Summer is traditionally the most expressive
and experimental season for most designers, and the summer dress is one
wardrobe staple that is reinvented on an annual basis. This year’s designs have continued this
spirit of innovation, sending vibrant bursts of colour cascading onto the
catwalk and the high street.
While last year was all about billows of virginal
white cotton, this year’s dresses have thrown away 2011’s colour conventions
and made a return to more traditional values. The light curtains of flowing
white fabric are gone, and they have replaced with busy, impressionist palettes
of colour. This is most notable in the Dolce and Gabanna, Emilo Pucci and
Cavalli collections. Their dresses confound the eye with dancing patterns, like
a Gustav Klimt painting.
The best example of these dresses comes
from the Roberto Cavalli collection. He
is well known for his intricate and complex prints, but his dresses were even
more exuberant than usual this year. His 2012 collection walks an elegant line
between subtle and garish, and is the natural successor to the styles we saw in
his winter offering. The rise of the loud patterned summer dress this is proof
that Cavalli’s influence penetrates deep into the heart of fashion, but he has
innovated yet again, confounding his competitors while perfecting the style
many of them seem determined to emulate.
Last year’s trends aren’t completely behind
us. We still see plenty of light flowing
fabrics, but cotton has been almost completely consigned to the bargain rack. We’re
more likely to see dresses in sheer fabrics like organza and taffeta with long
flows of feminine and intricate layers, rather than opaque, shapeless cotton
hoops.
The Etro collection is perhaps this year’s
best example of evolution rather than revolution. Long, straight white dresses
have been augmented with bright flashes of auburn, or patches of pastel blue
print. The necklines are nothing short of intriguing, with unusual shapes that
seem inspired by last year’s winter collections.
As well as bright, Klimptesque patterns,
we’ve also seen a lot of lace this year. Elie Saab, Valentino, and Oscar de la
Renta all devoted significant space in their collections to lace dresses,
mostly in cream colours but also with the occasional splash of crimson. Preen
also used lace extensively, but in a more modern, unexpected and
characteristically groundbreaking way.
Of course, this is fashion, and not every
designer follows the prevailing mood. We’ve also seen examples of more diverse
styles. The dresses in the Dask collection were particularly unique this year,
using thick stripes arranged in geometric shapes reminiscent of semaphore
flags. This style is particularly prevalent because of how comprehensively it
was copied by high street brands. H&M, Topshop and Zara all sold thousands
of similar dresses this year.
It has been an interesting year for this
type of garment, and we will be watching anxiously to see what effect these
trends have on next year’s spring/summer collections. Our prediction is that we
are likely to see a return to classic cuts and neutral shades, but only time
will tell.
