New Year’s resolutions needn’t end with self-improvement of minds and bodies. We can also begin to plan our wardrobes to match our new and improved selves.
Next year has some pretty great things to anticipate. From technology continuing to take over the industry (and we mean your fabrics) to some underground faces with big-name backings, we’ve rounded up the designers and trends to watch in 2015.
The Techies:
We’ve already had a year of fashionable tech, but be prepared for more.
While Diane von Furstenberg made a pretty solid attempt at keeping those who insist on wearing Google Glass look less like glassholes, most tech wearables seem a bit too awkward to seamlessly integrate into the fashion realm. But, everything could change in 2015.
After Tory Burch jumped ahead of the competition with her Fitbit-integrated bracelets and necklaces—and Opening Ceremony stealing the show with their super luxe and very chic Intel integrated cuffs—we are beginning to see technology finally move into the fabric realm.
Ralph Lauren is currently testing sensor-integrated performance wear on tennis pros, monitoring everything from heart rate and body temperature to breathing patterns. And it’s not just big-named designers—start-ups seem to be the ones staking claim on the endless possibilities.
A handful of crowd-funded startups for ideas like this jacket that controls your phone or this one that repels germs, are already hitting their goal funding in a matter of days. And some dresses can be totally altered from an app on your phone.
Consumers are also gaining the ability to take the designs into their own hands as 3D printing becomes more accessible. That means shoppers will no longer have to rely on the big-name designers to concoct pieces with the latest trends. We will just be able to do it all ourselves, from jewelry and shoes to suits and dresses.
The Harmonies Match:
This is how you blur the lines between men’s and women’s collections.
Public School’s menswear has been a favorite amongst the fashion crowd for a while now—the brand’s designer duo, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, took home the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in November 2013. But the introduction of a women’s collection earlier this year really propelled them to the forefront of must-have labels for both men and women.
“The dark-hued collection was an extension of Public School’s men’s line,” Erin Cunningham wrote for the Daily Beast of the brand’s debut women’s collection. “Chow and Osborne once said they would only debut a womenswear line if it was perfect; with this collection, they nailed it right on the head.”
The two lines were destined to be interrelated, but that’s all about to change. During a look at the women’s pre-fall 2015 collection earlier this month, a shift in independence was noticed. The looks were slightly more feminine (and by slightly, we really mean slightly). Still, with the duo forging a subtly unique identity within its women’s line, we can only anticipate how it will transform in next year’s collections.
The Golden Child:
If it’s one thing we can trust, it’s that the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund always picks a winner.
This year, the golden child they selected was Paul Andrew, a British footwear and accessory veteran who rose that ranks at Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, and Donna Karan before branching out with his namesake brand last year.
His goal: to make the perfect (and absolutely comfortable) high-heel, with the help from Nike CEO Mark Parker.
“When I launched my collection two and a half years ago, everyone was traipsing around in towering high platforms and my whole idea was to return the eye to elegant and feminine shoes with a single sole that are also comfortable,” Andrew told Style.com after his win. “With this reward money, I plan to do even more testing and make sure these are the most comfortable shoes out there.”
With brands like Public School, Alexander Wang, Joseph Altuzarra, and Porenza Schouler as his predecessors, we can expect some amazing things to come from Paul Andrew.
The Prodigies:
Having inspirational parents is one thing, but extremely successful (we’re talking billions) and fashion-savvy parents—while obviously extremely beneficial—is a lot of pressure when wanting to start your own brand. But the sister team behind Trademark have proven themselves worthy of the acclaim they’ve received.
Louisa and Pookie Burch—yes, that Burch (Tory Burch is their former step-mom and their father is C. Wonder impresario Christ Burch)—launched Trademark online just a couple years ago.
Deemed an “affordable mash-up between A.P.C. and Cos,” by Elle and compared to Céline by fashion insiders, the minimal and preppy chic collection with a bit of an edge permeated the fashion market on the coattails of Jenna Lyon’s J. Crew transformation, but originals in their own right.
And, they’ve opened up their first brick-and-mortar store this year—meaning an expansion to other markets is the likely next step.
The Showstopper:
While Kim Kardashian may have tried to #BREAKTHEINTERNET with her oiled-up backside, Rihanna effortlessly caused the world to stop and stare, mouth agape, when she showed up to the CFDA Award’s in a sparkly—and completely see-through—crystal studded gown. And Adam Selman was the man who made it.
“The dress is just fishnet and crystals and a couple fingers crossed,” Selman told Style.com of the dress. “But fashion is about beauty, and the [female] body is part of that.”
It was ‘80s Japanese kitsch mixed with New York streets and Jane Birkin attitude. “Selman is more than a pop star’s sensationalist one-trick pony,” Katherine K. Zarrella wrote for Style.com. “[It’s] a fact he proved when he unveiled his sporty Spring range,” this past September.
But the women in his Spring ’15 show (just one year after he launched his label) were much more concealed than Bad Gal RiRi—and you can expect to be, too. After all, Selman’s the prude, he claims, Rihanna’s the shocker.
