REAL Exclusive Magazine Becca Smith - Perspectives - REAL Style

2016 Fashion Forward Forecast

By Becca Z. Towery

Quirky, Fun, And Clever

Happy New Year my REAL Style readers! “Out with the Old & in with the new.” It’s a new year and a perfect time to freshen up your wardrobe. What will the fashion designers this year have in store for all fashion lovers? Well … I’m excited to say 2016 has become an exciting and special fashion year. There are many new themes and innovative styles coming our way. Are you curious about the fashion collections of 2016? If so let’s take a sneak preview of the season’s collections, where casual elegance will rule.

The good news is, while the year of 2015 was focused heavily on the ‘70s revival and came in with some huge new styles, slowly tapering into the ‘90s, this year holds no particular decade as inspiration on its own but does a mix with some very modern attractions. That means that everything you have from last year can be mixed and matched to suit the 2016 expectations with relative ease, bringing out your own creative attributes as you create your own personalized wardrobe.

Take note, the trends are expected to be quirky, fun, and clever, bringing in the best of the best while still throwing us for a loop with some rather astonishing changes to how exactly we wear things. For example the top fashion trend that will really catch our attention in 2016 is the whole sleepwear worn as outerwear trend. Sleepwear as Outerwear! Yes that’s right, there are bedroom eyes following us around, as we are encouraged to take our white satin with black lace slips and wear them out, plunging necklines and high slits and all.

Boxy Jackets will be a big spring thing, what with the cooler winds yet to give way to the summer breeze. They are light layers though and very much needed to ensure both style and warmth. The jacket trend for the upcoming seasons actually seems to take on a boxier silhouette, with cropped cuts and a sophisticated figure, roomy but with a proper fit for the body, perfect to go with the slack pants that are also a huge thing for the season.

New Bold Power Suits, and bold is an understatement when it comes to the way suits are looking these days, especially for the upcoming seasons. They are probably not meant for the conservative business environment, as they scream out loud and clear with their creativity, full prints and bright colors, but they sure make a statement no matter where you are standing. They are without a doubt, one of the most intriguing spring/ summer 2016 fashion trends to hit the runway.

Get ready for Bared Shoulders. It is one of the biggest spring 2016 fashion trends and it is rocking our worlds! We love the bare shoulders, especially since our tans will be lacking those unnecessary lines that are caused with any other type of covering over the chest. Everything from daywear to wedding dresses will be sporting the bare shoulders as of spring and we can look forward to wearing out our favorite designer pieces, since nearly all had at least one or two to match the style. Asymmetrical necklines could be found as well, though those are not for the people who have the need for everything to be balanced, instead appealing for the more artistic minded.

Peekaboo Black Pieces they are black as we can see and they allow us to see a whole lot more. The black is featured in nearly every collection, with sheer paneling, cutouts, lace aspects, spider web details and other ideals that reveal a bit more skin than we thought we might want. It is sexy, it is playful and it is certainly the furthest thing from boring.
70s Suede Continues On. We loved the suede last year, particularly for the fall and winter. Now, we see it playing peek-a-boo with us for the spring and summer, appearing from time to time in beautiful designs.

Leather Keeps Its Spot on the Runway as well. Leather has been a big trend for a while now and seems to be going strong still, despite having wavered in designer popularity in comparison with the past seasons. You will see it appear often enough as a jacket, while still taking into account the high waist miniskirts, the gorgeous shoes and sandals, the zip up variations, and all.

I’m excited about the Frills, Ruffles and More Ruffles in 2016. Ruffles are lovely. They make any piece looks positively feminine and utterly delicate, particularly when the ruffles are created from flimsy, swaying fabrics. Side Slits, We love seeing some thigh, especially on those long skirts and dresses as they begin to wrap around the legs. There is something infinitely gorgeous about the side slit, something that has continued on from the past seasons and looks to want to keep its place on the runway. You will also be happy about Maxi Dresses and Skirts in 2016. There are a whole lot of maxi dresses on the runway for the spring and summer and we love them very much, especially when they come in positively spectacular designs and colors. And get ready, they are Bringing Back the ‘90s. Nostalgia does much for fashion inspiration and while we have become used to seeing some of the ‘70s looks appear on the runways, it is always interesting to realize multiple decades have been modernized but yet still keep their distinctive flair. You will see everything from the rave culture to grunge and even a few fanny packs.

Added Embellishments embroidery and embellishments will appear all over in 2016 and really do make the artistic looks even more attractive. There is a whole lot of minimalism involved but at times the designers went for maximum effect, ensuring we know of and clearly appreciate their craftsmanship.

There are many trends in 2016 to behold, as there are some incredibly beautiful designs, cuts and silhouettes to choose from. As you can see there are also some rather unexpected pickings that seemed to have captured the imaginations of the creative artists from each Fashion House. At the end of the day, they must be good in predicting the upcoming favorites as well, which certainly helps us come to terms with wearing nightgowns in public… though that might take a while to get used to. Keep in mind the trends are expected to be quirky, fun, and clever.

^[1]Rebecca Z. Smith, a fashion stylist/image consultant, is founder of We’ve Got Style. She offers wardrobe planning, closet consultations and is available for styling/personal shopping services. Rebecca knows fashion: the looks, the trends, the runway buzz, and how to put an outfit as well as a sustainable wardrobe together. More importantly she takes pride in knowing each client personally. This combination of professional expertise and highly personalized service ensures every client has the wardrobe that expresses their best self. For your entire wardrobe needs contact Rebecca at (941) 223-6643, beccarealstyle@gmail.com ^[2] – www.wevegotstyle.biz ^[3].

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