Spring 2015 Fashion Trends

Raleigh, NC — For most people, the middle of January means snow shoveling, sweaters, and heavy coats. But, in the world of fashion, Spring is just around the corner. On January 20, 2015, CaryCitizen was invited to meet with Belk Store’s trend forecaster, Arlene Goldstein, for a sneak peek at the trends for the Spring 2015 season.

The rage today may be a rag tomorrow…

One of my favorite lines from Arlene Goldstein’s presentation was, “The rage today may be a rag tomorrow,” and, boy, isn’t that the truth? Just take a look back at photos of yourself from the 1980’s, and you’ll know what this means!

Goldstein went on to state that it takes courage to be different and that this coming season is all about mixing it up by blending fun, eclectic colors and patterns to achieve surprising results.

Spring 2015 Fashion Trends

Goldstein keyed-in to four main trends: Spare Me, Garden Party, Islander, and Sports Chic. They carry forward ideas from last year with a modern-mix twist.

Spare Me

This trend focuses on modern geometry with a paired-down feeling. Architectural details like grid patterns and linear prints, for example. Look for lots of color blocking, even in shoes, and for lots of black and white mixes and pops of bright colors.

Goldstein emphasized that clean, crisp, white looks great (as an accent or head-to-toe). Now, white can be worn in early Spring (you know, before Memorial Day). Fall’s open-toed bootie continues into this season as well as other shoes that show lots of cut-outs and open-work detailing.

Garden Party

Think gorgeous, pretty, feminine florals–always popular here in the South. Dresses are super important, including the ever popular maxi length, which gets more serious this spring. Goldstein emphasized how comfortable this length is–and that it’s not just for cover-ups and barbecues any more!

The floral print will be the most important pattern for the season, but it can be mixed with edgier pieces for more excitement. Try wearing a floral sheath dress, and pair it with a faux leather moto jacket. Florals will appear in accessories too, like jewelry, handbags, and even shoes.

The newest color trend here is the mix of pale colors with brights. They can be mixed within an outfit or within knit stripes and floral prints. Lace remains a key textile and trim.

Islander

There is always a trend that speaks of vacation, islands, and tribal influences. Islander has all of that but is more polished than in seasons past. Now, the trend is more relaxed with softer shapes and deeper colors.

Print patterns to watch for: Ikats, paisleys, bandana prints, and ethnic stripes. A touch of black makes these prints easy to match with shoes and bags. The palm print will appear across the board in printed fabrics and handbags as well as in kid’s and men’s clothing. Trim details include straw, beads, leather and fringe. Pair with strappy sandals.

Sports Chic

These items have the feeling of being borrowed from the gym, but they are elevated to be able to be worn everyday. Think about a sweatshirt shape that is now made with a mix of printed rayon woven fabric and mixed with a soft jersey knit in a pretty print.

There’s an athletic feel, along with fleece used in dress silhouettes or shoes that have athletic tracker soles. The word that’s being used in merchandising is “Athleasure.” Look for re-invented hoodies, bold color blocking, stripes, graffiti, and numbers.

Trending Items:

The newest length for dresses is the midi, or just covering the knee. Short doesn’t disappear but will remain the domain of the very young. Some dresses will drag the floor. There’s a return to the natural waist (finally!), and the crop top emerges as a big idea which doesn’t have to bare the midriff if the paired piece has a higher waistline.

An important new fashion staple is two-piece dressing, or matched printed tops with printed skirts or pants that coordinate. This look hasn’t been seen since the mid-90’s, but it opens up a lot of wardrobe options. Purchase both pieces and wear them together as a set, or break them up to wear with other things. Suddenly, you have 3-5 different outfit options.

In shoes, the platform hasn’t disappeared entirely, but the trend is moving toward a single-soled pump, or stiletto.

Top 10 Items:

Look in your closet and see what works from last season, then try finding a key piece or two from the following “Must Have” list to give yourself an update.

Women:

1. Kimono- the modern completer piece
2. Soft Pant
3. Easy Fit Top
4. Matched set (2 piece dressing top and skirt that match)
5. Longer Skirt
6. Jumpsuit
7. Floral Dress
8. Statement Earrings
9. Glitzy Sandals
10. “Look At Me” Lips

Men:

For guys, the trends are very similar to women’s wear, with the exception of Garden Party, which becomes a modern take on the Preppie look that has been universally popular in the South for ages.

Most wanted items for the guys include:

1. Updated Polo (in performance fabrics, color blocked, or unusual colors)
2. Shorter Short
3. Bold Prints
4. Jog Shorts
5. Athletic Inspired Knits
6. Plaid Sportcoat
7. White Pants
8. Spring Suit
9. Sneaker Style Slip-Ons
10. Fashion Add-Ons (like the messenger bag)

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Story by Lindsey Chester. All photos courtesy of Belk Media Room.