Yet another month of fabulous, head turning fashion shows has come to a close and my my my do we have some hot takes over here. A growing conversation here at MODA blog has been whether or not this notion of ‘trend’ really has much validity anymore. In an era that puts so much influence on individuality and the diversity that comes along with contemporary fashion and runway shows, is it really possible to condense the eclecticism of over a hundred designers’ visions into a measly list of ‘trends’?

Leandra Medine, Editor in Chief of Man Repeller is positively screaming with joy this season~! Image via

Sure, from an analytical point-of-view, it’s possible to notice certain characters emerging on the runway, or even a propensity for certain fabrics, cuts or silhouettes on the runway, but really, what’s the point? Why bother tracking trends or trying to stay on top of what a group of visionaries happened to coalesce on this season? Why even have a report that presents these trends under some catchy phrase or poorly-worded play on words?

Inspiration.

When I first started writing these ‘trend reports’, I was coming to my own conclusions about how these groups of thematic elements seemed to deliver a larger meaning about our culture regardless of geographic limits. Be it New York or Paris, I truly believed that there were universal trends in fashion that represented universal trends in our humanity, which in some respects, I still stand by. However; more than trying to make meaning out of repeated visions, I believe what is more effective is to use ‘trends’ as a jumping off point to expand one’s own creative expression. Though I don’t like the idea of someone justifying a complete fashion overhaul solely to achieve a ‘trendy’ look, I do support the notion that taking a trend, applying its particular idiosyncrasies into one’s style and evaluating how it changes one’s persona is a powerful means of self expression and transformation.

This season, the question of the ‘trend’ seems more relevant than ever with designers completely pushing the boundaries of not only what fashion is and can be, but what a runway show can be as well. The sheer variety of content we received this year deservedly gives this season the title of the ‘trendless’ season, where designers seemed to really embrace the unique attributes of their brand DNA’s such that no two shows were quite similar enough to clearly identify any trends.

We saw some incredibly unique presentations of brands this year and it would be impossible for me to write this article without mentioning some standouts. For one, Tomo Koizumi showed once again at the Marc Jacob’s Atelier by having model Ariel Nicholson clad in a head-to-toe black body suit change in and out of his giant ruffled gowns, combining elements of fashion, Japanese theatre and apparently anime transformation sequences. Rihanna put on her Savage x Fenty show in Brooklyn and had it streamed online later through Amazon Prime. The show featured supermodels like Bella Hadid and Joan Smalls runway walking alongside icons like Laverne Cox, Aquaria and artists like Halsey, Migos and DJ Khaled. Among others, Rihanna also featured an immensely diverse cast of models with a whole range of body types and backgrounds, which I think truly exemplifies the direction that fashion has finally taken in the past few years.

Cara Delevigne slays in Savage x Fenty Lingerie for Rihanna’s ‘Fashion Musical’ presentation of her line. Image via

Furthering that, the question of communities seemed all the more relevant this year. Starting in New York with a discussion of the American identity; I must cite Prabal Gurung and his show finale which featured models wearing sashes that read ‘Who gets to be an American?’ and designers like Pyer Moss and Brandon Maxwell who really took to their own backyards and communities as inspirations for their collections. Moving forwards, we saw such a wonderfully diverse casting across the board in all four cities: notably with Christian Siriano’s wonderful mix of races, body types and gender expressions as well as Chanel’s fabulous range of women this season. And If I’m not mistaken, I think a certain Jennifer Lopez also made an appearance at Versace, but I could be wrong, I was distracted by Donatella trying to capitalize on Google Assistant.

JLo celebrates the 20th anniversary of the gown that allegedly launched Google Images at the Versace Runway. Image via

Finally, with more and more talk concerning the role that fashion plays in progressing climate change, it was so wonderful to see some designers really challenging themselves to think and create sustainably. Obviously a green-icon like Stella McCartney did not disappoint with fabulous clothes that are perfectly wearable that just happened to be eco-friendly as well, but it was uplifting to see a house like Marni making use of upcycled leathers to produce such a joyous collection that was of course, nothing shy of brilliant as well.

All-in-all, we must take these ‘trends’ less as a doctrine for what is appreciated in fashion this season, but rather utilize them as a means to expand the limits of our self expression. I find that this notion of following trends, or even in tracking or interpreting trends, comes from a desire to expand upon one’s own creativity and explore a new persona, a new style and I think as Fall begins, we can all feel free to reinvent ourselves as much as well please. At the end of the day, fashion is and has always been about enjoying one’s self and expressing who you are, whether that’s on trend or not is insignificant; we can all learn to have fun with fashion and that’s what really counts.

And with that, here are MODA Blog’s top trends from the Spring 2020 Shows~!

High Shine

Glossy glamor dominated the runway this season, with designers showcasing illuminating gowns, suits and accessories in shimmering shades of of gold, silver and jet black. High octane beauty seems to be a recurring theme this year in both fashion and entertainment with TV shows like HBO’s Euphoria inspiring designers to be more flamboyant in their fabric selection and inspiring consumers to follow a sequins-encrusted light towards a new frontier of extravagance. Brandon Maxwell mixed satin gowns and thick Swarovski chains to provide a high-and-low look perfect for any luxury tailgate. Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga brought us tremendous gold ballooning gowns that we’re sure to see on the red carpet this year. And of course, who could forget Anthony Vaccarello’s glistening Eiffel-Tower show with a Smoking Jacket-clad Naomi Campbell, lit up by hundreds of spotlights in the heart of Paris? Needless to say, shining bright seems to be on many designer’s minds for Spring.

Entering the Matrix

Following a major 90’s revival, we’ve seen this interesting resurgence of matrix-esque garments strolling down this season’s runways. It’s all about blackout sunglasses paired with trenches or tailored pieces and of course minimal monochrome all the way. Perhaps it’s a rethought vision of the working woman. A powerful, futuristic woman who has a utilitarian exterior with a heart of gold? Or perhaps it’s a fun way of channeling the 90’s trend in a chic and sophisticated way. Champions of this trend were certainly Marine Serre, who despite a rainy runway, showed wonderful jumpsuits and even released a model with a dog onto the runway. Furthermore, it was wonderful to see the house of Helmut Lang come back with monochrome pieces that can bring you any 90’s fantasy you want. Through entering the Matrix, designers allow consumers to experience reality and fantasy simultaneously and isn’t that all we can ask for from fashion week?

Sheer Talent

It was the season of the body, and what better way to showcase the body than to well…show it all? Many designers made use of transparent fabrics this season, in both ethereal and also hyper sexy ways. Following so much controversy about the female body in particular this year, it’s really touching to see many designers trying to reclaim the body through their work. Of course, consumers can choose to layer the pieces over others, but I can imagine quite a few body positive activists and red carpet regulars just going balls out and freeing it all. For more conservative women, I thought Simone Rocha exemplified how to make the trend more romantic. I think we were all quite surprised to see Alessandro Michele use transparencies in a more minimalistic manner, though still with a certain Gucci eccentricity that I think is quite inherent in the brand’s DNA. And of course, I must welcome back the wonderful work of Vera Wang, who seemed to channel ballet as a source of inspiration in her monochrome mesh collection this season.

Valley of the Dolls

Last season was all about the big volume - puffed sleeves, giant balloon skirts, volume on top of volume etc. I think this season, that trend condensed itself in this Doll-dressing trend. From lacy babydoll dresses to childlike pinafores layered over dress shirts and sweaters, it seemed like dressing down translated to dressing down a few years back to a simpler, more carefree time. Perhaps a response to the strength of youthfulness in heroes like Greta Thunberg or in stars like Millie Bobby Brown or Hunter Schaffer, or maybe a subversion of modern femininity, the trend is certain individual in its nature. Kicking off this trend was the house of Bathseva who showed their collection in a lecture hall at the New York Law School with powerpoint presentations describing how clothing guards the body’s tender areas. Anna Sui also featured quite a few of these dolly ensembles among pyjamas and robes in her very airy and feminine collection. Certainly the trend may hopefully inspire people to have more fun with dressing themselves, evoking a kind of human doll dress up that not only excites me, but perhaps scares me as well.

Dot-to-Dot

Building on the youthfulness of the earlier doll trend, we saw a resurgence of polka dots this season striding down the runway. In many ways, there was a nostalgic quality to many of the looks that came down; perhaps begging a return to a more classical time in history, or perhaps a subversion of classical femininity. Regardless, I’m glad that designers are having so much fun with the playfulness of polka dots. In particular, I admired how Michael Kors incorporated the print in his incredibly patriotic and touching show on September 11th; and I also enjoyed Wes Gordon’s whimsical dotted gowns at Carolina Herrera. However, my shining star has to be Richard Quinn whose DNA really meshes well with the playfulness and nostalgia of polka dots. Style is right on the dot clearly.

All That Jazz

Rounding off this trend report is the evolution of last season’s suiting trend. There was an overwhelming presence of Jazz this season; from Tommy x Zendaya’s joyous jazz parade to Ralph Lauren’s 1920’s jazz bar; we certainly saw that jazz was on the mind of many a designer this season. Sharp suits in colourful prints and fun fabrics topped with fedoras and playful accessories completed the trend. I especially liked the really cut musical instrument accessories like the guitar bags at Moschino and Piano fanny packs at Pyer Moss. I think if there’s any trend that’s a testament to the playfulness we saw coming down the runway this year, the Jazz trend has you covered.

And that concludes our Spring 2020 trend report. Which trend was your favorite and which did we miss?

All slideshow images via Vogue Runway

Featured image via