Collections are splintering, capitalizing on this explosion of inspiration variance as we reach 2012. We will never see the end of retro references completely, as, from time to time, we get a kick out of looking back. Our penchant for nostalgia triggered by current events is a grander version of déja vu with our artists gently reminding us through references our pop culture has produced over time.

Attitudes are as varied as the time periods represented, such as what our current era reflects. As such in the information age we are pondering what we recall as familiar through reminiscence in cut & colour. You have the austerity, political upheavals, eco-concerns, apocalyptic fears, awareness of a growing class gap, and more recently a spending spree despite that is being mirrored in the return of the 80s that has barely left, particularly referenced in collections such as D&G and Erdem (expressed in use of lettering as graphics and the hot colours), Fendi (the compounded luxury and use of oversize plus a return of off-colours like mustard), & Francesco Scognamiglio (overblown utilitarian impracticality).

Ah, yes, everything old is always new again.

It also seems that we don’t want to be sequential. In a quest to be first, we see the references brought up the way a conversation between old friends would ramble, starting with the phrase “remember when?” and bringing up memories in a stream-of-consciousness approach. Such are the collections. You have a return of arts & crafts that were revived in the 90s when the 70s were first mined for influence beyond the obvious bell-bottoms and tube tops. Look to Rodarte (well, fabulous as they are, when haven’t they been like that?), Pringle of Scotland and Three as Four. 90s Minimalism? Imitation, Daryl K, Marios Schwab, Burberry & Roberto Rimondi for Gianfranco Ferré to some extent, Max Mara, Alessandro Dell'Acqua's No 21 and Thomas Tait (as far as absence of pattern) offer this clean approach. 70s graphic and print usage? Well, you can’t swing a cat without hitting up the loud print fetish we are seeing, with the likes of Holly Fulton, David Koma (70s pop art with a 30s sensuality in print layout), Basso & Brooke, Gucci, Luissa Beccaria & Marizio Pecoraro. Early 30s print & late 30 glam from the age of excess in the face of severe austerity is in (again) Marizio Pecoraro, a bit of Gucci and some of Marc Jacobs, although to be fair most designers perpetually harbour this era for cut and glam mainly because it’s the period that does justice to our traditional expectations; the evening wear of that point in time always looks Oscar-ready.

One designer that seemed to mix the 90s esthetic of fabric with the cut of the 20s was our lady Prada. The evening wear of Luisa Beccaria had some Deco-inspired patterning with the sequince, and Emilion de la Morena also showed Deco print usage. Deco was popular in the 80s, another period of excess amidst economic bubble-bursting, so it’s no surprise to see us back in these camps too.

It’s intriguing to see the Italians bringing up the same period of the 80s in reference (like Gucci and the “Frankie Goes to Hollywood” graphics) that occurred when there were nuclear concerns. Given the social unrest is happening in countries where instability leaves their weaponry available for plundering, it’s hard not to think about the worst-case scenario should weapons of a nuclear magnitude were to fall into the wrong hands. For the height of experimental cut in the late 80s, Etro fills this well. Antonio Marras brought to mind the late 80s Belgians in sobriety and cut, and although Gabriele Colangelo’s use of devoré, lighter shades and cleaner separates were reminiscent of the 90s, a lot of the blues incorporated into in the collection had a late 80s feel. It’s hard to leave that decade as there is so much to mine from it for “inspiration”.

With all of this, there is one era that has been quietly emerging, and the collections in Europe have given us a clue: The Edwardians are fast returning.