slide image

Fashion

5 BRANDS TO KICKSTART YOUR SPRING WARDROBE

For fashion devotees, the arrival of Spring is an exciting one. It means it’s time to assess what’s in our wardrobe, think about how our style will evolve, discover new trends and most excitingly, shop new collections. From forever favourites such as Prada and Alexander McQueen to contemporary classics like Erdem and Emilia Wickstead, these are the brands high atop our new wardrobe wish list.

1. VERSACE

Each season a new colour trend emerges. We’ve seen Valentino pink and Bottega green dominate in seasons past but for SS23, it’s all about Versace purple. Part plum, part royal and anchored by cool, blue tones, Versace’s vision of purple is set to take over. Speaking about the collection in the show notes, Donatella Versace explains, ‘I have always loved a rebel. A woman who is confident, smart and a little bit of a diva. She wears leather, studs and frayed denim and she has enough attitude to mix them with chiffon, jersey, and a tiara! She is a strong liberated woman; she is gorgeous; she knows it. She is the Goddess of Freedom.”

SHOP VERSACE

slide image

2. ERDEM

When it comes to Springtime fashion, no one does it quite like Erdem. Renowned for his exquisite craftsmanship and floral embellishments, both return for SS23 alongside sweeping shapes, delicate embroidery and powerful femininity. The collection was inspired by the brand’s founder, Erdem Moralioglu’s love for history and explores the meticulous work of art restoration. From faded brocades and tea-stained cotton faille to jacquard remnants and floral organza fil coupe, this season’s stunning fabrics nod to those within the archives of museum conservators. Establishing a modern take on old-world opulence, the collection is quintessential Erdem featuring corsetry, crop tops and gowns, each affixed with structured bodice detailing or delicate floral embroidery.

SHOP ERDEM

slide image

3. ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Modern, sexy and extreme are just three words that could be used to describe the Spring collection from Alexander McQueen. It all came to fruition when creative director, Sarah Burton, asked herself the question ‘how do you dress a woman to empower them in the times that we live?’ And judging by the collection itself, the answer appears to be found in tailoring. Fully deconstructed but perfectly structured, the collection features various reinterpretations of the tuxedo in bold primary shades. Cropped, slit detailed, asymmetric, backless, it’s all there. “Our clothes are designed to empower. They are stripped back, dissected and focused on cut, drape and silhouette, wrote Sarah Burton in her show notes.

SHOP ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

slide image

4. EMILIA WICKSTEAD

Known for her clever use of colours paired with a whimsical aesthetic, Emilia Wickstead fuses tradition with contemporary touches. Exuding elegant sensibilities, her designs feature fluid lines with winsome detailing that showcases the brand’s penchant for sophisticated romance: all of which is apparent in her latest collection for SS23. The muse for this season was Lee Miller, a surrealist artist, photographer and war correspondent from the 1930s. Solarization (a photographic technique discovered by Miller in which black and white hues are reversed to create a glowing effect) is translated into a blurred floral, achieved by layering printed organza over silk that’s hand-painted to look like moiré.

SHOP EMILIA WICKSTEAD

slide image

5. PRADA

No lineup of the best designer brands would be complete without the mention of Prada. The brand wowed fashion buyers and influencers alike with its SS23 collection. Best described as elegant yet understated in equal measure, Prada has cleverly blurred 9-to-5 dressing and occasion wear with their show notes stating, “Day and evening clothes cross-pollinate, the signs and signifiers of each shifting - opera coats fuse with leather jackets, tailoring borrows trains of fabric. Clothes for the intimacy of the home in delicate pastel tones fuse with outerwear, a blurring of distinct realities, while a notion of Prada uniform, in bodysuits of poplin shirting in industrial colours, denotes a minimalised reality.”

SHOP PRADA

MORE TO READ

Looking for even more new season inspiration? Find all that and more here in 8 ways to Step Into Spring Right Now.