The floodgates are open as a multitude of collections for the Resort 2015 season unfolds. As they do, the aspects of trend expressions reveal themselves. Observations find the patterns and clusters of similarities that comprise the consensus of influence, which this blog centres on discussing to help you better understand the depth behind the creative process.
How these expressions relate to the interpretation of our perspectives on our day-to-day life can vary. Some are historically linked where patterns emerge, such as when previous decades are referenced. Others follow translation of more esoteric concepts into symbology. Colors and form can result from psychological associations that are culturally sourced. The experts that collaborate to observe and translate these cumulative aspects contribute to reinforcement of existing observations as well as provide platforms for innovation as new creatives learn about this aspect of the creative process.
These expressions are symbiotic with other creative aspects; sometimes the world influences design and sometimes vice versa. Take, for example the hardness of design that has reigned this past decade. The hard cuts, hard lines and more masculine expressions have been in interior and fashion for many seasons. To us, they uphold the clean modernity we appreciate in design. But as we see this everywhere repeatedly, we reach a point of saturation; that is in our nature.
The hunger for a softer form has reached our more modern applications of design. In architecture, the sweeping curves from the buildings of Zaha Hadid have captivated our sensibilities. These represent the new limits of construction techniques we haven’t embraced for decades yet leaned to in visions of the future. Our tech world has scientists working on creating more flexible tech that, in turn allows for more fluid designs to emerge as well, such as large screen concave television sets and curved smart tech. The psychology of our quest for this was touched on recently in an issue of New Scientist as the association we have of softness with curves as being more emotionally charged.
Not that fashion hasn’t had that in previous seasons, but one cannot deny the proliferation of hard lines, cuts, folds, pleats and patterns have been long more masculine expressions, and this continues for much of Resort 2015. But all is not hard-edged; some collections have peeks of curvature coming through. 3.1 Phillip Lim had a few items with curvy hems; ADEAM had some curves in the black and white prints; Alexis Mabille had a structured boxy top crop top with a curve cut into the hem; Calvin Klein Collection had a couple of curves in the silhouetted high contrast prints in some 60s sleeveless shifts; Cushnie Et Ochs had a few contrasted curvy cuts layered; Donna Karan started their presentation with a floaty chiffon top with rounded pockets and rounded hems; Herve Leger by Max Azria had defining curves in the patterns; Honor had a wee curve in the laced edge of a pair of shorts while Michael Kors had curve appeal in a lace edged on a dress; House of Holland had horizontal wave appeal in some of the bolder prints; Issa had a lot of Matisse-like wavey curves in patterns, along with ruffling and a few curvey cuts; Josie Natori had curved optic graphics on opening ensemble; Monique Lhullier had a curved cutaway structured layer on a gown; Ohne Titel had contrasting curve detail on a few items; SB47 had the sweep of curves in the textile variation assembly; See by Chloe has the swoop of curve in a denim skirt; Versace had the swoop in the neckline of the closing gown; and Zero + Maria Cornejo had curves in a large scale graphic print.
These details don’t dominate the design aesthetic, but rather contrasts and compliment the predominant masculine edge that remains in the collections, for our hardness is far for over. But as we open our emotions to the world, our design responds in kind. How we embrace this may depend on our embrace of our softer side. That is another conversation.