Trendwatch '09/10

At a beauty symposium held in Kerala, India, P&G beauty director Vassiliki Petrou dished on the major trends sure to make waves this year and the next. On the radar for the coming year? Water elements are key players in the fashion forecast, providing a cool spin on all things fashion and beauty. YStyle takes on the top three trends making its way to the peak of every trend-watcher’s list.

Abyss

“Design and architecture inspired by water reflections and by the eternal movement of water,” according to Petrou, are clear headliners for many collections to come. Take the Radisson Hotel, an establishment erected in Berlin, that’s drawn attention for its water feature: the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium with 2,500 variations of tropical fish. Another sea-inspired collection comes in the form of Dior accessories designer Victoire de Castellane’s pieces, who used the humble elements of the sea like seaweed as her muse and transformed them into playful baubles that have earned the ardor of many a Dior acolyte. Petrou displayed the luxury cocktail ring, its green facets and draping vine-like gems mimicking the movement of the water fauna.

“This collection was all about going back to doing something primitive — searching for what counts and what matters,” said Miuccia Prada of her spring 2009 offering. “There were lots of primitive inspirations, such as fish and other animals.”

“The Abyss trend was seen on the S/S ‘09 catwalks — it was especially strong in New York and Milan, traditionally the most commercial fashion capitals so (that’s) a strong sign that this will be one of the biggest fashion trends next summer,” she claims. “Fluid fabrics and luminous textures are influencing the color palette and the new shapes. Watery shades of ice white, silver gray, deep slate and oceanic blue offset earthier tones, precious metals and splashes of blue azure while there’s a sense of liquidity to line, texture and drape.”

“Donna Karan’s Liquid Assets collection with fluid fabrics such as matte charmeuse and satin jersey were used to create clothes that looked like flowing water,” she notes. Calvin Klein’s S/S set was dubbed the urban mermaid collection, thanks in large part to “silks in white, nude, icy lavender and pale blue (which) created an effect reminiscent of shimmering water,” according to Petrou.

DeLush

In tune with popular liberal ideals proclaiming a new tolerance for figures of all shapes and sizes comes a trend that seeks to establish a less rigid measure of physical beauty. “We are now embracing our differences and accepting the invitation to live within our bodies,” says Petrou. “Curviness is glamorous, sensual and an embodiment of the feminine ideal.” Think J.Lo or J.Love (that’s Ghost Whisperer’s Jennifer Love-Hewitt, to you), less Jennifer Hudson. “Of course, we are not promoting the idea that fat is in,” she advises. “Au contraire.” Instead the focus is on “warmth “ and “harmony.”

“In design and architecture, we are dealing with roundness and curves, with everything in reference to the body. In DeLush, each furniture, interior or architecture is ergonomic and well-adapted to the body. No more straight lines and cold materials. Curves are allied with quilted and fleecy looks for maximum comfort like a Coach Carrera sofa.”

“DeLush fashion is creating a new refined nonchalance,” Petrou declares. “Clothes are fluid and supple. Draping and burnt orange colors create a new sensuality.”

Bio’Logue

An amalgam of nature and technology, the trend “fuses biology and technology to create a new aesthetic nature.” Petrou discusses the new nature of innovation, how technology has branded itself in more organic avenues for deployment in key industries in fashion and beauty. “With the Bio’Logue trend, the idea is to take advantage of technological performance in order to live in a better world,” she explains.

“Design and architecture inspired by nature but treated in a very innovative and technological way : this is bio-design,” says Petrou, summing up the concept. “We are no longer looking for 100 percent organic materials as we know that a total organic world is not possible. So we will mix synthetic and organic materials to create high-tech naturals.”

Hybrid materials like Armani’s current pet project, high-tech wicker, is big in the world of Bio’Logue. Petrou cites Yoshiharu Tsukamoto’s work, co-founder of Bow Wow, an architectural firm with a strong emphasis on eco-design, who makes it a point to have their Tokyo structures interact with the environment around them.

Fashion-wise, an of-the-moment example might be designer label Basso and Brooke, which utilized prints rendered in high-def detail, creating a kaleidoscope of hues that made their playful S/S ’09 collection a standout.