2018 has already proved to be a time of global upheaval and change, and fashion is reflecting this ethos. Taking inspiration from the wild and colorful eighties, 2018 spring fashion trends are right now looking like a mad amalgam of innovative textures and looks that will jazz up your closet and shake up any pre-conceived notion of how things are “supposed” to look.
Here are ten top 2018 spring fashion trends that are storming the runways. Look out: there’s icon-smashing ahead!
1. Non-Traditional Gender Roles
As culture gradually opens up to trans, intersex and non-binary lifestyles, fashion is reflecting this new openness.
Gucci opened up fashion week in Milan with a co-ed fashion show combining men’s and women’s styles, and many other designers are following suit. Many of the big fashion houses are also using openly trans and non-binary models on the runways.
Men are sporting skirts, women are wearing suits and ties, and generally, the trend is to knock down the boundaries of traditional gender roles. Don’t let old-fashioned ideas of what you should look like dictate your fashion choices!
2. Sheer Fabrics
Another one of the fearless 2018 spring fashion trends to follow is transparency: what you see is what you get in dresses and blouses.
Ball gowns that are fully sheer have been seen on red carpets during awards season, making strategically cut lingerie even more important.
This style works best when lined with flesh-colored fabrics or worn with beautifully constructed bustiers or even hoop skirts. It’s all about turning things upside down and inside out.
3. High Waists
Showing the crack of one’s derriere is no longer in, as hip huggers and low waisted jeans take a back seat this year to more high waisted styles.
Seen on the runways on skirts and trousers, the high waisted look gives a ladylike, sophisticated glamour that is a far cry from the trashy look of visible thongs.
Try this style with a diaphanous blouse and sleek accessories like a smart gold cuff or statement earrings.
4. Art as Fashion and Fashion as Art
As 2018 continues to challenge boundaries, walls are falling between the art and design worlds and artists are more and more collaborating with the top fashion houses.
While designers and artists have often run in the same circles and influence each other tangentially, joining together in lucrative contracts to co-produce cutting-edge clothing is a new movement.
Calvin Klein’s Raf Simons included Andy Warhol screen prints in his Spring 2018 collection and Gucci’s Alessandro Michele joined up with artist Ignasi Monreal for Gucci’s Spring 2018 campaign.
Add musician/designers to the mix like Kanye West and his Yeezy line, and the explosion of fashion and art will blow your mind.
5. It’s a Plaid, Plaid, Plaid, Plaid World
Don’t mix two different plaids together? Who says?
Plaid tops, bottoms and even socks- all are being worn simultaneously to challenge both the eye and one’s ingrown sense of what should be acceptable in fashion.
The iconoclastic zeitgeist continues with a bold approach to mixing and matching wildly clashing patterns on the runway. Tartans are being courageously mixed with each other, with polka dot and stripes added to the mix for a startling effect. (See also trend 10 below).
6. White on White
Another one of the hot 2018 spring fashion trends is white. Where millennial pink was the go-to color last season, now accessories are leaning towards a cooler, more bleached-out look which demonstrates the many possibilities for white.
The Native American peoples of the North are said to have almost one hundred words for “snow,” and the many options for white fashions shows how many variations you can find for this cool look. From silvery white gloves to bone white plastic go-go boots, white can either showcase other pieces or act as an eye magnet itself.
7. Scandinavian Style
Style influencer Fanatique is one of several trend spotters showcasing the clean, timeless Scandinavian styles of designers like Ganni.
The timeless appeal of the Northern countries is reflected in impeccable workmanship and classic styles that stretch far beyond the fleeting whims of the fashion world.
From tradition-smashing jewelry to the boldest in colors and fabrics, the trendsetters in Sweden, Denmark and Norway are giving France and Italy a run for their money!
8. Fanny Packs
We’ve made fun of them for years, calling them the trademark of the ugly American. Now we love them again for their kitschy chic and their utilitarian value.
Who can deny the convenience and safety of strapping one’s phone and credit cards around one’s waist? The fanny pack may have been appropriated by tourists and mall walkers, but the fashion world has taken them back with an ironic vengeance.
Embrace the ugly!
9. Gym Clothes
Madison Avenue is increasingly showing all kinds of bodies in commercial and advertising as the traditional sense of “the right body type” is being challenged and all shapes and sizes are being included on runways.
We’re no longer working out just to be skinny. We want to be healthy and to love our bodies, no matter what their size.
Where yoga pants and other sporting outfits have played an important role in fashion for years now, the new trend is about showcasing all kinds of bodies. The plus size woman is no longer timid about wearing the latest in athletic fashions and pursuing her personal goals of fitness and health.
10. Mixed Prints
As we mentioned in trend 5, now the fashion world is all about mixing and matching in ways that would have shocked the fashionistas years ago.
Instead of trying to conform with rigid ideas of what goes with what, go ahead and follow your bliss. If you want to mix a flowered top with Bay City Roller plaid capri pants, go for it!
The only fashion rule in 2018 is to break all the rules.
2018 Spring Fashion Trends: Challenge the Status Quo!
As traditional views of politics, gender and family evolve and change, fashion acts as society’s mirror and showcases a whole slew of new ways to proclaim one’s identity.
Instead of trying to fit in, today’s trends are all about embracing who you are.
To learn more about the exciting new trends in fashion, beauty, and health, check out our website. We are all about empowering you to be the best you that you can be!
