Last year it was beaded bags, floaty midi skirts and the all-important white trainers - to say nothing of that viral polka dot dress. Every summer brings its trends and by the end of the season it can all look a little samey-samey.
With the fashion industry always rushing to declare the next trend, now is the perfect time to get a jump on your Spring and Summer wardrobe. Paris Fashion Week is in full swing but closer to home the Brown Thomas Spring/Summer fashion show gave us a taste of what's coming down the runways this year.
We caught up with renowned stylists Celia Holman Lee, Cathy O'Connor and Corina Gaffey to find out what they're loving at the moment, what key pieces they suggest we pick up and what's the new "nice top and jeans" for 2020.
Watch the video above for their tips!
Relaxed silhouettes dominated the runway, with Holman Lee singling out the lush "tent-feel" to dresses by Victoria Beckham in particular. Loose tailoring also proved to be a big trend, as she praised the "tailored jackets that were coming through. All over the place, the tailored jacket, with sleeves, with no sleeves."
O'Connor added that the "silhouettes have changed dramatically" in the last year. "What we're looking at is caped sleeves, we're looking at dramatic silhouettes, a lot of Halston-inspired fabrics. The trench coat is back with a vengeance!"
All in attendance seemed to be enamored with the final look, a dreamy and yet contemporary voluminous bright green dress by Victoria Beckham. Featuring draped sleeves, a daring low-cut neckline and a 70's-inspired collar, the gown was truly a showstopper.
"It's so easy to wear", Gaffey said. "I love those shapes that are coming in, the Big Dress Energy, the kind of voluminous styles that are so easy to throw on in the warmer weather - when we get it!"
Less of a trend and more of a much-needed shift in the right direction, Gaffey praised the show's use of Nanoushka, a brand celebrated for their cool and sleek vegan leather pieces.
Although a nod towards one of the most talked-about fashion moments of 2019 did come in the appearance of KHAITE, the brand behind Katie Holmes' viral cashmere "bradigan" - bra and cardigan combination.
Inspiration came from - literally - all over the world, as what she called the "world traveler" look came to the fore. "It's that kind of idiosyncratic mixture of prints, textures, a lot of tailoring with softness."
Following the trend for more modest dressing, blouses in all shapes, sizes, textures and materials also featured on the runway. The white blouse reimagined with a box quilt by Bottega Venetta, a sharply finished pussy bow blouse in sky blue by Victoria Beckham and an exquisitely structured lace pieces by Zimmerman all made the case for the blouse as the new "nice top with jeans".
"I think the blouse is really important", Gaffey said. "You can put a different spin on the look. If everyone's wearing the same dress ... it becomes samey-samey, but with a key piece like a blouse you can style it with so many different things. It dresses something up a little bit, it's kind of the new-gen nice-top-and-a-pair-of-jeans for going out."
As for what we should be investing in as we head into (hopefully) warmer days, the stylists were unanimous on one count: tailoring, tailoring, tailoring.
"What I think is going to be invaluable in anyone's wardrobe is a tailored jacket, slightly oversized and worn with possibly a sheer skirt and Converse trainers", O'Connor said. "Man, they are really, really everywhere!"
White trainers look exquisite in the summer, with a slinky dress or cool trousers, but muddling through the dregs of winter in them will only leave you with mud-stained feet. Gaffey suggests leaning into transitional dressing with a pair of knee-high boots.
"A knee-high boot is a really good piece to have. If you wanted to wear your spring-time dress now, you could with your knee-high boots layered with tights", she says.
"Layering is really good if you're going to double up your clothes. Whether it's a polo neck, which we saw a lot here but also on the runways at international fashion weeks. Most of the stuff in your wardrobe, with the weather we have in Ireland, is all-year-round."
Watch the full video for all their insider tips on Spring/Summer 2020.
