S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE - Print & PatternBy Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Romance is in the air for spring/summer 2014, as designers flirted with overtly feminine looks, incorporating a pretty palette of pastels with a bouquet of floral prints and an evolution of retro 1950s-fuelled looks.

Christopher Kane spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

SILHOUETTEWHAT'S THE LOOK?

Ruffles and pretty detailing are part of the new mood for feminine romance as fashion moves away from winter’s punk-inspired looks

Look out for mid-century couture influences with the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s next blockbuster exhibition, Charles James: Beyond Fashion, opening on May 8, 2014

Keep the look grounded by adding in basics such as the sweatshirt or biker, recoloured and refabricated into soft pastels or with embellished details

Key designers to inspire the look: Christopher Kane, Isabel Marant, Antonio Marras, Rochas, Burberry, Fydor Golan, John Rocha

Accessories help define the look with 3D embellishments, ankle straps and metallic leathers

Isabel Marant spring/summer 2014

KEY SILHOUETTES

This season the silhouettes of autumn/winter 2013/14 are evolved, with longer mid-calf lengths, the easy edge-to-edge cocooning or trapeze coat and pleated skirt shapes, while dresses continue the fit-and-flare waisted 1950s look, offering the perfect blank canvas for pretty floral prints.

The difference for next summer is the way that items are fabricated or coloured – think the biker jacket in pastels, floral prints or even weightless sheers, and the duster coat in lustrous satin.

It's important to keep the look grounded rather than overtly girlie and flirty, so items such as the pastel coloured trucker and the ruffled skater skirt will take on new resonance in recoloured pastels, teamed with camisole tops, skinny leather jeans or embellished sweatshirts. Bias-cut slip dresses are also part of the aesthetic.

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

Rochas spring/summer 2014

Fyodor Golan spring/summer 2014

Isabel Marant spring/summer 2014

Antonio Marras spring/summer 2014

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

COMPLETE THE LOOK

Footwear and accessories add overtly feminine finishing touches. Ankle straps and ankle ties coordinate with longer-length silhouettes, while chunky block heels and the new mules or slides are the hot spring footwear options. 3D-embellished floral trims provide a touch of whimsy for handheld bags and waist-cinching belts, with floral motifs highlighting jewellery options such as the choker necklace. The mood for 1950s-inspired cat’s-eye sunglassesis ongoing.

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

Lanvin spring/summer 2014

Marni spring/summer 2014Burberry Prorsum spring/summer 2014

Rochas spring/summer 2014

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

COLOURA pretty palette of candy-coated pastels with emphasis on sky blue, soft yellow, seafoam, mint, washed lilac and pale shell. Hot pink and low-lustre whitened gold are accents, while white is a grounding main shade.

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

Rochas spring/summer 2014Zang Toi spring/summer 2014Zac Posen spring/summer 2014DKNY spring/summer 2014

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Mary Katrantzou spring/summer 2014

PRINT & PATTERNThis delivery marks a change of direction and introduces the first of the season's all-important floral prints, worked as bold rose motifs or highly-defined botanical illustrative prints. There are grounding forces at play with checks such as classic dogtooth or summer camouflage recoloured in pretty pastels. Other important looks include candy stripes, soft diffused abstract all-overs and Rococo patterns worked as prints, beading or embellished lace.

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Carven spring/summer 2014John Rocha spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

BOLD BLOOMS

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Sonia Rykiel spring/summer 2014Vivienne Tam spring/summer 2014Christopher Kane spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

BOTANICAL BLOOMS

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Fashion East - Ryan Lo spring/summer 2014Fashion East - Ryan Lo spring/summer 2014Balmain spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

CANDY STRIPES

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Dries van Noten spring/summer 2014Balmain spring/summer 2014Dolce & Gabbana spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

CLASSICAL

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Honor spring/summer 2014Gabriele Colangelo spring/summer 2014Narciso Rodriguez spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

DIFFUSED

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Carven spring/summer 2014Balmain spring/summer 2014Richard Nicoll spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

MASCULINE MADE FEMININE

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi spring/summer 2014Nina Ricci spring/summer 2014Honor spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

MIXED FLORALS

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

Temperley London spring/summer 2014Rochas spring/summer 2014Jasper Conran spring/summer 2014

S/S 14 WOMEN'S KEY LOOKS APPAREL: MODERN ROMANCE

TONAL FLORALS

By Sue Evans, Jayne Bibby & Emily Gordon-Smith, WGSN, 04 October 2013

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