Style Forecaster: The Fashion Revolution: from Chanel to Gaultier

A global fashion revolution is definitely in the air post Paris Fashion Week thanks to the rebellious looks and ground-breaking collections that have been dominating every ss15 catwalk for the past few weeks. From Chanel’s feminist fashion protest this Tuesday to Vivienne Westwood’s pro-democracy battle-cry at London Fashion Week a few weeks back; it seems that virtually every well-known and emerging designer is joining some sort of fashion protest in a bid to radically alter the future of modern fashion. So with this dramatic fashion upheaval in mind, I thought that I would give you a quick run-down of the most disruptive and game-changing trends that will probably be changing all of our wardrobe choices in the near and not too distant future, if not already. See what you think, and viva la revolution! ;-)

Chanel’s recent catwalk insurgency was one of my favourite shows for ss15 womenswear thanks to the real-life protest that took place on the catwalk, with many of the world’s top models storming the runway at the end of the show in dazzling protest-perfect clothes holding giant riot placards above their heads. Cara Delevigne headed the dramatic demonstration at the end of the show with huge mega-phone, shouting expressive feminist chants to an awe-inspired audience, who watched in absolute wonder and amazement.

The entire fashion riot was perfectly staged by the enduringly fashion-forward Karl Lagerfeld, who brought us a kaleidoscopic mash-up of psychedelic rainbow prints which looked like the vibrant graffiti that rebellious protestors spray over buildings during storming riots like the G8 Protests or the environmental and civil rights movements of 1960s America. The wild colours and chaotic crowds directly referenced it all whilst looking to the future with bold new styles.

Another key fashion radicalist from the Parisian shows was Jean Paul Gaultier, who showcased his final women’s ready-to-wear collection last week after announcing his decision to focus purely on haute couture from next season onwards. The Parisian fashion master has been somewhat of a leader in breaking boundaries ever since his early collections in the 1980s, which controversially forced a change in fashion momentum with their focus on provocative street-wear and neglected style sub-cultures. At the time, the elite Parisian fashion houses were focusing on mainstream elegance, whilst he pushed forward irrespectively on a different tangent by focusing on sexy and futuristic designs such as Madonna’s infamous canonical bra, which he designed for her 90s ‘Blond Ambition’ tour. These irreverent designs gained him the controversial nickname of the ‘enfant terrible’ of French fashion, which literally translates to ‘terrible child,’ and is totally reflective of his revolutionary and rebellious tendencies. His ss15 show continued this legacy, with outlandish female wrestler jumpsuits, attention-grabbing lightning bolt patterns and provocative, sexy pieces which I believe will push even more fashion boundaries for the next few seasons to come!

Vivienne Westwood’s designs for ss15 also trampled on tradition and looked forward to the future in the same vein as Gaultier with the arresting ‘Yes’ slogans that were sprawled over her designs to push forward democracy and the Scottish Independence vote. Her love of nature and her environmental activism also shone through with her tropical rainforest references, whilst her fluid, draping shapes gave an environmental protest twist with their organic, hippy-trip silhouettes.

Such references were followed through perfectly with Dries van Noten’s striking show, which showcased colourful 60s ‘Summer of Love’ Woodstock Festival looks that reminded us of the power and influence of sub-cultural revolt. The vibrant rainbow stripes and loose-fitting flower-power silks signalled the next phase of an environmental movement which will no doubt influence summer style for the next few seasons, much like it’s doing with current winter trends from the likes of Etro and Missoni for example. This bohemian revolution was also on the cards at Saint Laurent for ss15, with naturally flirty floral dresses and rebellious military jackets, indicating an upcoming environmental trend take-over for the fashion seasons that are yet to come.

Other revolutionaries took a slightly different route to the future with vigorous pseudo-aggressive designs that will no doubt pave the way for gritty gang-land streetwear styles in the forthcoming fashion seasons. Yohji Yamamoto’s defiantly powerful show paved the way for domineering military and army inspired looks with his patent black boots, arresting leather gloves, black berets and ‘military general’ hats, whilst also embracing a ‘jungle warfare’ silhouette with strappy cargo-inspired pants, athletic embellished bustiers and cropped tropical camouflage bombers. Statement dressing therefore seemed to be stepping up a gear by entering into new territories, where femininity starts to get fierce. The cult emerging label ‘Hood by Air’ continued this vibe by taking New York Fashion Week by storm with its militant paratrooper bungee hook pants, chunky black boots, zipped detailing and utilitarian army leathers. Both of these labels are therefore looking to the future with a revolutionary vision that is certain to shake things up.

Futurism also seems to be looking to distant planets and new, undiscovered worlds for revolutionary inspiration by embracing alien shapes, cutting-edge materials and cosmic geometric silhouettes. Junya Watanabe pushed the style boundaries to a whole new dimension with asymmetric moon-bubble shaped separates and space-aged planet head-dresses on ‘Blade Runner’ styled alien make-up models, whilst Comme des Garçons embraced a ‘Star War’s warrior princess look with supernova coloured lava-lamp shapes and 3-dimensional dresses in planetary proportions. The future is therefore in the making by design leaders like these who are destroying the classic codes of dressing in favour of undiscovered new style codes with eclectic new design shapes.

We can therefore see a rapidly evolving fashion landscape on the horizon which is definitely becoming more adventurous and extravagant in its stylistic vision. And the ss15 shows have been testament to this with their brilliant new takes on ready-to-wear womenswear. So to celebrate this radical and futuristic change, I’ve put together some cool picks from current season pieces which you can play with to reference these futuristic trends before everyone else catches on! It’s clearly time to march against the old and start a new fashion future, so gold bold and protest for something new, just like Chanel did at Paris Fashion Week J