I predict a riot
This spring sees an explosion of colour hit the catwalks and everyone is getting involved. Stella McCartney used colour blocking in its simplest form while Jil Sander took advantage of the lack of rules, mixing green, pink and yellow to create the ultimate colour block.
This mix and match style is inspired by the 1970’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s where it was used in everyday wear, as well as sportswear. The late ‘70’s saw diversity in the range and style of clothing that was being worn by both sexes. Men were more confident to follow the trends and wear everything from sequins to velvet, meaning a dash of colour was nothing too daring. Being known as an era of disco, it is no surprise that colour played a huge part in the fashion. Bright coloured leg warmers and crop tops were often worn by the likes of Madonna and the Spice Girls in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, fashionably two of the biggest inspirations to the youth of these time periods and the fashion timeline being as it is, it’s about time for a revival. This year it is back and brighter than ever and I cannot wait to start updating my wardrobe.
Jil Sander and Max Mara have inspired us to ditch the fears of clashing with their spring/summer 2011 runway collections as we yearn for this cold winter to be over. As we step away from those dull, neutral tones of autumn and winter, we welcome this season with open arms, and its set to form the pathway for a year of colour.
However, colour blocking did not start with fashion designers. Although being in the fashion world for many years now, it was Piet Mondrian, a famous painter born in 1872 in the Netherlands, that we have to thank for this craze. His childhood led him towards abstract painting, and from an early age he painted his view of nature. As his career developed, the images he had of nature became simplified on the page; so much so, it ended up not being of nature at all. He incorporated cubism and reduction into his paintings, which led to them appearing almost as blocks on the piece of paper. Abstracting nature was a thing of the past and it was at this point that he decided to add a touch of colour to his paintings. His artwork became sharper, colour became dominant and elements of repetition made his work recognisable. His artwork put forward the idea of colour blocking, which like most things, has been inspired by designers all over the world.
As the spring/summer catwalks have been revealed, there is no doubt that within weeks everyone will be head to toe in colour, last year’s sunglasses will make an appearance and the world will seem a better place again. However, despite looking effortless, this trend does come with a few basic rules. The first is to avoid the ‘Rubik Cube’ effect by using too many colours. Sticking to three or less colours is the perfect way to work the colour block this season, meaning those who aren’t so daring as to brave all three, can keep it simple and sophisticated with just the one. The next rule is to keep accessories to a minimum. Keep it simple and let the clothes do the talking, too much jewellery will overdo it. If you’re not so keen on multiple colour blocks, you could accessorise a neutral outfit with a bold bracelet or scarf. Lastly, no prints. Animal prints and colour blocks are not complementary of each other and will take you from colour block to colour flop in seconds.
This mix and match style is inspired by the 1970’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s where it was used in everyday wear, as well as sportswear. The late ‘70’s saw diversity in the range and style of clothing that was being worn by both sexes. Men were more confident to follow the trends and wear everything from sequins to velvet, meaning a dash of colour was nothing too daring. Being known as an era of disco, it is no surprise that colour played a huge part in the fashion. Bright coloured leg warmers and crop tops were often worn by the likes of Madonna and the Spice Girls in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, fashionably two of the biggest inspirations to the youth of these time periods and the fashion timeline being as it is, it’s about time for a revival. This year it is back and brighter than ever and I cannot wait to start updating my wardrobe.
Jil Sander and Max Mara have inspired us to ditch the fears of clashing with their spring/summer 2011 runway collections as we yearn for this cold winter to be over. As we step away from those dull, neutral tones of autumn and winter, we welcome this season with open arms, and its set to form the pathway for a year of colour.
However, colour blocking did not start with fashion designers. Although being in the fashion world for many years now, it was Piet Mondrian, a famous painter born in 1872 in the Netherlands, that we have to thank for this craze. His childhood led him towards abstract painting, and from an early age he painted his view of nature. As his career developed, the images he had of nature became simplified on the page; so much so, it ended up not being of nature at all. He incorporated cubism and reduction into his paintings, which led to them appearing almost as blocks on the piece of paper. Abstracting nature was a thing of the past and it was at this point that he decided to add a touch of colour to his paintings. His artwork became sharper, colour became dominant and elements of repetition made his work recognisable. His artwork put forward the idea of colour blocking, which like most things, has been inspired by designers all over the world.
As the spring/summer catwalks have been revealed, there is no doubt that within weeks everyone will be head to toe in colour, last year’s sunglasses will make an appearance and the world will seem a better place again. However, despite looking effortless, this trend does come with a few basic rules. The first is to avoid the ‘Rubik Cube’ effect by using too many colours. Sticking to three or less colours is the perfect way to work the colour block this season, meaning those who aren’t so daring as to brave all three, can keep it simple and sophisticated with just the one. The next rule is to keep accessories to a minimum. Keep it simple and let the clothes do the talking, too much jewellery will overdo it. If you’re not so keen on multiple colour blocks, you could accessorise a neutral outfit with a bold bracelet or scarf. Lastly, no prints. Animal prints and colour blocks are not complementary of each other and will take you from colour block to colour flop in seconds.
Here are some colour block inspired photographs i took myself:
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