Thigh-highs, balmy coats, blubbery stockings, scarves and gloves accept served us able-bodied in winter, but summer is about actuality and we’re so accessible to embrace the new division and, best importantly, we are accessible for new appearance trends. The coolest affair about summer is that you get to accomplish the rules. You can be antic with your attending and agreement with new styles. 2017 has been a acceptable year for African designers to advertise the best of Africa, and the summer trends will, no doubtedly, crossover internationally. Some of Africa’s top designers took allotment in South Africa’s Appearance Week. The designers who showcased brought in fresh, active colours that are alike with African summer. They batten to Africa.com about the affidavit they took allotment in the event, what to attending out for this summer, and, best importantly, how their collections will represent Africa abroad.
Usually, brides appear to apperception back you anticipate of lace. Or, maybe an atramentous wear. Well, for summer, designers achievement to change your apperception about this around-the-clock trend, and they are ablaze that applique is actuality to stay. Applique is ablaze and accessible to wear, so abounding of the seasons apparel will absorb it. You aloof accept to accumulate the antithesis and anxiously amalgamate it with your accustomed outfits. The key with applique is to aces the appropriate colour, fabric, and appearance says appearance designer, Carla Pinto. Pinto showcased her latest accumulating at the SA Appearance Week. Pinto’s House – African Appearance Story is all about prints, floral and lace. For the show, she recreated a floral applique book that contrasts beautifully with a geometrical adornment print. Pinto says her capital antecedent of afflatus was the aged applique and adornment patterns. She says she has a way about to brace and revitalise lace.
The Portuguese artist says this beheld apparition will absolutely accord women the altered achievability to abrasion clothes with a composure and timeless, yet adventurous look. The beginning access is to accomplish it annihilation but formal. Pinto says if you appetite to grab attention, coloured applique is absolute for you. She says to accept annihilation from ablaze red, yellow, dejected or blush colours instead of arena it safe with white and black.
A Bathrobe dress is absolutely the prettiest affair to abrasion this summer. The celebrated and acceptable bathrobe comes from Japan and has a continued account of altered traditions and styles. But, one needs to be accurate with this trend, as it can be calmly mistaken for a loungewear robe. South African appearance designer, Vanya Mangaliso, says that back allotment this look, it’s important to accept the one that you’re best adequate with and a absolute fit. Kimonos appear in assorted lengths. Mangaliso says to try and abstain ankle-length versions and rather accept calf-length designs instead.
There are abounding altered types of kimonos; they ambit from affection to silk, glassy and embroidered. They additionally appear in every arrangement beneath the sun from florals to stripes. There are a ton of altered means to appearance a Kimono, and the best allotment about it is that it instantly transforms your accouterments and you can dress it up or bottomward depending on the occasion. Some accept rocked this trend with jeans, shorts, or alike a simple dress. Addition air-conditioned affair about a Bathrobe is that you can additionally abrasion it as a dress on its own – aloof add a belt and you’re accessible to go. Abounding celebrities about the apple accept been spotted agitation this trend. South African actress, Pearl Thusi, and Nigerian musician, Tiwa Savage, accept begin avant-garde means to appearance off the actual trend.
Fashion designer, Loubna Ayouche Combalat, says that off-the-shoulder acme and dresses will be a appearance abnormality this summer. “It is no best aloof about the straight-cross style, but a assortment in cutting them: Two-shoulder, one-shoulder, asymmetrical, cut-out. Summer is consistently a fun, blessed division to analyze new ideas,” says the designer. The one-shoulder attending is not a new look. This trend has fabricated a arresting improvement from the 80s. Cameroonian appearance designer, Kibonen Nfi, says the accept cut-out attending is chic, unique, versatile, and accessible to style. She says you will absolutely abduct absorption if you brace a one-shoulder top with high-waist pants, or alike with a brace of tailored trouser pants with ancillary pockets.
South African appearance designer, James Moroeng, added that one-shoulder dresses are a massive hit this division with shirt styles actuality in the spotlight and atramentous gowns with the one-shoulder architecture attractive added adult and aesthetic than ever. Moroccan designer, Combalat, says one can absolutely acquiesce to comedy about with this trend …”from mini dresses to best styles, gowns to accidental – one-shoulder styles are the detail that accomplish a simple dress or top attending absorbing and accord some bend or chicness to an contrarily too-common outfit.”
White is consistently the ‘it’ colour for summer. Whether you’re off to the beach, accepting cafeteria with the girls, or painting the burghal streets this summer, there’s commodity about an all-white ensemble that keeps things apple-pie and simple, yet chic, and is an accessible way to attending beginning all division long. Artist Loubna Ayouche Combalat says that cutting white has consistently been a trend during the summer everywhere in the world. “I apprehend to see white afresh about this season, because of the accepted angle that white leaves us cooler, appropriately fresher during the calefaction days, says Combalat.” She adds that the added layers you include, the added absorbing your accouterments will be.
Designer Kibonen Nfi says that if an all-white accouterments is done right, it instantly adds an affected and adult vibe for every occasion. Nfi says, “Everyone can cull off this trend and attending absolutely gorgeous. Brace your white angular jeans with a white blouse for a around-the-clock all-white look. You absolutely can’t go amiss with this outfit. Also, if your accouterments includes a crop-top and a white blazer, it’s absolutely a acceptable look. Let’s not airship a simple white dress, whether continued or abbreviate – it will absolutely accomplish a account this summer.”
Welcome to the division of colour confidence. Summer is a division of abandon and exploration. It’s time to appearance your accurate colours, and activity colourful is a absolute way to accurate that. South African appearance designer, James Moroeng, says the girlier, the bigger this season. “Bump up the affair and don’t be abashed of ablaze colours. Summer allows you to comedy with colour.” But, he warns that sometimes colourful apparel are catchy to style. Moroeng says it’s accessible to bedrock this trend if you stick to debris and accomplish abiding to colour block.
Designer, Loubna Ayouche Combalat, additionally added that mix-and-match colors and color-blocking will absolutely accord you that glow. Combalat says we charge not comedy it safe with adventurous colours. “From able pinks, frog greens, red, sunshine yellows and fiery oranges. The alone administration aphorism back it comes to colour for 2017 is abrasion lots of it. Orange and ablaze blue? Sure! Blush and purple? Go for it! Sky dejected and scarlet, you will absolutely about-face active with these colours.” Blush and red are colours we are frequently told to accumulate separate. However, appearance designers at SA Appearance Week chose not to comedy it safe with this trend.
Attention-grabbing sleeves are burglary all the spotlight this summer. One cannot acquiesce to absence out on this air-conditioned trend. The attending is chic, girly, sophisticated, and elegant. One should absolutely advance their money on the bell-shaped, abbey to airship and loud cockle sleeves. This trend adds a altered dosage of appearance to alike the simplest of outfits. Designer, James Moroeng, says back you accept to accept this style, consistently bethink to accumulate the blow of your attending basal and acquiesce your account alarm sleeves to drive your outfit. “When arcade for alarm sleeves attending for styles that are a little flamboyant. And a simple contour in a aloof colour palette is all you charge to accomplishment this look.” And for those who are acquisitive for commodity a little affecting – cockle sleeves is a must-have in their wardrobe.
These sleeves are loud, fun, and attention-loving. Moroeng says, “Forget loud colours and patterns and opt for basal atramentous and white hues instead. Brace your cockle sleeve shirt with simple designs such as cropped, straight-leg trousers. The aboveboard appearance will accumulate your attending cool beautiful and chic, rather than absolution it go over-the-top.” For those attractive for commodity added bourgeois and simple, abbey sleeves are a charge to have. These sleeves are bendable and feminine. Best frequently spotted on admirable dresses, abbey sleeves accompaniment the apparel to which they accord while actual a standout affection in their own right.
Prints are never activity to go out of style, and now the abutting big affair this summer is book clashes. For accurate fashionistas, clashing is a head-turning appearance account and a fun way to transform anachronous accompanist pieces into active ensembles. South African appearance designer, Rina Chunga, says it’s time to aroma things up this summer and breach the rules by bond altered patterns and prints. “Rather than cutting prints with a apparent colour, we are now bond prints with added prints.” Pattern-clashing is not an absolutely new ambit to fashion. It is absolutely one that keeps re-emerging on the runway. Chunga showcased her African book accumulating at SA Appearance Week aftermost month. She says her accumulating was aggressive by her abysmal adulation for Africa.
The Zambian-born appearance artist says that commonly with African prints, bodies would additionally go for a safe advantage and brace them with a apparent brim or a brace of jeans. Chunga says anticipate crop tops, peplum tops, boxlike cuts and alike blazers commutual with addition African book skirt, pants or shorts. South African appearance designer, Ekta Kalan, additionally added that affray prints and patterns are the abutting big affair to acceptable the new season. Kalan says the focus for abutting division should be on abreast styles from Africa, avant-garde shapes and styles that are global, but yet absolutely accurate and altered to Africa, area ancestry in prints, colours, and ability are congenital into avant-garde and all-around looks.
Some appearance trends never absolutely go out of appearance – like that little atramentous dress, denim shorts, or high-waist pants. One of the bigger appearance statements that charcoal around-the-clock is the floral arrangement print. So, if you’re acquisitive to accomplish that girly-girl attending this summer, again you absolutely charge to add some florals to your wardrobe. Floral is one of those appearance appearance that can instantly accomplish any woman feel feminine, says appearance designer, Carla Pinto. She adds that this changeable attending allows one to be artistic and playful. “Floral prints acquiesce for a mix of colours – from appealing pastels to angry taupe shades.” Pinto additionally went actual big during her appearance at SA Appearance Week.
Talking to Africa.com, she’s appropriate means on how to bedrock this around-the-clock trend. “Not abiding how to assignment the floral trend? You don’t charge to be head-to-toe in annual prints to bless this feminine style. Team a appealing floral bodycon dress with a added adult covering or denim anorak for a rock-chick edge, or accept a floral blazer on top of a apparent atramentous midi. If you appetite to assignment floral, but to a minimum, floral pumps or a printed clamp purse are accomplished chaste accessories.”
This trend is absolutely actuality forever. Every few years, we see a cogent about-face in the shapes and cuts of denim. It allows appearance designers to get added and added creative. Kenyan-born appearance designer, Liz Ogumbo, says this around-the-clock trend is accepted and is acceptable for every division and every anatomy shape, and, of course, we can go alike bigger this summer. From denim shorts to dresses, pants, and skirts, one can never go wrong. Ogumbo says for some it can be catchy at times to amount out how to abrasion denim in the hot summer months. The artist has accustomed us some tips on how to cull this trend off and still adore the hot weather. “Denim shorts are appealing abundant accessible for summer. And anybody needs the absolute circumscribed jeans for summer. Also, the denim romper can be an alternative.
The antic onesie is a absolute summer allotment to abrasion over swimsuits. Denim shirts additionally abide in style, but try do it abnormally this season. Instead of cutting the shirt, abrasion a little atramentous applique dress to daytime and try wrapping it about your waist. I consistently accept white denim for summer, but I like to comedy about with colour as able-bodied and absorb added coloured denim as well,” says Ogumbo. South African appearance designer, Phiwase Nxumalo, adds that a archetypal denim anorak is a charge for back the summer sun sets and can be beat with everything.
And to complete your summer look, you charge the appropriate accessories. According to appearance designer, Mangaliso, “African appearance accessories are the abutting big wave. This will now see added of them become bigger refined, accustomed affairs items as against to alien ‘costume’ from accoutrements to jewellery.” Aloof like with appearance concepts of African jewellery accept evolved, one of the best pieces that allegorize this is the Ndebele choker. Not alone does it elongate posture, but gives one a afterglow that makes a adventurous statement. Addition accent that has been accepted is the Kenyan Masai Beaded Collar Neckpiece as it has generally popped up in the best absorbing places. Imagine a simple atramentous bodycon dress commutual with the Masai Beaded Collar…it brings the accouterments to activity behindhand of the occasion. Of advance a sun hat is a must-have for summer. Mangaliso says not aloof any old hat… “Not all sunhats are created according and the wearer generally knows the difference. Hats to curiosity are the way, chat pieces that what we are attractive advanced to this summer.” Block heels charge to be in your closet whether you’re attractive to add some acme to your look. Designers at SA Appearance Week congenital the appearance into their accumulating in several means during the shows.
Summer is consistently a fun and blessed division to analyze new ideas, but back it comes to accepting a brio for style, anybody has their own. It represents their own bulletin of expression, their own fingerprints on their alternative of outfits. The appearance designers we batten to say it’s consistently important to set your own trends based on how you feel back you deathwatch up in the morning, the seasons, your personality, your anatomy type, and aggregate about what you do. They say this is the time for the acceleration of appearance and a breach from actuality dictated by all-embracing trends.
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