Spring/Summer 2017 Trend Report: All-Star Style

Starched styles or studied slapdash? You’ll be on trend at both ends of the spectrum, predict tastemakers at Net-A-Porter

The Mash-Up

Don’t you hate those “I woke up like this” girls? Unfortunately they are very real, and very relevant this season. The cool girl wears whatever she wants, like a capricious five-year-old who wants to wear her princess party dress with fairy wings, glitter hairclips (all of them) in her hair, and Barbie light-up shoes – on a Monday morning. Net-A-Porter’s Aikens terms this trend “Good girl gone bad”, and cites fashion label Attico’s founders Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio as the It girls of the season. Velvet maxi dresses in the day, the silk robe over jeans, voluminous shirts stuffed under slip dresses. They’re Miuccia Prada 2.0. What you need to work this trend are not specific pieces, but a fearlessness. If you’re feeling pretty, grungy, sexy and preferably all of the above, dress the part and go crazy in love over every bit of it.

(From L-R): Gucci, Jacquemus, Attico, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Saint Laurent, Magda Butrym

The Statement Sleeve

A carry-over from Fall’s oversized shapes, which was naturally accompanied by sloping shoulders, exaggeratedly rounded shoulders were, well, big on the runways for Spring/Summer. We’re talking gigot sleeve styles of the 1820s and ’30s. Back then, the leg-o’-mutton was believed to give the appearance of a tiny waist. No reason why that wouldn’t hold true today. But not everyone can carry off top-heavy American footballer shoulders – but the season has more wearable options. Reach for tops with statement sleeves, whether it’s extra-long, extra wide, or nipped and tucked in unusual places. Saint Laurent’s one-sleeved strap-on is the ultimate trick up your sleeve in this department.

(From L-R): Stella McCartney, Saint Laurent, Jacquemus, J.W. Anderson, Jacquemus, Monse, Gucci

Shirting the Issue

If denim was the past two season’s It fabric, crisp cotton is making its starch-march to the fore for Spring/Summer. “Cotton is the ultimate seller fabric,” says Lisa Aiken, Retail Fashion Director of Net-A-Porter. “It retains structure so well but is lightweight.” You’ll want a pale blue-white striped shirt dress that’s smart and casual. Also pick up a couple of deconstructed shirts. The hero piece, she thinks, is JW Anderson’s reworked shirt, which crosses over to the next trend: the statement sleeve.

(From L-R): Monse, Jacquemus, Tome, Marni, Monse