All the fashion shows have come to pass, and this month is the lull before the next onslaught of imagery and inspiration that locks down every person connected to fashion for the month as Spring Summer 2018 is shown. Resort offered hints of where fashion wants to go and these primary these have been explored in past articles, so there is little need to rehash what has already been written about.

Fashion media cannot walk away or go on hiatus for a month as many in the industry do (Europe shuts down in August and if you haven't placed your textile orders or got the work done you need from artisans and machinists by now, you are screwed...happy fashion week). Its audience needs to be continuously engaged and this can prove to be a challenge, especially in a blog such as this where examination off the recent collections hinges on having enough content to discuss. Some seasons have a lot of new subject matter and have too much to cover before the next season arrives. At other times, the collections either face a creative halt or narrow their collective narrative, having strong messages with less variety or complexity. While that signals solid trends, it also means the conversation can run short.

For the longest while, the technical side regarding AI, AR and VR have been increasingly hovering in the conversation, albeit more from a marketing or design team side than for the consumer. These technical developments will be part of the fashion landscape, without a doubt. The issue fashion has is how to deftly integrate these; any expenditure is viewed as an investment and needs to be carefully executed, as fashion is a business and this means being conservative where costs are concerned. one wrong move can damage or end the business if efforts and resources are poorly directed in the name of keeping current, which is why sometimes fashion seems to lag behind technology. You'd think fashion would be on the forefront as that is part of the DNA of fashion, but fashion is actually slow to adapt, especially when it comes to technology for the reasons stated above.

Also, much of the technology is still in infancy. The VR industry has yet to have the consumers fully catch on, and have decided to reduce prices to get the headsets into consumer hands while it struggles to get consumer confidence. These things are novelty until we find practical uses that make the investment worthwhile, and much of what is coming out is experimental as it requires overhauling conventional approaches to craft. For fashion, the uses aren't clear yet.

AR is another aspect that sees more promise as apps get configured and developed to enhance the consumer experience. Here, the issue is determining purpose and needs, and if that proves to be too specialized or specific, it won't go beyond being a fad.

​AI may hold a lot of potential and here the issue is control and trust. Can the technology serve the customer and the industry, and if so, how?

There are toes dipped into each one but more from a novelty aspect, and with the overhaul of the very way we do things happening around us, we may have to wait to see what works, what sticks, and what comes up as we decide what and how to incorporate the technological advances that will become interwoven into the 21st century way of life.