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10 trends that changed Womenswear

New silhouettes, experimental design, vibrant colour and an obsession with vintage are just a few of the top trends in womenswear over the last 10 years.

  • Fashion lab

    His technological fabric innovations and science of construction and pattern cutting make Hussein Chalayan stand alone in his category. The collaboration of digital technology and vibrant creative minds continues to open up new worlds and possibilities that will project fashion forward and define what and how we wear clothes in the near future.

    Direction: Equatorial - Sublime Science | Spring/Summer 2008
  • Miuccia Prada

    The pied piper of fashion is a natural visionary at least two seasons ahead of other designers - where Miuccia goes, everyone follows. Prada's design ethos has affected us all and she continues to surprise and innovate. "To work on what you like is too easy; it's not challenging. When I am working with a colour or a shape that I have always really hated, I'm always happy. It gives me the space to be intrigued." Miuccia Prada, Sunday Times Magazine, March 27 2005.

    Colour usage: contemporary oddity
  • Urban uprising

    "You are who you wear" and everyone wants a piece of the good life. The explosion of urban sportswear brands triggered the global desire for previously elitist luxury fashion labels among the masses.

    Trend: ostentatious sportswear
  • Extreme shape

    We predicted an evolution of powerful silhouette statements that capture the dynamic cutting techniques of the couture masters of yesteryear. Shapes which at first appeared difficult are integrated into the fashion psyche as this decade draws to a close.

    New coat silhouettes: autumn/winter 2008/09
  • Cruisin'

    The growing importance of pre-collections has redefined the fashion diary. The notion of a fixed fashion calendar is becoming outmoded as consumers constantly crave newness.

    Womenswear S/S 07: The St-Tropez Socialite
    Womenswear focus: pre-collections
  • Vintage credibility

    As the high street becomes homogenised we crave originality. A curative approach to styling has come alive, giving consumers the ability to create their own looks. Our ceaseless fascination with the style of bygone eras and the relentless rummage for that fashion gem makes vintage an important sector.

    Womenswear S/S 09: Retrospective
  • Colour confidence

    WGSN has tracked the growing love affair with colour through the last decade, from a sombre beginning at the end of the 90s to a bright future.

  • Menswear

    As the spotlight shifted to highlight menswear innovations, the influence on womenswear brought about an entirely new aesthetic. The relaxing of gender stereotypes encourages a cross-pollination of styling and design, reinvigorating what women wear.

    Womenswear inspiration: let's hear it for the boys
  • Geek chic

    Tired of the pressure for constant unrealistic expectations, Luella lets us all revel in the ordinariness of the everyday and release our inner nerd. "The strangeness of the familiar, the fascination of the mundane. Celebrating both the unusual and the ordinary, to create the extraordinary." Think Tank A/W 06/07: Supermundane

  • Return to elegance

    Starlets and civilians alike welcomed a return to elegance, and featured modest glimpses of their bodies. Discovering the sexiness in covering-up, along with contemporary femininity, women did away with overt vulgarity.

    Womenswear A/W 07/08: Visionary, Libertine

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