Fashion Insiders
by Mercedes-Benz

Mother Nature come alive has inspired some of next summer's looks.

Essential aspects of nature show up ab libitum in silhouettes, colours, accessories, and details on garments. Designers have made their choices in search of responsible consumption which respects the environment and is more small-scale and exclusive.

Some designers are inspired by space and the future as depicted in science-fiction films, which now seem more fictional than ever. The anachronistic presence of cinematographic characters from retro-futuristic stories merge with elements of pop and manga culture. Technological fabrics and silhouettes loaded with sensuality empower women who truly belong more in the present than in the future.

Capes and tails feature as separate items on swimwear and lingerie, but also as extensions to dresses. Formal and casual styles are not prominent, -rather, the intention is to create fairytale characters. Tulle, net, chiffon, silk and technical fabrics reveal whether the character is good or evil.

In the post-war period in the United States, they faded into the background with the dawn of a decade when women would rediscover the splendour of fashion. Might this comeback be a temporary comparative?

All the hallmarks of fifties fashion, such as shapely hips and cinched waists, hourglass figures, sweetheart necklines, bare shoulders, high-waisted skirts, and dresses with wide skirts gathered at the waist, are in style this season.

Not only is avant-garde architecture a source of conceptual inspiration, it also influences the silhouettes of women's fashion designs. Designers play with space and air, with geometric cuts in midi dresses and futuristic tops. Bold contrasts between fabric and skin are a prominent feature of some of this season's main garments.

Relief flowers decorate numerous garments. They blossom on shoulders, waistlines, necklines, buttons, and even become three-dimensional garments in their own right, sometimes in contrasting colours and other times in monochrome. The secret is the XL size.

Sustainable dialogue continues in nuances of colour. There is plenty of blue, particularly a shade that brings to mind the most fluid of the five elements: ocean blue. Designers coincide in their reflexive and critical look at the environment.

Dresses are the star garment of the season. There was a huge number on the summer catwalks, some of the most popular of which were cape dresses, whose organic shapes in light silk were sometimes stiffened with tulle to emphasise the three-dimensional effect of the leaves. Mini, midi and maxi dresses in the same shade or a mix of colours from the same family to create the somatic floral effect.

The top star appears in a future key item. The must-have top of the future. Lingerie as outerwear without fearing the present. Always in glossy and metallic fabrics and straps which trace the skin and offer extra support. There is no need to cover it up with shirts and jackets. The criss-cross lines are enough to dress our science fictional character.

The corset belt is back as a hot accessory to create timeless yet edgy summer outfits. The emphasis is well and truly on the waist, held in place with buttons, clasps and ties to perform the age-old function of giving shape to long dresses.