S  lowly the 2018 Resort collections come forth with the big players coming forward. For those newer to observing the collection process, it starts with a trickle. Then, the other houses all show, so a flood of collections come forth to examine. This goes on for a few weeks as we find patterns and similarities that spell out the established largess of trend voices summing up what the season will represent. This blog, of course will look at what those may be and how they connect to the daily life we live. 

Prada and Dior have now shown, and so far we see little in common when looking at face value. Prada finds experimentation with form and shape while layering various grades of textiles in modern assembly while Dior finds softer and more primal expressions. In all and with Chanel, we find the raw edges showing the deconstructed aspect played with. The apocalyptic  anticipations are hard to ignore these day, and just as in the late 80s and pre-9/11 collections, such fears found ways into collections through the finishing process. The undone threadbare edges show order coming undone in the face of threats to society unravelling before us.

Another early theme that seems to be explored is one of origins. For as Chanel look dot the birth of democracy, Prada incorporated founding hallmarks interspersed within the modern DNA of architectural challenges to feminine form while showing at the place where Prada began. Meanwhile, Dior looked to archives when the founder looked far back to early expressions of man's creativity via images from Lescaux cave paintings and the founder's penchant for the metaphysical, utilizing more primal magical imagery with a feminist slant rooted in anthropological findings in a deck created during the heyday of the birth of feminism in the 70s. 

In all of these, we see the importance of examine our deep past, rudimentary connections and sources of who we are as we forge forward weight what we have created to push us towards the future. History matters now (this blog feels humbled in being long ahead of that curve) as we seek to understand ourselves and our place in this complex world.

Does this mean we have it all figured out? Well, at least we are looking beyond the surface. Fashion certainly wants us to do so. This should make for an interesting season as designers decide what they want us to look at and just how much of it relates to the larger of the population...or whether it tells us how far we are from the segment that is being now openly introspective. 

Time will tell; the 2018 Resort collections are just beginning.