TREND: NEUTRALS

Style / Trends

March 15, 2010

Fall 2010 will bring us beige, ivory, camel, taupe, black, gray, and white...

There was an interesting color trend in the Fall/Winter 2010 collections. Despite the increasing importance of emerging markets in Asia, India, and Russia, where the majority of shoppers are known to favor colorful looks, the dominating palettes on the runway were made up of neutrals - namely beige, ivory, camel, taupe, black, gray, and white. So while it may seem that many designers played it safe with their color choices this season, that thought comes only from someone who is looking at the collections from a Manhattan-centric perspective, where neutrals dominate street fashion.

So will China, India, and Russia embrace this color palette? That of course remains to be seen, though a number of designers showed embroidery-heavy collections alongside their neutrals, which may draw in many of the same demographics that would otherwise be turned off by the garments' colors.

Like many other neutral-loving women, I found myself in particular awe of Stella McCartney, Tia Cibani at Ports 1961, and Hannah MacGibbon at Chloe’s runway shows. Fittingly, another major trend this season was minimalism, and these particular designers always shine in that regard. All of these designers managed to show separates and dresses that let the draping, tailoring, and details – from silk lining to carefully knotted fabrics – do the talking. Showing a collection with endless bells and whistles and bold colors makes keeping viewers' attention (for better or worse) a great deal easier than when you’re showing a slew of understated, neutral looks, but these designers managed to pull it off (particularly MacGibbon).

The best part about this trend is that it’s easy to stay ahead of the fashion game, as neutrals work just as well for Spring/Summer as they do for Fall/Winter. Load up now, and make the trend your own by layering and adding accessories that match your personality. A beige cardigan paired with a strand of pearls is quite different than a beige cardigan paired with a big, bold, animal-inspired Kenneth Jay Lane necklace. In the end, that’s what the best fashion trends allow us to do – make them our own.