Text : igedo. Photos : Copyright © 2007, fashionfreak. All rights reserved.
Looking for Easiness –
Body & Beachwear Trends for Spring/Summer 2007
Introduced at BODY LOOK, 23. till 25. July 2006,
the International Trade Fair for Body, Beach and Legwear
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Jolidon
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In the run-up to BODY LOOK in
Düsseldorf a team of creative minds, stylists and designers
developed four trends for body and beachwear :
"Fresh & Easy",
"Scandinavian Cruise", "Expedition Sun" and "Sunset Souvenirs"
form the fashion spectrum for the 2007 Spring/Summer season.
The general fashion picture for the 2007 Spring/Summer season is now more nofrills
and concept-based. Looks are calmer and more harmonised, seemingly
conflicting elements are reconciled, decorative elements look somehow familiar and
modernity means minimisation.
Nevertheless, fashion remains versatile in terms of
cut and colour, which are used in a level-headed manner mainly to stress the
interaction of textures and patterns in vivid fabric surfaces. Tone-on-tone harmonies
are gaining ground and in the wake of this calmness valuable materials and
sophisticated surfaces are becoming more important.
The result is a kind of
romantic minimalism which has little if nothing to do with that 90s minimalism.
Creativity reveals its full potential using volumes and graphic art to come up with
new shapes and proportions that exude power and liveliness. Styles "flow" around
the body, underlining the wearer's personality rather than just their physical
features. All in all, this brings about a young, ladylike chic that ties in with the girlish
androgynity of the 60s and creates a new "passion for prettiness".
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Maryan Mehlhorn
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Fresh & Easy
A calm chic and flowing shapes strike the balance here between clarity and soft
femininity. A fresh, powerful departure - setting off into the milky morning light,
inspired by airy architecture and modern typography. The colour scheme is bright,
light and unobtrusive.
Subtly graduated shades or fine line drawings make for
discreet contrasts. Different white nuances from chalk and porcelain to pearl,
creamy beige and pebble grey are in evidence here accentuated by anthracite and
black. Fresh skin tones create new harmonies alongside milky pastel shades.
Mercerised and starched cotton, voile and crepon fabrics, flowing crepe and jersey
perfectly convey this "crisp" fashion message with their silky, at times nearly skintype
touch. Fine-line, straight-forward coloured wovens and graphic prints echo
architecture and typography. Matt/dull effects and discreet reliefs add life to solids
while embossing, coatings and cut-outs serve as modern decorations. The look is
enhanced by tone-on-tone prints, irregular textures - either just printed on the
fabric or as woven jacquards - fine-line patterns as well as abstract textures that
copy nature. White prints and embroideries on blurred grounds or graphic
embroidery and lingerie-look lace provide a romantic slant.
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Sariana
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Scandinavian Cruise
All types of blue shades are naturally indispensable to a summer trip along Nordic
coasts exuding an optimistic and relaxed atmosphere. With Scandinavian matter-offactness
classics and exquisite leisure wear are reinterpreted here thereby building a
bridge between tradition and modernity.
Blue shades are predominant ranging from
bluish white to dark navy. These are underlined by clear pastels and a few, radiant
accent colours. Mint, crocus, creamic yellow, bright wooden tones and red nuances
do away with those typical maritime associations.
Cotton also stands for naturalness
here and comes in purist finishes at times and as piqué, micro-seersucker, denim or
twill weave at others. Alongside sturdy materials soft terry cloth and jerseys also
come into play. Some dyes look faded while the "ice finishes" exude a cool air.
Matt/dull contrasts create stripes and checks, some colour blocks are tone-on-tone
while others feature in traditional colour blocking. Stripes, naive gingham checks,
small-format geometric patterns and ring stripes hone in on the maritime theme
whereas florals are reminiscent of simple ceramic and chinaware patterns here.
Finally, handkerchief checks and edge finishes are used for large-format foulards
patterns.
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Speidel
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Expedition Sun
This is a masterful mix of rural, folklore reminiscences and a down-to-earth austerity
that is reminiscent of burning sun and trips to far away countries. This theme
deliberately foregoes decorative opulence depending instead on a well-balanced mix
of decorations and details to conjure up a multi-coloured, temperamental yet
sensual version of summer holidays spent on the countryside.
Key tones here are
dried-up organic brown and beige hues "stirred up" with khaki, grass, bronze,
earthy tones, mahogony, spice colours, poppy red, papaya, violet and rich succulent
greens.
Nature provided the blueprint here for silk and linen textures. Jersey and
woven fabric surfaces imitate little burls and graduated colour shades are stressed
even further by elaborate cross-dyeing. Velours and brushed finishes are reminiscent
of leather and fishnet and braided textures are just as much part of this theme as
cowboy romanticism with sporty jeans, denim and leather. Fine woven patterns or
prints "neutralise" the multi-coloured scheme, patterns favour ikat patterns and
placed tie-dye effects.
Silk jacquards with patterned warps exude a South American
flair, prints mix farmer styling and latino motifs with ethnic elements. Embroidery
and lace feature both multi-coloured motifs and grounds enhancing the overall
picture as much as gingham checks and flower-stripe combinations. Spanish toreros
are the source of inspiration for fringes, braids and decorative trims.
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Taubert
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Sunset Souvenirs
... present a subtle interplay of colours reminiscent of summery sunsets and faded
sepia photographs. The atmosphere is sensual with reserved romanticism, decorative
details are noble but discreet. Couture meets lingerie for styles that score on soft,
flowing forms and whose attitude exudes from hyper-femininity to restrained
androgynity.
The colour scheme includes mystic intermediates and delicate pastels
such as faded pale blue, purple, copper and violet, brightened up by white while
such metallics as copper, bronze and brass "cast" the last few rays of sunshine onto
fabrics. Their key characteristics are the soft drape of silk and the natural appeal of
linen and cotton. Subtle colour effects and shadings are produced by the layering of
fine and delicate materials. Tie-dye patterns, dégradés, shadow patterns and
embroidery on lighter grounds are just as appealing as placed prints and lace with a
tattoo-type effect - an effect occasionally also produced by two-tone jacquards.
Accordion pleats, plaits and drapes add texture to surfaces while cross-dying,
washes and pigment dyeing are used to create used looks. Graphic motifs draw on
inspirations from Impressionism and Art Déco. This portfolio of patterns is rounded
off by tone-on-tone florals, cross-dyed Liberty prints, wallpaper and retro stripes,
checks on lighter backgrounds as well as soft-focus photo prints and graduated
colour shades.
To the general Fashion Fairs Calendar 2007
Links to Fair Organizers
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