If I had to pick the best part about my recent trip to Paris, I wouldn’t be able to. However, if I were asked to pick one of my favorite parts of Paris, that would be easy.
One of my main focuses of traveling to Paris was to notice the trends in fashion. Though the U.S. is a fashion haven, we are still less fashion forward than our friends from across the pond. Fashion trends begin in Europe and take nearly a half year to a year before reaching the United States . That’s just the time it takes to reach major fashion-oriented cities, like New York City. By the time that New Orleans see the trends I saw in March, it may be spring of 2017. That ain’t right. For this blog post, I thought it would be good to discuss the trends for those of you who like to be one step ahead.
I assumed since springtime was still gloomy (our stay in Iceland was grey skies, Paris was rainy), so I’d see neutral colors on long coats, ankle booties, and dresses. Boy, was I wrong. Paris always surprises me, and I was very impressed to see how the locals handle the changing weather and climate with their wardrobe.Though I gained inspiration from the locals, I wanted to visit the higher-end affordable shops, like Topshop, Zara, and Mango, to see what the stores were predicting would be in style this season. In my opinion, those stores hold influence over a large population due to their affordability, choice of clothing, and the clothes are always in style in accordance to seasons.
Of course, I visited Zara first. I can’t resist that store. It’s haunted me since I first visited it in New York City in 2014. There were several locations to visit, but I focused on the ones located on Champs Elysees and Rue du Rivoli. What I found here was classic Zara style, with a few subtle trends mixed in to their latest collection of clothing.
- Patent leather and holographic loafers. So, so many loafers. I wanted the silver holographic pair, honestly. They were fun. The boyfriend said no. He doesn’t get it.
- Thinner-than-spaghetti strap tanks and tops.
- Dresses and shirts that make the focus on your shoulders. No, not just bare shoulders, but off-the-top shoulders, cut out shoulders, halter necks, collar necks. All around crazy cuts that makes you get a little risque by showing some skin.
- Loose, flowly clothing that makes summer breezes glorious
They also had a few pieces that were Chanel inspired, namely a white blazer and a white dress. I was, of course, in awe, but I decided to peruse the vintage shops in Paris before deciding whether I really needed the Zara blazer. I’ll tell you the adventures I had in vintage shops in my next post.
Not too far from Zara on Rue du Rivoli, Spanish store Mango, was definitely following the same vibe as Zara, but their latest collection was less of the “professional-yet-trendy-but-affordable” and more of the “hip-young-woman-who-follows-trends” but also sets them. My last night in Paris I noticed that there were setting up ads from their latest collection: New Metallics. Karlie Kloss was in the ads, so I naturally freaked out first, then noticed the styles of the clothing she was modeling. Taking a cue from the late 1990s, where chokers, fake tans, and metallic dresses were all the rage (link for those who forgot), Mango is making us all feel like Kate Moss in that sheer slip dress.
- Glowing metallics are IN for this spring and summer. It’s eye-catching without too much effort.
- Very basic color scheme, which means you can add a pop of color that compliments the metallic clothing.
- Minimalism meets sexy/lingerie style clothing.
- Asymmetrical cut jeans. Usually, I would hate this…but I actually like it. It adds a rebellious streak to an otherwise modest collection.
Lastly, English brand, Topshop’s latest collection is almost undefinable. It isn’t quite festival, (think Coachella) but it isn’t really what I’d expect for a spring-time collection. What it is, is all over. It’s a little bit of everyone’s own taste. It caters to a wide range of interests, like having camo bomber jacket mixed in with a embroidered saddle bag.
- Blue wash denim shirt dress. Denim can actually look amazing if done right. This is right.
- Toned down, almost muted, floral prints. The print is great for the season, but unlike the pastel florals plastered on clothing, this print is quiet and doesn’t distract from the clothing article.
- Bomber jackets. Lightweight, casual. Why aren’t they more popular here? Great for those cool days that happens anywhere else during summertime in New Orleans.
I feel Mango’s New Metallics is the collection to explore the most. I absolutely love the sheer, metallic tops and dresses. I love how it does so much for an outfit just by the tone of the metallics.
Get to trending now, friends!
Xoxo,
Olivia
Maison de Martzell 