Fashion experts on Summer 2016 trends

Which are the hottest summer trends for 2016? Which pieces are on the experts’ wishlist? We asked fashion journalists, editors and stylists to share their own choices and favourite looks.
I wanted to find out what are the three biggest trends according to experts as well as their own personal favourites and the answers I got were surprisingly diverse, though one thing became clear: Gucci and Dries Van Noten got most of the points, albeit for different reasons. Make way for fashion’s finest!

Summer trends 2016

Alfons Kaiser, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Magazin

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. Fringe. Though the fringe trend is hardly news to fashion lovers, we have been seeing a lot more of it on catwalks lately, from Altuzarra to Valentino. Even Angela Merkel was recently spotted in Berlin with a Longchamp Pénélope bag featuring the leather fringed tassels. The trend comes in various forms; fringe, tassels and if not then some kind of fringed or frayed fabric stripes hanging all over garments, shoes or accessories, adding interesting detail and most importantly, movement.
 
2. Hippie style. In short, the “Alessandro Michele look” for Gucci. Popular for women and men, the trend can run through an entire outfit with elements such as patterns, volants and frills, lace, and of course, fringe, thus currently a huge trend. Have you ever seen so many Gucci slippers around Paris before? Many with fur even!
 
3. Statement jewelry. The statement trend is gradually passing from fashionable jewelry to Haute Joaillerie – with a price, of course. Miuccia Prada never gets it wrong, and so we should expect oversized drop earrings and bekanntlich nicht irren, daher wird man riesige Ohrgehänge und opulent necklaces to get even bigger and better. A different side to the statement story comes from Gucci and the brand’s current season of statement eyewear. Curiously enough though, Miuccia did not show any statement earrings for label Miu Miu, but perhaps it is something to expect for the next season.
 
What I would love to see most on women:
Opulent jewelry. Fashion exists to be looked at and talked about. Since this trend is all about statement jewelry with a witty, whimsical twist, they make conversation easy and fun. Let’s talk about something more fun than the weather!

Lisa Feldmann, Editor-in-chief at l'official Germany

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. Nautical, classic (Giorgio Armani, Max Mara, Ralph Lauren), but also avant-garde (Carven, Kenzo, Jacquemus).
 
2. Bohemian glamour, of course, we know all about it.
3. Grunge meets Elegance
What I would personally wear…
The wide-leg trousers by Dries van Noten or Isabel Marant, the tweed/organza dream pieces by Prada und almost anything by Céline.
 

Isabelle Braun, Modepilot

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. Slip dress. The slip dress trend featured already last season quite prominently, but in the Summer 2016 shows, it was simply omnipresent. The “night gown” dress (remember the scene from Sex and the City?) is uncomplicated to style and also easy to copy too, so the trend became mainstream through stores like Zara & Co. The difference between designer and copycat pieces is the material and of course the craftmanship. The way silk creases usually betrays the quality.
 
2. Granny chic. Tie-neck blouses, high-neck tops, plissé pleats – it might be hard to imagine but it is actually cool to look like your Auntie Gwendolyn. Grazie Alessandro Michele!
 
3. Glamcore. There’s no trend without a counter-trend and after the minimalism wave and the normcore in recent years, outfits are getting richly adorned again. If you have recently been all about that soft grey cashmere pullover and boast about your wardrobe’s nude palette, you will soon be making space for 80s Glam, patterns (Dries van Noten!) and lots of statement accessories.
What I would personally wear…
The slip dress
…because it makes for the perfect summer dress. Slip it on, sandals on and you’re ready!

Petra Winter, Editor-in-Chief at Madame

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. Shirt dress: This summer, the shirt dress trend has taken an airy and imaginative turn, in all short, midi and maxi versions. We find the ones by Ports 1961 especially beautiful.
2. Summer coats XXL: The new summer coats look really good, especially on tall women. The ones which caught our attention were the incredible “sailor look” coats by Max Mara, in white, red/white stripes, or stars.
 
3. Peasant tops: Fendi’s version of the peasant top in soft leather looks incredible matched with a straight skirt. Céline also featured stunning peasant tops in the label’s latest show.
 
What I would personally wear…
I would love to join in all three trends I mentioned as well as two accessory trends: Bags with embellished shoulder straps (just like the one by Fendi with flower buds) and the new Bucket Bags (e.g. by Hermès).
 

Lisa Riehl, TM TextilMitteilungen, Modepilot

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. Playful feminine dresses, which by the first look make women appear like benign romantic fairies, but by the second, more observing look and with the help of “nipple-in-sight” effect, they become strong, confident and in charge, rather warrior-like. Some powerful trend interpretations courtesy of Gucci, Simone Rocha, and Alexander McQueen.
 
2. Personal style as mental illness. This idiosyncratic trend makes an outfit appear seemingly put together in a completely random way regarding the choice of fabrics, proportions and pieces. This is a fashion statement hailing individuality and a person’s own unique right – or wrong – styling choices. Best representatives of the trend? Dries van Noten, Prada, Miu Miu, Gucci and Haider Ackermann.
 
3. An emerging kind of Retro-Futurism, in which silhouettes of past decades meet futuristic details, modern features and metallics. Some retro-futuristic tendencies as shown by Loewe, Maison Margiela, Louis Vuitton and Aquilano.Rimondi.
 
What I would personally wear…
I would gladly sport the mental disorder style trend and I can finally wear all my failed purchases of unmatchable clothing to eternity. I will look like I’m crazy, but if I style my outfit right, it will all make sense!

Barbara Markert, Modepilot

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. The shoulder accent: Shoulders either become exposed through revealing cut-outs (Erdem, Katranzou and many, many more) or become accented through oversized sleeves, extravagant volume, ruffles and frills. Finally, the trend is complete with ultra-cropped tops that are covered with transparency or interesting texture (Kenzo, Louis Vuitton).
 
2. Transparency: A trend designers have been revisiting in recent years with iron persistence, even though it doesn’t necessarily translate into high sales, since it is not the easiest to wear for us ladies. See-through blouses and peek-a-boob tops are presently everywhere on the catwalk. Some, like Prada, Lutz Huelle or Dries van Noten make a smart approach to the trend by using transparency only partially to deceive the eye in a trompe-l’oeil effect. Other designers add covering texture with brassieres or bra-shaped fabric sewn on a transparent garment. Usage of lace and the patchwork technique create a beautiful result and make an outfit very user-friendly without betraying the transparency trend. And of course, the designer duo of Valentino provides exemplary lessons on how to make transparency perfectly wearable.
 
3. Flyway Ribbons. We see them everywhere, from extralong bows on tops and dresses (Chloé), to long belt straps (Alexander McQueen, Isabel Marant, Erdem), as well as skinny scarves around the neck (Jonathan Saunders). This is an interesting trend that can lend a little lightness even to stricter ensembles.
 
What I would personally wear…
Flowing dresses in maxi or midi length. For me, they are the natural continuation of the Gypset trend, though this season we see them taking a more 70s twist, like kaftans and long tuniques. I find the ones by Chloé the most beautiful, but there are many versions by houses like Cédric Charlier, Céline, Valentino and many others. This is the ideal summer outfit, not only for vacation for also for a relaxed casual style in the city. I just bought a dress like this last week by Modetrotter for the summer, though I find it really perfect for the current transitional season, styled with sneakers and a thick oversize jumper. It is definitely the casual look for this summer for me.
 

Julia Werner, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Glamour Germany

The three most impressive summer trends, or the three As:
1. Army. The military look somehow never goes away, but this season it’s in its sexiest version yet, courtesy of Versace. The best look is hands-down the epaulette blazer with a waist belt worn as dress.
Versace Military Sommertrends 2016 Modepilot
Versace
2. Arms. They are the new décolleté! Sleeves are this season’s big actors! There’s a whole lot of drama taking place on this season’s stage…overdimensional, puffy, unusual, they are making a statement no one can deny (J.W. Anderson, Céline).
 
3. Aristocracy. Alessandro Michele has recently become synonymous to his staple Gucci look of young Italian nobility: a good amount of vintage mixed with eccentric family heirloom pieces found in Grandma’s wardrobe and a little snobbishness. Now noble ladies can no longer take pride in being put off by big fashion labels.
 
What I would personally wear…
Probably the sleeve trend, provided I do find time to take up my arm work-work out again before summer exposure. Otherwise, as always, something beautiful by Dolce & Gabbana, for there is nothing more timeless than the décolleté.

Kathrin Bierling, Modepilot

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. Paperbag style. High-waist wide-cut skirts and trousers that are designed loosely and attached with a belt creating a gather, paperbag effect. For me, this is the natural evolution of the high-waist trend (I am happily over the ultra low-rise jeans long ago). The recent appearance of carrot pants on the streets of Berlin and New York finally put an end to many a low-rise failures as well as the dreaded “muffin top”. Thanks to Tod’s recent look, our booties found a more feminine “packaging” and the paperbag style is reaching its high fashion peak yet.
 
2. Long earrings. Never before have we seen so many long extraordinary earrings on the catwalk as in the current summer season. From delicate pieces to Cindy Lauper-loud, there are versions for every taste on this season’s runway.
 
3. Shoulder-free ruffle tops. The off-the-shoulder top by MSGM in white with stripes in petrol blue, orange and black can match pretty much anything. And we admired numerous beautiful cocktail and day dresses with ruffled top parts (Jason Wu, for example) – if you boast quite a voluptuous chest, this one might admittedly not be your first choice, but the rest of us might find the ruffled top quite flattering.
 
What I would personally wear…
The most interesting fashion trends for me are the ones I can see myself wearing – like the looks I chose above. Unfortunately we cannot love looks that we cannot wear, although I do appreciate their beauty. So, I would wear a pair of Tod’s trousers and the “Iliad” earrings by Hermès in rose gold plated finish and lacquer in “paradise blue” (available online by Hermès for 305 euro). When it comes to ruffled strapless tops, for the time being I’m just looking, though the one by MSGM will definitely influence my decision.

Natalie Manchot, Fashion Director at Madame

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. Fresh lightness: Lingerie/Lace/Satin (Givenchy, Calvin Klein, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini)
 
2. Eclectic: Mix the unmixable (Dries Van Noten, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Gucci)
 
3. Folklore/Ethno: Around the World (Chloé, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino)
 
What I would personally wear…
Lingerie/Slip dress by Calvin Klein Collection, because it has been the most beautiful collection I have seen in a long time!!!

Julia Zirpel, Fashion Director at Myself

The three most impressive summer trends:
1. Innocence & Seduction: Lingerie undergarment-inspired looks, lace, ruffles, a lot of white and transparency – from sensual to sexy. Especially Paris designers seem to yearn for a sacred world, a sense of purity and clarity…or perhaps a search for lost innocence? Céline: soft & feminine; Givenchy: sexy; Dior and Balenciaga: historical, victorian.
 
2. Diversity: the look comes together by mixing completely different styles. There’s no one style from head to toe and since it really is passé to wear a trend in its entirety, any combination goes. Individuality and personality is more important and core than copying looks from the runway. A woman can be her own source of inspiration and create her own look. Miu Miu: from man suit fabric to transparencies, combined with ballet shoes and biker jackets. Gucci: Every outfit is another theme – Folklore mixed with lace, 70s prints, nerd glasses, brocade, etc. Dries van Noten: play of contrasts, masculine meets feminine, 40s meet 80s.
 
3. Space age: Futurism, “Sci-Fi Movie” looks. New fabrics, sculptural cuts, reflecting and mash materials. Céline, Acne, Loewe, Louis Vuitton.
 
What I would personally wear
Diversity – preferably by Dries van Noten; a 40s dress with an oversized men’s style blazer – this is a style that knows no limits and mo “last season”. Everything goes as long as it looks good on me and suits my lifestyle.

Which summer trend is your favorite?

Translation by Maria Giannakopoulou
Photo Credit: Catwalkpictures, Hermès
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