8 Fashion Month Trends to Inspire Your Next Design Job

After a whirlwind four weeks on runways across New York, Paris, Milan, and London, the spring 2020 fashion shows have finally come to a close. And as the perfumed blur subsides, a number of catwalk trends and ideas have emerged that not only apply to fashion, but have the power to inform your next interiors project. From striking prints to unusual pairings to scene-stealing sets, here’s what stood out.

Spotty Vision
Polka dots have been a signature print at Carolina Herrera since the house’s early beginnings, so it’s no surprise its newly installed creative director Wes Gordon went wild with them for spring. But it appeared their playful spirit was contagious, because the bold spots continued to pop up as fashion month progressed, appearing at a number of shows including Marc Jacobs, Wales Bonner, Moschino, and Altuzarra.

 

 

 

Gamer Glam
For Prada’s show, Rem Koolhaas’s design studio, AMO, constructed a geometric pattern of colorful ceramic tiles within the grand hall of the Deposito at the Fondazione Prada. To some it resembled a pastel version of Tetris; to others, a magnificent Minecraft creation. Either way, paired with gold foil columns, it conveyed a cartoonish elegance.

 

Hot Tropic
Perhaps it’s the fact that the Milan shows coincided with the global climate strike, but many of the Italian designers seemed to have Mother Earth on their minds—in particular its rain forests. Dolce & Gabbana presented pieces in lush tropical prints. At Marni, models walked a plastic jungle set made from repurposed material; Versace recycled its famous J.Lo jungle print, even bringing back a take on the actual plunging dress from 2000, worn by the pop star herself. And in Paris, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli looked to the work of French painter Henri Rousseau for his bold, bright displays of jungle flora and fauna.

 

 

 

Rococo With Attitude
Exuberant volumes and fanciful florals can feel a bit fussy. But that didn’t stop a slew of houses from going full force with them. The trick to giving the whimsical aesthetic a fresh and modern look? Contrast it with cooler elements: Both Brock Collection and Khaite paired billowing, puff-sleeve taffeta pieces with raw denim. Rodarte cut overly romantic ruffled dresses from rock-and-roll sequins. And Dries van Noten and collaborator Christian Lacroix sent out flouncy florals layered with edgy animal prints, and copious frills with clean, palate-cleansing elements.

 

 

Fruitilicious
The fashion crowd got its fill of vitamin C this season thanks to houses like Oscar de la Renta, whose lush set included giant baskets filled with mangoes and oranges for the taking; Tom Ford, who introduced mouthwatering hues like lime and tangerine to his color palette; and Bottega Veneta, whose star designer Daniel Lee briefly broke from his minimal aesthetic with some striking pineapple prints.

 

Arts & Crafty
There is a notion that as the world becomes more digital, people are increasingly drawn to craft. Designers like Matty Bovan, Simone Rocha, and Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson gave folks something to feel good about by celebrating the handmade artistry of English delftware, 17th-century lacemaking, and good ol’ DIY patchwork.

 

 

 

Eclectic Minimalism
While still a major trend in fashion, minimalism has the tendency to leave some, well, wanting. Marc Jacobs and his production designer, Stefan Beckman, managed to give the spare aesthetic a refreshingly zany spin, with a set that featured a wild assortment of chairs (lawn, lounger, rattan, wrought iron) all whitewashed for uniformity.

 

Casa Barragán
Luis Barragán revolutionized Mexican architecture with his sumptuous use of color. His influence seeped into fashion this season, with both Erdem and Rick Owens crediting the late master for their saturated pink, yellow, and cadmium color palettes.

 

 

From Architectural Digest