T he Spring Summer 2016 collections have left London and are brushing through Milan towards the home stretch that is Paris. The dialogue is now, besides the examination of trending details is the comparisons of what is coming out of each major fashion center.

Common within each city is the continued homage to the 70s and 90s, which is where the 70s first returned. And while the experimental spirit of the 80s is said to have never left fashion since that decade, the current modern incarnations are more of a 2.0 version of this. If New York's take on modernism was more architectural, London's contains the artist, released from the confines of the mind in the quest for the new.

Sometimes this requires breaking away for convention to achieve new inspiration that takes the designer out of the comfort zone of all that is familiar to move fashion forward. While New York holds the position of leading the way for commercial appeal, London has had the reputation of catering to breaking with convention when it comes to its more expressive class of talent, competing with the ultimate stronghold of fashion that is Paris. And as the economics pull many towards what is safe, others see the dangers of that strategy that brought down many houses in the 90s. Unlike the early 90s, we are in a different position as we are now heading into a new century and millennium and are aware of this unspoken expectation to go beyond what has been worn for too long: the 20th century costume. This different circumstance competes with the desire to remain static, challenging us to evolve lest we remain stuck in the past.

To balance this, the forms conform to convention in the ultimate silhouettes for the most part. But even then some of the more progressive labels are looking to push meeting those  expectations by toeing the line towards the edge of what was accepted that is on the edge of the norm. Our past avant garde has provided the platform for us to play without straying too far from the familiar, even if what was familiar before was originally pushing the limits.

The evolution comes in the manner in which designers play with shapes and forms that contributes to the assembly, allowing for exploration where no precedents have been established nor has there been any accompanying instruction or structure to guide the creative process where new territory is concerned. The outsider approach, if you will, working towards evolution has begun. 

Collections such as those by Alexander Lewis, Christopher Kane, Fashion East's Caitlin Price & Richard Malone, J.W. Anderson, Jean-Pierre Braganza, MM6 Maison Martin Margiela, Phoebe English, Roksanda and Toga took the artistic route of unbridled combinations with portions and pieces. Some played with shapes exploring literal concept execution while most incorporated component layering to create new expressions of form. The overall effect sets the stage for departure from convention while retaining enough of the familiar. The latter honors economics as fashion is a business but the former cannot be ignored as we head further into our new century and millennium. we're too far into the century to keep holding onto the past. We have to grow and sometimes this means taking the path less traveled to get there. This innate drive couples well with our acceptance that we are no longer in our last century, even if we are from it and still enjoy cultural ties to it.

Milan, of course will be about impeccable construction, craftsmanship and materials that bow to tradition (barring a few exceptions...but that's another article). This will always have a lace in our world. But as we now look towards the future, the next platform supporting this evolution this season is bound to be seen in Paris as well, and it will be interesting to take their pulse on looking forward versus holding onto the past as we look for what creative clues will show how they embrace what is to come.