40s, the prim pencil skirt has been a business-set staple for decades, but not anymore. As seen on the streets of Milan, the slim-fitting skirt keeps its narrow cut intact allowing for striking updates to usher in modernity without sacrific-ing an ounce of classic edge. Glittery surfaces, translucent rubber versions by Burberry and mirrored prints repre-sent the renewed focus that makes the traditionally prop-er garment the ideal state-ment piece for Fashion Week.”

- Stylesight: Trend Watch

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The all-time-influ-ential trend, pencil skirt, was created by French designer Christian Dior in the early 1950s after World War II as part his “new look.” It was reminiscent of the long skirts, tiny waistlines, and striking fabrics that his mother had worn in the 1900s. Throughout the dec-ade, the skirt was widely worn by eve-ryone from female French assistance fighters to Holly-wood’s Joan Craw-ford, and it continued popularity through-out the 1950s.

Pencil skirts have be-come a classic style because of their ver-satility and ability to accentuate a wom-an’s natural curves. Pencil skirts can be worn at work, and can be dressed down with different color-ed tights, shoes, and accessories for cas-ual wear. Moreover, a pencil skirt can be brought with slits on the sides for greater mobility when out dancing or walk-ing around town.

On the runways of 2014 S/S, pencil skirts came in all different kinds of fab-rics and patterns, from leather to metallic spandex, plain fabric to baroque pat-terns, providing the shop-per a great range of options. One of my favorite shows, Marc Jacob’s last collection for Louis Vuitton, also had the pencil skirt but in a rath-er unconventional form. Instead of the business attire look those pencils skirts are generally known for, Marc Jacob paired the beaded pencil skirt with the peacock motif top and black boots, creat-ing an edgy feel to the look.

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GIANFRANCO FERRE

Architectonic takes in-spiration from high-ly aesthetically man-nered tailoring methods;taking proportion inspi-ration from the offset structures and design el-ements of futuristic ar-chitecture, and different textures used in modern architecture. Machine woven felt and block felt is used to compliment the structure as well as tex-ture of the design; which feels luxurious and fi-nally relates to a design, which is of immense grandeur and aesthet-ic depth. Architectonic speaks to a women who appreciates a wardrobe piece which is innova-tive and unique; offer-ing her a garment which can compliment any oth-er wardrobe piece she owns and builds a char-acter of strength and fashion-forward style.

GIANFRANCO FERREStructural shapes in a range of molds shine on the streets of both Paris and Milan fash-ion weeks. The way the structural styles use the female figure merely as a hanger perfectly cre-ates a light and floaty aesthetic that heralds a feminine fluidity.

“Top designers took in-spiration from archi-tecture at Milan fashion week on Sunday, with ancient Sicilian tem-ples printed on dresses at Dolce & Gabbana and structured tailoring at Salvatore Ferragamo. “It’s a very architectur-al season,” Ferragamo designer Massimiliano Giornetti told Reuters before his show, say-ing he was inspired by Mexican architect Miguel Angel Aragones.

ROSIE ASSOULIN

SHIRT DRESS

A shirtdress is a dress, which borrows stylistic accents from the tailoring of shirts, particularly men’s shirts. While the basic design of the shirtdress is simple, this style is quite versatile, and it can be worn in a range of ways and in an assortment of locations, from dates to the office. Many cloth-ing manufacturers offer shirtdresses as part of their spring and summer lineup, and they can also be found in thrift or vintage stores.

A typical shirtdress can look at a glance like a button-down shirt that has been lengthened. The dress typically has a row of buttons all the way down the front, and it may have the classic cuffs and collar as-sociated with a formal button-down shirt. Shirtdresses are also typi-cally tailored to hug the figure with flattering darts and seams which emphasize slender waistlines and other attractive features, and they may be short or long sleeved, al-though short sleeved styles tend to be more dominant. The length of a shirtdress can also vary, with some hovering around the mid-thigh, and others being much longer.

Most shirtdresses are made from lightweight fabrics like cotton and silk, and they tend to be cut close to the body all the way to the hem. Others may be made from heavier materials, making them more suit-able for the office or cooler weath-er. The dress may feature accents like ruffles down the front or or-namental buttons, or it may be left simple; many are also designed to be belted, typically with a wide belt, to further emphasize the waist.

In addition to be-ing worn in the of-fice and out on the town, a shirtdress can be useful for a day at the beach, as it can be worth over a bathing suit. In addition to protecting skin from sunburn, a casual summer shirtdress can also be worn in beach-side restaurants and other estab-lishments, allow-ing the wearer to easily transition from lying on the beach to shopping.

AFRICAN BEAT

AFRICAN BEAT

“From safari luxe to extrav-agant tribal impressions, Af-rican references show up in animal prints, languid drap-ing and rustic beading on Spring/ Summer runways.”

-- Stylesight

Fashion industry, but it has never been more influential than the Spring/Summer of 2014. The myriad of influenc-es from Africa’s vibrancy and culture can be seen across the major design houses and high street stores. The distinctive vivid batik fabrics of Africa such as Dutch wax prints also known as Wax Hollandais and Ankara, Kanga (a cotton fabric originating in East Africa) as well as the Ghanaian Kente cloth, (delicately crafted interwoven fabric) have all been seen on the runways from New York to Milan, London to Paris.

Some of the recent collections directly influenced include Alexander Mcqueen, who used a distinctive red, black and white pattern. Akris, Chloé, and Moncler Gamme Rouge all showcased a collection influenced by the attitude and life-style of Africa.

Africa is not just sartorially in-fluential; it is now looked upon as a viable destination for garment production- both Nairobi and Ken-ya manufacture for many estab-lished global apparel companies. Clothing production workshops like SOKO Kenya have created community driven, ethical and environmentally aware fashion lines. Their mission is to produce quality, competitively priced, fash-ion for the international industry whilst helping to improve the qual-ity of life for Uganda’s population through vocational training, em-ployment opportunities and im-proved social services.

MOTO COAT“The essen-tial biker jacket tran-sitions into colder weath-er in long-er car coat lengths and s u b s t a n t i a l m a t e r i a l s . Leather and w o o l - b l e n d bodies are accented by c o n t r a s t -ing sleeves and patches, while asym-metrical zip styling keeps the moto look authen-tic. Elena Miro pairs the moto with exag-gerated fur trim, elevat-ing the coat to a stand-out piece for fall.”

-- Stylesight

History of biker’s jacket: A majority of the early leath-er motorcycle jackets were adapted from the soldiers, pilots and tank corps gear folowwing World War I. During this time, leather jackets were associated with speed and adventure.

The early leather motor-cycle jackets, worn in the 1920’s and 1930’s, were a very popular brown goat-skin style with short styl-ing, fitted waist. Another popular style made from thick horsehide was a but-ton front coat style. Inter-estingly, it was Hollywood and the movies that gave the mortorcycle jacket its enduring mystique.

Following the movie, the leather jacket evolved into the rocker jacket, popu-larized by the rockers and greasers of the 1950’s and early 1960’s. The jacket went beyond the realm of motorcycle riders. It has been popular for over 60 years. Because of the classic styling and rugged construc-tion, leather motorcycle jackets will continue to be used as fashionable apparel and protective gear. For in-stance, on the runways of 2014 S/S, the biker’s jacket has evolved into the biker’s coat with similar style and asymmetrical zip styling, but in a wider range of fabic choices such as wool.

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Denim has played a part in the last few Karl Lager-feld’s Cruise shows. He has played with new laser technology to create tonal indigo pattern on jeans for both men and women, while women’s silhouettes took a widened cut.

The Givenchy men’s and women’s shows both show-cased some strong denim for Cruise 2014. Women’s looks explored sculptural, modern takes on dresses and skirts. While clean den-ims created a premium feel, raw edges and contrast to-bacco top stitching cement-ed the look in casualwear.

Oliver Theyskens consist-ently delivers on-trend denim silhouettes season-on-season and his Cruise 14 collection is further en-hanced with beautifully ex-ecuted washes, technical prints and slick finishes.

Continuing to make an impact on the runway for Spring 2014, both light and dark blue denim look new and exciting embellished with beading, lace and fringing or patched and carefully distressed. -- Stylesight

“Today’s consumers are looking for a jean that does more. They want premium denims that per-form well and look and feel great, and they want an added bonus of knowing what they wear is envi-ronmentally sustainable,” said Kara Nicholas, vice president of product development at Cone Den-im, a century-old American textile mill that supplies fabric for a num-ber of global denim brands, includ-ing True religion, as well as small-er niche labels.

CHANEL S/S 2014

SNEAKER BOOTS

The sneakerboot emerges as a true must-have for F/W 13. Material and hardware updates help classic sport brands such as Nike and adidas reinterpret silhouettes with winter in mind. A collaboration between Clae and Steven Alan results in city-ready staples with Vibram outsoles. Porsche Design Sport, the ongoing col-laboration between adidas and Porsche, enters the arena with truly sport-inspired creations. -- Stylesight

Sneakers were initially designed for the pu-pose of enhancing athletic activities by provid-ing protection and comfort. They were usually the last option that a fashion-forward individ-ual would pick to match a stylish outfit. How-ever, in the recent years Nike, along with other high-end luxury brands such as Balmain, have brough sneakers into another level. It has grad-ually become a trend for urban fashionistas to wear patterned sneakers matching with leg-gings or tight jeans. In other words, not only are these sneakers highly functional with rugged resistance and comfortable for cool-weather, they have also become a trendy option added to elaborate the streetwear style.

Nike SneakerBoot collection elevates classic Nike sneakers for cool-weather performance. Added height, traction, and weatherproofing evolve icons for lightweight functionality and rugged resistance to the elements. For instance, the Dunk Sky Hi Sneakerboot, which has its collar raised for added protection is suitable for navigating runways and chilly city streets.

SNEAKER

SHEER EXPOSURE

The appearance of sheer fabrics, per-spex clutches and transparent strap-py heels proves the popularity of this spring/sum-mer trend. From the runways of Valentino to Chris-topher Kane, the transparent trend has been creep-ing in and making its mark on the fashion industry. There is some-thing alluring about this trend as it adds an element of nakedness, open and almost bare, yet without be-ing classless. The transparency adds a sense of demure and sophistica-tion. It also gives some edge to the outfits and almost plays the part of a surprise within an ensemble.

In fact, the trend of sheer luxe was al-ready seen extensively on the runways of Spring/Summer 2013. It was a huge hit, yet the look can be difficult to pull off in real life. Designers primarily showed two very different variations on the transpar-ent trend: a light and feminine version and a bionic futurism interpretation. The first take on transparency was all about sheer chiffon, french lace and lingerie. It was a look championed by brands such as Givenchy, Chloe and Jason Wu. The sec-ond approach to transparency was done in clear plastics with a harder, more fu-turistic look demonstrated by labels such as Valentino and Burberry. And there were some few other designers who did something in the in-between, such as Cal-vin Klein and Alexander Wang.

The trend started off initially as a state-ment, with its chest-baring qualities, found only on the catwalks. Sheer cloth-ing had its own share of drawbacks throughout its controversial existence. During the past six years, the see-through clothing trend managed to evolve from a seasonal accent into a year-round trend, with runways all over the world caving in to the alluring aesthetic that highlights femininity as a fashion weapon for the Spring/Summer 2014.

Valentino Couture 2014 Lacoste

Chanel

IN BLOOM

The dominant motif of the Spring season was the tropical floral. Men’s flo-rals will be everywhere this coming spring. In Milan, Gucci and Prada showed off plenty of floral print suiting, followed on notably in Paris by Dries Van Noten. It doesn’t stop with the tailoring, bold prints also appear on silk shirts and trousers, as well as cotton and poplin t-shirts worn under blaz-ers.

Designers have put on their florist thinking caps and have gone to work. They’ve scattered bloom-ing flowers across their garments and have trans-formed their hard looking pieces into much softer ensembles with a slight feminine touch. Even the accessories were shown on the runways covered with all-over floral print, reinforcing the blooming atmosphere.

Even though all over print is not an easy look to pull off, the Spring/Summer 2014 catwalks proved that it is possible. Before, a man wearing bold flower or all over floral print might be seen as hippy or Bohemian, but for Spring/Summer 2014, floral can only be described with one word: fashionable.

It is rather fabulous how many of these innova-tive fashion designers thought alike by bringing forth the idea of bloom-ing flowers, but yet they presented their ideas in their own creative and in-genious manner.

IN BLOOM

OVERSIZEDSWEATER

OVERSIZEDSWEATER

Oversized sweaters have become a favorite fashion trend for most because of its nature of comfort and style. These sweaters are a great transition for fall weather. The off-the-shoulder look has a soft, free-flowing effect, mak-ing the outfit less dressed up. Layering up with scarf can achieve a pop of color.

This is not the grandmoth-er’s sweater anymore. Knit sweaters are not only a comfortable staple piece, but also very trendy and chic. Adding jewelry and combat boots tends to make the outfit more modern.

Vintage sweaters and thrift shopping are very popular these days. From designs to patterns, these oversized sweaters are paired well with leggings and a heel to give you a modern twist to a timeless look.

An oversized knit with fun leggings is a new, trendy way to spice up an outfit. Leggings are just as comfortable as the sweat-er, and can turn the look from ordinary to fun and stylish. Pairing these leg-gings with long or short boots to create the perfect, fall look.

On the street, the over-sized sweater is also pop-ular pairing with a frilly skirt. The unexpected contrast between airy chiffon and a heavy knit makes a great day to night party look.

J A P A N S T R E E T

STYLE

Japan has a rich and exciting cul-ture, a mixture of a strong histori-cal reference and the modernity it has embraced from Western influ-ences. Taking strong visual cues from Western culture, Japanese culture has developed and adapted them incredibly well to suit its peo-ple. Over the years the country has also become one of the strongest stages for fashion and style in the world, yet it remains very modest about its status as such.

In recent years the streets are what have aroused greatest inter-est in the West. Tokyo teens, in and around the style neighborhoods of Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku and even the classy upmarket area of Ginza, live and dress to impress the popular Japanese fashion mag-azines that focus on what they call ‘street snap.’ ‘Fruit,’ ‘Street’ and ‘Kera,’ just a few of these influen-tial titles.

The Japanese mind is very dif-ferent to the Western mind. They have a definite interest in what is ‘hot’ and what isn’t, but they will use all those rules and ideas to fer-tilise and cultivate their own style. It is this independent streak that has turned the world’s attention to the streets of Tokyo and surround-ing cities like Osaka. There are so many fashion tribes, so many trends going on at the same time.

They will take something from a major designer and totally rework it in a way the designer would nev-er have imagined. This has been going on in many subcultures of Japanese society. Street fashion has become such a global phenom-ena precisely because it is so local and individual, it is the antidote to the high street. Most major main-stream fashion publications now have pages dedicated exclusively to street fashion.

After showing up on the S/S 12 runways as a quirky alternative to easygoing sportswear, traditional pa-jama silhouettes are trans-lated into Winter with robe-inspired coats. An elongated fit, shawl collars and knot-ted self-belts mimic the smoking jacket, while tac-tile fabrics like tweed, cash-mere, wool-mohair and Melt-on wool create a cozy, casual outerwear option similar to blanket styles. Dark mono-chromatic ensembles con-jure a romantic, minimal ap-pearance, while contrasting colored linings add an unex-pected pop of color. Exposed zippers, funnel necks and asymmetric bodies lend an edgier look.

- Stylesight Trend Alert

ROBE COAT

Fashion week doesn’t always lend itself to cozy dress-ing, so when something cozy comes along, it is certainly welcome. Right on the heels of pre-fall’s recent blan-ket coat trend is the robe coat, which seems as easy to wear as it is to take on and off. If this versatile weather proves anything it would be that all anyone wants to do is schlub about in their apartments with down duvets wrapped around them. But since going outdoor is inevi-table, wearing the robe coats seems to be the next best solution.

Christian Siriano brought a nubby, textured blanket to wearable life with green leather accents. Tory Burch and Victoria Beckham latched tailored wool to one side at the hip, while Richard Chai, Altuzarra and Peter Som turned comfort into coats with fabric belts.

FUR

Fur is present in abun-dance for F/W 14 either real or faux, and makes a bold statement in piec-ing, fabric mixing and variations in texture and in natural colors.

Oversized fur frocks ac-companied a variety of looks including an un-tamed, above-the-knee Georgine coat with a simple pair of black heels. Ralph Lauren topped all-white ensem-bles and dresses with fur coats and fur capes.

Apart from the classic, “status fur,” the rise of extreme fashion, sought out by a twenty-first cen-tury global generation of internationally wealthy young people, has led to some colorful and play-ful fur designs. For in-stance, Fendi’s crazy-colored yellow goat hair and multicolored patch-work coats speak direct-ly to them.

While fur is flying more than ever this winter. The uses of leather, rep-tile, and all kinds of ani-mal pelts are so embed-ded in fashion now. It is even difficult to distin-guish between what’s real and what’s fake. It is only safe to say that it’s all real at Fendi, Ita-ly’s premier fur house, where luxurious tech-niques are at their most sophisticated.

T U N I C SHAPE

Alexander Wang’s F/W 14 collection in-cluded a number of tu-nic dresses. The theme was “based on the idea of extreme conditions and survivals,” said Wang during a pre-view, mentioning Na-tional Geographic, the great outdoors, com-petitive sports and the urban landscape. This Darwinian mentality translated to sporty sil-houettes lavished with detail. Tailored tunics layered with sharp shirts provided a base-line look that Wang built out through the show. He added puffy utility pockets and then moved into the show of cool knotted leather -and-tulle sweaters and fluoreescent jerseys made of woven shoe-laces.

Fall 2014’s runways were awash with tunics. In fact, tunic shaped garments were also popular in S/S 14. Short, long transparent and asymmetrical designs. Both complex from fitting styles with long loose sleeves to simple beach tunics are both fashionable. Deep V-neckline is also the most common style.

The kinds of materials used for tunics vary, consisting all the possible selections like flowing fabrics, such as light silk, jersey, or transparent fabric and chiffon. Tu-nics could also be made of lace, knitted and woven fab-rics for the fall season.

Designers, including Alex-ander Wang, Edun and Al-berta Ferreti, all respond to the tunic trend. They present it in the simple yet elegant style by teaming tunics with either trousers in an effort-lessly chic combination, or with high boots to create the edgy look. All in all, the tunic trend is a thinking woman’s trend, for women who want a look that is sophisticated and modern.

The most ubiquitous garment for S/S 2014 will be, without a doubt, the bomber jacket. If this garment had made apear-ances on the runway over the last couple of seasons, it was never as unavoidable during the latest fashion shows that took place in London, Flor-ence, Milan and Paris during June 2013. Whether by repro-ducing the original designs conceived for pilots during World War I and II, or by rec-reating them to feature luxuri-ous fabrics, more tailored cuts, innovative fastening formats and colorful prints, it seems that fashion designers world-wide agreed to comply to a se-cret memo to publicly celebrate the bomber jacket as a staple of urban style.

Shaped into a feminine style by Carven, Armani, and Balmain, the bomber jacket was the new “it” garment spring fashion featured on these designer’s catwalks.

The bomber jacket, or bom-bardier jacket, was originally made of heavy shearling and worn by WWI and WWII pilots from the Royal Air Force. The American Navy later adopted it, where it became a staple army issue overcoat, which is recognized in movies like Top Gun.

The London Olympics and Eu-ropean Football Cup took hold of designer’s imaginations in Milan, London, New York, and Paris, resulting in collections with strong sportswear conno-tations and looks.

Bomber shapes continue to dominate and are quickly be-coming the new must-have jacket. Cropped or boxy silhou-ettes with rounded shoulders are directional for the season. Bomber Jacket

Bomber Jacket