NATURAL STYLING

Inspirations
Time-out, stillness and silence, a break, a (fashion) pause….
After a several stressful seasons with so much color to please us and to make us more happy, so much opulence to make us feel richer and so many loud eye-catching prints and designs to make us escape from a hard world into fantasies, it is time for a ‘break’, a pause, some peace and rest to make a new start with a fresh mind...... how will it go on?
Companies run after all new collections from inspiring designers, take stress to copy and launch one new trend after another many times a year. And often the new trend is already ruined by its cheap outfit, before the consumer even has the time to really appreciate it.
A time-out is the new option; in this stressful world we see it in the need for meditation, for taking a moment of silence and heal. That’s what should happen in politics too, in our economy, our society… we have to stand still sometimes and become aware of our situation. We have been running too fast, we have to look back in time, learn from what has happened and then start afresh and think ahead, how will we go on in the future?
This need is already reflected in the latest collections of the greatest fashion designers….. Running after every hype and cult is not in anymore…
New styling ideas appear more natural, ageless, timeless and have a fresh purity.
All ‘overdone’ ideas are skipped, though there are still the echoes of the other trends which we’ll see in 2007.

Colors and Fabrics
Non-colors, neutral, natural, reduced colors, light and dark. The serene, light spiritual colors of Enlightenment and the ‘hide away comfortable, not to be noticed' colors like Ensconce; grayish and frozen may be keywords too here. Yet also we see Bohemian mood and other romantic colors, just the styling is reduced. Dull colors and fabrics can be livened up here and there with a sparkle, a stroke, a flash of shine, of silver or gold.
All kinds of fabrics are here, almost no prints or lace motives; some refined modern structures, dense/transparent/half transparency plays in fine stripes; modern styled motives here and there;
Manipulating textiles by manual techniques: textiles are to be manipulated, twisted, shaped, tangled, twined, folded, draped, braided, wreathed, wrapped and fine-pleated.
For bodyfashion modern innovative techniques like thermo-collage, double layering and also body-care qualities fit in this theme; the possibilities for strap free stick on bra-cups and other moulded shapes are being further developed; they will be combined with techniques of fancy lace and prints…

Silhouettes
For sportswear we see colonial styling with echoes of African safari or Cuban uniform styles; with simplified, refined details, contrasting lines for accents.
Ladies’ outerwear seems ‘comfortable and timeless’; just ordinary, quite loose, daily basics with retro or classic echoes.
Some romantic empire-linked shapes; soft, reduced round balloon shapes.
Body-sculptural design with anatomic accents by seams and constructions.
Refined or larger draping, enveloping, moulage techniques; sculptural plissé’s; twisting, twining, braiding and wreathe technique details; loose tapes, plissé and flounces accessories; manipulated openwork and origami pleats.
Underwear styling is very minimalistic, with a line, an accent of color here and there, uniform/military-linked details now and than.