Looking for kids fashion trends in our current climate has been tough at the trade shows for the past few seasons and I’m not expecting change anytime soon.
Brands have been relying on formulas that sell well to be slightly tweaked to give a fresh look with different colours or fabric textures and switching between metallic shades, scales of lace, size of plaid, camouflage or floral blooms and retro prints for distinction between seasons where silhouette has stayed pretty much the same.
At Pitti Bimbo 84 there were some truly exquisite and beautiful kids clothes and the exhibition itself was lively and fun, although the numbers of Italian visitors was down partly because of the terrible weather and train delay problems from the previous week’s snow, the numbers of foreign visitors and exhibitors was up yet again particularly from Russia and the UK.
Journalists of course are notorious for seeking the new, we all love a new story to publish but faced with rails of tartan plaids, metallic pleated skirts, overlarge floral blooms, pastel floral padded jackets and lace tops and dresses did feel a bit deja vu. Having said that, the fair is big enough to cater for all tastes and many buyers prefer the familiar in the current situation.
Where inspiration lies is in the attention to detail of many labels which is only discovered by taking time to talk through the collections, learning the stories behind the quirky prints, feeling the amazing quality and softness of the new fake furs, learning how the handmade is put together and sadly we don’t all have the time for that.
I’ve highlighted some of the current trend movers in the kids world from Pitti Bimbo 84 below.
Catwalk photos by Giovanni Giannoni – still life Smudgetikka – all rights reserved
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