In the midst of a brutal winter storm in Canada I am daydreaming about lazy strolls down the avenue in the bright summer sun, hanging baskets of petunias, and brunches on bistro patios. My blinds are drawn and I'm not venturing out. My mind is focused on more important matters like Spring and Summer 2024 Fashion!
I'm really excited about what was presented in the S/S 2024 Runway collections. The colour palettes ranged from soft pastels to vibrant jewel tones, offering practical shades for every skintone. Pantone proclaimed their Colour of the Year to be "Peach Fuzz", which is flattering on pretty much everyone. Even olive skintones can pull off this shade when paired with sage or seafoam. We are also going to see brighter shades like "Blazing Orange", along with vibrant fuschias like "Pink Yarrow". The favoured pastel shades this year, along with peach, are baby blue shades such as "Little Boy Blue" and blushes like "Aurora Pink".
Other elements in the Spring 2024 collections you will want to take note of are sheer and shine in fabric, oversized items on garments, and structure and texture within garments.
The most notable designers who adopted these elements and created fabulous pieces that stand out are highlighted below. You can watch their runway shows online to get the full benefit of my descriptions.
ARMANI PRIVE
The Armani Prive Spring 2024 Couture collection is nothing short of breathtaking. It will appeal to those who channel the Romantic Style Personality and inspire those who love flowy fabrics. People who fall within the Summer Seasonal Colour Palette will do well with the pastel shades offered in the floral blazers, sheer skirts and lace gowns in pale peach, blush and soft mint. The fabric pairings of tulle and satin are absolutely stunning. I am completely awe-struck by this collection. You can easily translate aspects of the collection to your own wardrobe by wearing sheers or lace over basic tops, and flowy fabrics over slip dresses or pencil skirts.
Photo: Daniele Oberrauche / Gorunway.com / Pinterest.com
GRETA CONSTANTINE
If you love colour, the bolder the better, you channel the Dramatic Style Personality and will definitely want to view Greta Constantine's Spring 2024 Ready-To-Wear collection. It features large graphic prints in heavy satin in vibrant tones of hot pink, deep purple, tomato, and cobalt. She combines stunning shades of lavender with cobalt and other bolds in a pantsuit that is off the rails. The floor-length satin gown with oversized hot-pink petals infused next to gold foil is mind-blowing. The tomato gown paired with a bright violet billowy cape is spectacular. This collection inspires me to combine colours with ones I never thought possible. It really pushes the envelope and stimulates my creativity!
Photo: Carlos + Alyse / Courtesy of Greta Constantine / Pinterest.com
ISSEY MIYAKE
If there's one thing we personal stylists love it's ruching. It is flattering on every figure and creates a waist where it is needed. Issey Miyake got the memo and ran with it in his Spring 2024 Ready-To-Wear collection. His pastel peach sheer fitted midi dress is darling with it's ruched skirting. His sheer lavender shift dress with ruched mid-section is perfect for layering. Even the coral pantsuit has ruched bottoms. The colorblock ankle-length dresses have ruching at the hem for more effect. His satin dresses effectively employ ruching for draping the body. Ruching is often found in classic garments but is right on trend this Spring so add pieces that have this feature to your wardrobe and keep them for years to come.
Photo: Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com / Pinterest.com
MAX MARA
I mentioned the element of structure in the upcoming season and you will find it in Max Mara's Spring 2024 Ready-To-Wear collection. One critical feature is the padded shoulder. Here come the '80's again my friends! It is front and center in this collection. We are seeing two iterations of it now in both the classic and the raglan sleeve. Not quite as prominent as in the '80s, but there just the same. Max Mara's collection this Spring will appeal to the Classic Style Personality. It is chic with just a hint of trendiness, upscale, neutral and practical. It is perfect for professionals, yet has offerings that transform well into the evening. Padded shoulders are great for people with Round Figure Types who need a bit of structure in that area, as well as short people under 5'4" who want to draw people's eyes upwards.
Photo: WWD.com / Pinterest.com
NINA RICCI
Oversized bows are a huge trend this Spring so I'm giving a nod to Nina Ricci's Ready-To-Wear Spring 2024 collection. She has added bows to her outfits in a variety of ways, doing some really creative things with them. You will find them at the cuffs of her button-downs, high up on her necklines, sitting at the shoulders, all the way down the arms, and right smack on bosoms, essentially forming bra tops. She added them to Chanel-style skirts which then became trains, and at the napes of necks on coats with balloon sleeves. One garment in the collection that really stands out is the zebra-print jumpsuit with a gigantic bow at the waistline that defies gravity by extending out to the extreme. Amazing! Although you may not want to go to this length, definitely include some form of them when doing your Spring wardrobe upgrade.
Photo: Courtesy of Nina Ricci for Vogue.com / Pinterest.com
ROBERTO CAVALLI
Texture is another element trending in the upcoming Spring and Summer 2024 season. Not only will we see a lot of texture within fabrics, but also attached to garments. Feathers are one such element and you will be seeing them on sweaters, coats, and even boots. One prominent designer to feature them is Roberto Cavalli. His flamingo pink oversized trench coat is laden with them. The neutral gold-toned prints on his pantsuits are infused with them. His neon lime-green wraps thrown over jumpsuits resemble the feather boas of the 1920's. Sheer wraps are edged with them at the hems. His entire collection is a nod to them in some form or another. It's a very vibrant collection sure to stun lovers of anything creative but if you're not so inclined, add them to your wardrobe a little more subtly with feathered pins that attach to hats or shoes, or wear feathered earrings, pendants or bracelets.
Photo: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com / Pinterest.com
RODARTE
The texture that resurfaced last year and isn't going away is the ruffle and Rodarte's Spring 2024 Ready-To-Wear collection is full of stunning examples. From the purple bell-sleeved gown that appears as though it's constructed of feathers, to the full-length vertical ruffles on the gown inspired by the bold colours of Mexico, this collection offers a lot of choices to people who love the aesthetic of ruffles. Ruffles can add softness to an otherwise stark outfit and are great to use to distract the eyes away from areas you want to downplay. Add a lot to attend a formal event or just a touch to make it work-appropriate. A ruffled shirt always looks great paired with a structured skirt, or a pair of leather pants for an evening out.
Photo: WWD.com / Pinterest.com
