Trends from Fashion Week AW18

In this post, I will rather concentrate on the key trends from the seasons and collections, rather than showcase my faves from the fashion week runways. In countries with seriously cold winters (S. Korea), I personally prefer to have every inch of myself covered. It’s hard to looks stylish when it’s – 20 degrees outside anyway. So, I was content with the ‘reasonable’ trends happening in this season. Let’s take a look!

Longer Skirts

Skirts lengths were dropped on the runways this season from fashion week AW18. Most of them were below the knee or calf-length. In fact, not much leg was shown in most collections. Skirts and dresses were also more straight cut and defined and mostly tight around the legs.

Sleeves, sleeves, sleeves

Oh boy, statement sleeves were a THING this season. I have no problem with that personally as i like it! From puffy balloon shapes, ruffles to OTT high volume could be seen in blouses, knits and outerwear for fashion week AW18!

Big shoulders

To complement the statement sleeves, strong defined shoulders were seen on almost every outerwear pieces, especially jackets and coats! The overall looks were heavy and bulky in style. Shoulder pads were big in the 80s to present the power woman as more women started climbing the corporate ladder. Could it be a reference to a more empowered women of 2018, especially after the events of 2017 that exposed sexual misconduct and sexism in the film industry. As more women speak out about their own experiences, a sense of empowerment continues to grow and develop to finally put an end to the silence.

Long Coats

For fashion week AW18, the long coat was everywhere. Regular classic wool coats in heavy fabrics and it seems the padded coats have been side-stepped for the season.

Earthy Tones

While some brands are defined for the use of fun colour, I didn’t see too much of it from a lot of other designers this season in fashion week. Chanel’s beautiful autumn woods runway really confirmed the mood and love for natural earthy tones for the season. Browns, burgundy, beige, blacks and greys were featured everywhere and made cosy the dominant trend and tone.

Fabrics of AW18

Leather, tweed, flannels were the 3 main materials for AW18. Heavy fabrics were used to make most of the key pieces. Naturally, heavy warm fabrics are always used in winter collections, however flannel and leather were the main trends. Almost every collection had at least one leather item.

Pleats

Dresses and skirts all displayed a variety of pleated pleasures that were sashayed down the runways.

Shiny Boots

Boots are a given in Autumn and Winter. This fashion week, scrunched leg boots with pointed toes were featured everywhere and in an array of shiny fabrics from gold, copper and extending to a variety of colours.

For the Guys

Wool was undoubtedly the key fabric used in every piece and collection for the menswear collections for fashion week AW18. Black and grey with subtle hints of colour were mixed. Pants were more tailored with narrowed leg pipes. A sense of formal sophistication seemed to seep through even in the casual wear looks from paired with jeans and a blazer to tee shirts with formal shoes.

Key trends for men were knitwear and well cut formal inspired jackets.