PANTONE UNVEILS THE COLOURS FOR SPRING SUMMER 2015

With New York Fashion Week in full swing and London Fashion Week fast approaching, Pantone, the global authority on colour, has unveiled that designers are moving towards the “cooler and softer side” of the colour spectrum for Spring/Summer 2015. Whereas Autumn/Winter 2014 was filled with “untypical colours” such as exotic shades of red and subtle blues, for Spring/Summer 2015 designers have opting for softer hues of blue, an “eclectic, ethereal mix of understated brights, pale pastels and nature-like neutrals” as designers draw inspiration from daydreams of simpler times.  

    










Many feel compelled to be connected around the clock because we are afraid we’ll miss something important. There is a growing movement to step out and create ‘quiet zones’ to disconnect from technology and unwind, giving ourselves time to stop and be still,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute. “Colour choices follow the same minimalistic, ‘en plein air’ theme, taking a cue from nature rather than being reinvented or mechanically manipulated. Soft, cool hues blend with subtle warm tones to create a soothing escape from the everyday hustle and bustle.”

   
Aquamarine, Scuba Blue, Lucite Green, Classic Blue, Toasted Almond, Strawberry Ice,Tangerine,
Custard. Marsala and Glacier Grey are the colours we have to look forward to once the long cold winter is over.



Pantone names top 10 colours for spring/summer 2015

Top of the women’s colour chart is ‘Aquamarine’, an airy, ethereal blue with a cool, dreamy feel that Pantone states is a soft shade that acts as a stress reducer. It is also a hue that mixes well with the other blues and greens in the top 10. Which is offset with the “carefree playfulness” of ‘Scuba Blue’ that is more of an energising shade that takes the wearer “off to an exotic paradise”, while the soft, serene green of ‘Lucite Green’ invigorates the body and mind and offers a fresh sense of clarity.
Other popular hues will be ‘Toasted Almond’ a suntanned neutral, which pairs well with the light, nurturing coral tone of ‘Strawberry Ice’ as seen at Rebecca Minkoff, and ‘Tangerine’ an energising, non-jarring take on orange that adds a pop of colour for spring. Rounding up the top 10 is an all-encompassing yellow ‘Custard’, which combines well with ‘Classic Blue’, and the warm red-brown colour of ‘Marsala’.
For men the colour palette focuses on “uncontrived natural and deeper tones” for an “unassuming and sophisticated” top 10. A favourite for the men for SS15 will be ‘Dusky Blue’, a cool, calm serenity, representative of the sky, which pairs well with ‘Glacier Gray’ and ‘Treetop’, a “healthy harmonious green” that offers a reassuring presence.
‘Classic Blue’ is the core anchoring hue, while ‘Toasted Almond’ continues as another neutral. ‘Woodbine’ is a tropical green, which Pantone says pairs well with the earthy and rugged associations of ‘Sandstone’. Which contrast with the palette’s most fashion-forward hue of ‘Lavender Herb’ and the rich colour of ‘Marsala’.
Images: Pantone SS15

OSCAR DE LA RENTA NYC FASHION WEEK

Highlights from the Oscar de la Renta Catwalk,  designer favourite of the red carpet crowd. 


 


 















 

TOMMY HILFIGER NYC FASHION WEEK

Models paraded around a lawn strewn in gerbers, it was a little bit Woodstock, a little bit Glastonbury at the Tommy Hilfiger show at New York fashion Week. 

 

The music festival girl - a free-spirited hippy with bandanas streaming from her wrist and a constellation of star tattoos stamped over her limbs - was Hilfiger's spring muse, and he homed in on a glamorous riff of vintage rock ‘n’ roll (the genre is a personal love of the designer). It felt more British in parts than his usual all-American tendency and the show notes cited a nostalgic King’s Road attitude. 





































 




 







 




 

Designer Tommy Hilfiger

HAIR & BEAUTY NEW YORK FASHION WEEK SPRING /SUMMER 2015

Some of the Spring/Summer 2015 hair & beauty looks back stage at New York Fashion week

 

Cleopatra's scarab beetle shaped hair at Cushnie et Ochs Moroccanoil's global creative director, Antonio Corral Calero, told beauty editors that this season he'd been inspired by "the powerful sexiness synonymous with Cleopatra as well as ancient Egyptian mythology." He went on to shape his double elastic super slick ponytail around the idea of a lucky scarab beetle.                 



Christian Louboutin paints New York City's nails... Grey-green at Peter Som and baby pink at Cushnie et Ochs with his new nail collection colours - expertly applied by celebrity nail artist Madeleine Pool.  

 

  Stylists worked that body at Prabal Gurung 'Like she just stepped out of a gym'; it was locker room, post work-out hair with guts at Prabal Gurung's spring/summer 2015 show.

 

Sporty Skin at Alexander Wang "Strong and energetic - the look is clean with moisturized skin paired with accentuated highlighting and contouring to bring out the strength of the girl's features," explained leading backstage make-up artist Diane Kendal for Nars                 



Hannah Murray keeps it simple at Rachel Comey Take one Nars face cream and one tinted moisturiser and follow Hannah Murray's Rachel Comey spring/summer 2015 suit with some "effortless handsome beauty." Next, keep brows "boyish, uncomplicated," and lips "hydrated with balm. 

  

Mirror make-up at Monique LHuillier Beautiful skin with water-like reflections; this is the make-up that master of make-up Val Garland envisioned for Monique LHuillier, and these are her backstage MAC make-up notes.                  

  The VB Brow If you, like us, thought Victoria Beckham's spring/summer 2015 boyish brow was laissez-faire and free

you'd be wrong - as illustrated by the detailed how-to shots below. Whilst tweezers still remain our long-lost accessory this season, brow pencils, wands, brushes and fillers do not. Keep 'em big, but keep 'em groomed is the message.


          

MARC BY MARC JACOBS SPRING/SUMMER 2015

Design director Luella Bartley went dotty for large black spots, giving pastel jackets, cotton dresses and PVC skirts a generous dose  at Marc by Marc Jacob New York Fashion week. 

 


















 

CAROLINA HERRERA

Carolina Herrera's Spring/Summer collection at New York fashion week felt more modern and contemporary than previous seasons, a feeling aided by Perspex belts and some of her fabrications - a spongy techno crêpe with exposed raw seams ventured into sportswear territory. It gave a youthful edge to tailoring and floor-trailing gowns. There were other quirks too, like origami-style folds and angular points jutting out from straps and huge patch pockets on ball skirts.