Trends


Vintage inspiration at New York Fashion Week spring 2020

cho cheng nyfw spring 2020

Cho Cheng NYFW spring 2020

The last model has walked off the runways of New York Fashion Week, and we are left with so many trends to get excited about for next year. One of my favorite trends every season comes from vintage inspiration. It is always amazing to see which decades inspired designers for the season.

For the spring/summer 2020 season, designers were in love with the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. We saw a lot of Hollywood glamour, sparkle and shine from the Studio 54 era, feminine touches from the 50’s, sleek and chic 40’s looks, as well as playful and fun 60’s styles. Here are a few highlights from some of the New York Fashion Week runways I attended reflecting the spring 2020 decades of inspiration:

Cho Cheng 60’s

cho cheng nyfw spring 2020 cho cheng new york fashion week spring 2020 cho cheng nyfw ss20

Taoray Wang 40’s and 70’s

taoray wang new york fashion week spring 2020 taoray wang new york fashion week spring 2020

(photos courtesy of Taoray Wang PR-mine came out overexposed and blurry)

Hanh Merriman 70’s

hanh merriman new york fashion week spring 2020 hanh merriman new york fashion week spring 2020

Son Jung Wan 70’s

son jung wan new york fashion week spring 2020 son jung wan nyfw spring 2020

Indonesian Diversity 50’s

nyfw spring 2020 indonesian diversity nyfw spring 2020

Which one of spring 2020’s decades of inspiration inspire you? I am definitely feeling the 40’s and 70’s, although, I am forever feeling the 70’s, so that’s no surprise. Haha

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy


Fall 2019 trends to watch

chiara boni le petite robe fall 2019 nyfw

Chiari Boni le petite robe fall 2019 runway NYFW

The fall 2019 season is starting to appear in stores, and we are catching a glimpse of what made it from the runways to the streets. The fall 2019 runways included menswear, vintage vibes, texture, and darker colors than previous fall seasons. We saw influences from the 1940’s through to the 1990’s. The looks included athleisure, power suits, slim silhouettes, and a return to ladylike, feminine dressing. Stores shelves are almost in the same place for fall.

Store buyers went big on atheisure, power suits, blazers, anything plaid, animal prints and vintage inspiration from the 1980’s and 90’s; with a few 60’s hemlines thrown in, just to mix things up. Here is what to expect on the streets for fall.

Menswear inspiration:

laurence and chico fall 2019 nyfw

Look for power suits, blazers instead of jackets, plaid on anything and everything, trouser pants on casual days, and clunky, chunky shoes. Think 1980’s Wall Street power suit. That’s your new look for the office, and anytime you want to exert your power.

Get ready to roar!

chloe aby handbag fall it bags

Any type of animal print is hot for fall. Look for animal prints on all of your clothing, and grab yourself a pair of snakeskin boots. They are the IT boot style for fall! Meow! Roar! And any other noises animals make. Haha Grrrrr!

Where’s the big hair?

Everything 80’s is hot for fall, except the big mall hair. Leave your Aquanet under the sink this season, you can rock those exaggerated shoulders and sleeves without it. Look for giant puff sleeves, big shoulders, inverted triangle silhouettes, and neon hues mixed among the racks of dark, autumn hues. Think neon yellow, two different earrings, scrunchies, big bows, secretary blouses, and pencil skirts.

Smells like the 90’s

Who said the 90’s were dead? Obviously they live under a rock. Doc’s are back, so whip out your Mod look from the early 90’s and rocks those combat boots with your head held high. Also, be sure to pair them with a tight, black bodysuit underneath paprbag waist pants. Your rave is ready for you; and so is The Cure.

The great hemline debate

I have missed the hemline debate. It seems as if hemlines haven’t mattered in more than a decade. I remember when your hemline showed the world what you knew about fashion. No-one would dare wear last year’s hemline! The horror! Well guess what peeps! Hemline significance is back. For fall 2019 look for 60’s a-line mini-skirts, 90’s rocker postage stamp mini skirts, knee length pencil skirts, and pleated t-length skirts. Maxi’s are always accepted. Those are the hemline rules! Will you follow them?

Fall 2019’s color palette

fall 2019 color trends nyfw pantone pantone colors fall 2019color trends fall 2019nyfw fashion trends

Colors speak for themselves right? I don’t need to try and be witty? 😉

Athleisure / street style

pony x harbin fall 2019 nyfw

Athleisure is the trend that keeps on giving. Look for adidas logos everywhere, and make sure you have a pair of Superstar’s in your wardrobe. Funky sweatpants, exaggerated sole sneakers, and workout clothing you wouldn’t wear to the gym because it’s too nice. That’s what falls athleisure trend is all about. Get comfy-just make sure you don’t actually sweat in that look, um-kay?

Sparkle and shine, it’s Studio 54 time! Again.

son jung wan fall 2019 nyfw

Yes, sparkles are back, and they were not gone long. Chances are you have sparkling fabrics and sequins hanging in your closet. Grab those sparkles and pair them with jeans, wide-leg trousers and pencil skirts. Shine like the star you are!

Shrink to fit handbags

Ditch the oversize bag, this season is all about medium and small, not mini or nano, top handle satchels. One top handle please. Look for snakeskin, metallic, and smooth, structured leathers. Logos are over; so store or consign your Louis. A logo on the clasp of a bag doesn’t count. Those are always there, they are not a trend. Your handbag should whisper; if it flashes, it’s so two years ago.

Also, dressy bags should sparkle-not whisper, (confused yet?), and quilted bags are gaining momentum and could explode in 2020.

More trends to watch:

noon by noor fall 2019 nyfw

wide leg pants on the Noon by Noor fall 2019 NYFW runway

Pants this season are slim and cropped, paperbag waisted, or wide legged. Nothing else. That’s all.

Ruffles have rrrrrrrrridges! It’s “Little House on the Prairie” time people! Make sure you have too many ruffles on your blouse or dress, that way no-one can count them. Ruffle up!

Mock turtlenecks. No-one said you had to rock every trend. Um. . .yeah. . .

Denim trends follow pant trends. Look for wide legs, slim and cropped, dramatic side slits, and also, bootcut is back.

Your shoes should be metallic, snakeskin, a pair of Doc’s, or funky street sneakers. Also look for combat boots, lug soles, almost-platform soles, and any kind of tread. No-one has any excuse to slip on ice this year!

Did you lose an earring? It’s OK, wearing two matching earrings is so last year. Rock those mis-matched earrings like it’s 1986. Also, pearls are hot. That’s all.

Well, that’s the summary of the fall 2019 fashion trends which made it from the runways to the streets. As the fall season progresses, I will dig deep into trends which really work well on the street, and that I approve of. You won’t catch me in a mock turtleneck. Ew.

My current fall 2019 obsessions:

Which trends for fall 2019 do you like or dislike? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


The return of the mini satchel

shore projects watch

They’re baaaa-aaack! Did you miss them? Or were you like me; a little bit relieved that bags got bigger so you could carry more stuff? Yeah, mini bags got old fast. So why in the world are they back? Perhaps they never actually went away. . .

While mini bags had their hey-day a few years back, many handbag fans could never jump on the trend. The mini bag requires a special kind of handbag connoisseur. One who only carries lipstick, a small set of keys, and a smaller smart phone. If you attempt to carry a wallet, sunglasses, or any other common purse essential in your handbag, the mini satchel would not allow it. It was quite unforgiving!

When bags crept up in size, taking us back to small and medium sizes, the mini satchel appeared to disappear into oblivion; until now. For some reason, there have always been hold-outs. Despite the size of handbags getting back to a more practical size, many handbag fans have stood their ground and continued to defy logic by carrying around teeny, tiny, little bags that often-times look like they would refuse a small set keys!

Designers and brands aren’t dumb, they can see a potential market. They figured out there were enough mini bag holdouts walking the streets to sustain a comeback. Boy, are they all making a comeback! Don’t get me wrong, I love a comeback story, but mini bags? Worse, mini-satchels? The structure of the satchel makes the bag harder to get into than a mini cross body bag with a nice zipper, or a mini hobo bag and the like. Satchels are often narrow at the top, right where your hand needs to reach for something. It’s a great way to chip nail polish, scratch your hand on a zipper, or become frustrated from the annoying mini opening of your mini bag. So much mini! Ugh!

Don’t get me wrong, mini bags have their place, perhaps even, the mini satchel. But, and this is a big but, there isn’t anything practical about a mini satchel. They seem ornamental to me. The only time I find a mini satchel practical is if I am dressed up for a special occasion and don’t need to carry sunglasses, car keys, or a wallet. When that is the case, the mini satchel needs to be dressy, if not formal. For those types of occasions, I tend to reach for a formal bag. Is it just me? Am I the only one who feels like one’s hand should fit inside one’s bag? Am I the only one that wants to fit my wallet in my purse?

It should be interesting to see if the mini satchel makes as big of a comeback on the streets, as it has on store shelves at this very moment.

What are your thoughts on the mini satchel trend? Is this a trend you enjoy wearing? Or are you like me, and you demand a bit more space inside your bags?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy