Blue Mood
By Louisa Smith
PARIS – Was it Paris’ gray and drizzly skyline that was dampening everyone’s spirits or the oppressive choice of deep purple carpets that decked the halls? The mood on the first day of Salon International de la Lingerie and Interfiliere was positively dire and downbeat, but on closer inspection there was more to it than the weather alone.
Last season’s group motivation in the fact if everyone was upbeat and positive then everything would be fine, replaced this season by an overwhelming reality that business isn’t going back to its good level, not for a long time anyway. However instead of panic or mass depression the mood was one of resigned calmness, that no matter where you are on the lingerie chain, everyone’s in the same boat. It’s this, more than anything else, that is creating a sense of calmness – and which in fact did buoy spirits on the second and third days of the fair.
Look for Lougewear
At SIL the focus was on Lougewear, which according to many is a niche sector. The category, which is loosely defined and can range from casualwear to high end sleepwear, was lacking anything that looked to be bestsellers. Two brands who did deliver were Cyell and Lounge Lizard. A hot seller is the ‘tregging,’ a combination of legging and sporty track bottoms.
Two Key Themes
A delicate dark mood with microfine lace and diaphanous knits that feature in classic black, purple and midnight blue.
A strong natural theme emerged in tone, print and embroidery or lace motif as offering an uplifting experience amongst the dominant dark tones of winter.
What’s New…
There was an increase in brands offering maternity lingerie for the ‘yummy mummy’ brigade. The message was clear, just because you have had a baby you don’t have to ditch your love of traditional lingerie. New Zealand’s Hot Milk and French Jour Après Lune that both offered beautiful lace cups and detail with detachable straps and easy access for breast feeding.
The anti-wrinkle bra developed by La Decollette. An unusual looking contraption, a microfiber fabric pillow is held in place between the breast by shoulder straps, and according to the company’s results does in fact improve the skin around the cleavage area that can be prone to wrinkling, but it’s not the sexiest of sleepwear attire, and frankly we think you’d have to be pretty desperate to wear it.
At Interfiliere….
In keeping with Inside Fashion’s color and textile directions, key trends included faded blooms with aged acidic and pastel tone reworked in prints, lace and embroidery.
The natural influence was featured in a more Bedouin-inspired aspect as terracotta tones, sand and animal prints inspired but were reworked with innovative technical aspects to create a different appeal.
A strong theme of global embellishment and handicrafts came through, but it isn’t an ethnic trend, it is more sophisticated and adds to the need for unique finishing and detail.
The technological aspect was evident through the textile collections. Iluna (Italy) has developed its innovative POLYBACK technology that allows for the moldable jacquardtronic lace, while over at Tianhai Lace (China) they offered new technology that can produce knitted lace with embroidered and print effects on the same piece of lace due to investment in 21-bar Textronic machines. Willy Hermann (Austria) introduced recycled cotton in blends with conventional cotton in their Superfine 50-gauge range but the buzz that eco fibers achieved in previous season’s isn’t as evident. Yes, eco fibers still feature, but also mills working with conventional fibers are focusing on a sustainable process, cutting back on water and energy use and delivering the fabrics we love at affordable price points.
For in-depth trend information, see our Lingerie Fashion Flash and Lingerie Fabric & Fiber Trends Spring ’11. Complete with fabric swatches, working drawings, fashion illustrations. In the March issues of Inside Fashion. Click here to subscribe or email us at: subscribe@inside-fashion.net