Colors in the Cold: Prints Trends for Autumn/Winter 2014

Fashion is never still, but constantly in a state of motion as designers assess trends and cultural movements to create collections that speak to the zeitgeist. With Autumn/Winter 2014 a host of new directions emerged from the catwalks of New York, London, Milan and Paris to seduce the consumer. An antidote to the bleak encroaching winter, one of the most significant trends was a vibrant display of colour and graphics which saw an array of designers banishing monochromatic outfits to present bright and exuberant collections.

Jeremy Scott, the new creative director of Moschino is no stranger to brashness in his use of audacious prints, but here they were used to full effect with a bright and bold subversion of consumer culture, one which saw the McDonalds logo distorted alongside a host of other type based graphics that in playful irreverent way toyed with notions of fast food fashion and junk culture. Using prints to reflect on consumption and consumer culture was also the order of the day at Chanel, who transformed the Grand Palais into a Chanel branded supermarket with 500 products graphically, transforming the mundane supermarket cast. The presentations sense of levity also translated to the garments.

A sense of frivolity and joy could also be be seen at the usually sober Yohji Yamamoto who used large faux naive and psychedelic illustrations to create movement on his oversized padded garments, similarly Rodarte embraced a optimistic take on pop-culture with oversized digital prints of characters from famous science fiction fantasy film Star Wars emblazoned boldly across its delicate dresses. Such dramatic use of print and color by a range of designers reminded us that fashion regardless of the icy weather need never be grim affair.