Well Worth a sneak preview
In less than a fortnight's time Australia's leading cities will once again be thrumming with the incomparable excitement of a Key Fashion Moment.
Mere weeks after Sydney's fashion week ended for another year, the fashion community will be scrambling to gain a front seat for none other than the WGSN trend seminar, to take place in Melbourne on May 16 and Sydney on May 18.
Founded in 1998, the London-headquartered WGSN is a leading global service providing online research, trend analysis and news to the fashion, design and style industries.
It's no surprise then that the WGSN trend seminar - in which the company will share the fruits of its extensive research - constitutes something of a red-letter day in most fashion professionals' books.
Presented by WGSN senior fashion editor Sue Evans - whose expertise includes catwalk and retail trends and their application to close-to-season fashion - the Australian edition of the event promises invaluable insights into northern hemisphere autumn/winter fashion trends as well as the latest global retail developments.
With its eye firmly on commercial reality, the seminar is designed to show how catwalk trends can be developed and interpreted for the retail market, covering womenswear, menswear, childrenswear and accessories as well as growing categories such as intimate apparel.
Looking at the dominant category of womenswear, autumn/winter 2006/07 northern hemisphere would usher in a number of key changes in terms of colour and fabrications, with an understated mood of sobriety resulting in a more subdued colour palette for womenswear, Evans confirmed.
"Grey is the season's key colour, but we can expect to see winter white and red alleviating the grey daze. A new colour combination works around the mix of deep blue with black and the most directional bright colour - apart from red - is chartreuse green.
"There are contradictory fabric trends running for next winter with traditional wools, luxe blends and lots of checks and plaids working against high-shine wet-look patents, offering a modernist feel. Other key fabrics include decorative brocades and jacquards, antiqued metallics and coloured lamés. The most commercial and important fabric statement is for the use of jersey in every weight, especially wool jersey and marled grey jersey."
For menswear, Evans predicted a similar colour palette to womenswear, although black would be slightly stronger than grey and would be complemented by winter marine blues and rich berry tones.
Bright red would be key, most commercially for outerwear and knits, illustrating the new-found adventurousness of menswear, which, she claimed, continued to grow.
"I think menswear is evolving. There are so many style icons now in the menswear world coupled with a growth in men's magazines, that they are much more aware and want to have that sense of fashionability. In terms of trends, there is a romantic look coming through for next season - lots of ruffled shirts, military jackets and plaids and checks - all a little Byron-esque. I think it's all about heritage and also about wanting to show a softer side."
In another growing category, childrenswear, anecdotal evidence from Australia pointed to a trend towards "dressiness", with parents increasingly prepared to spend a lot of money on their kids' wardrobes, she said.
"Kids are very fashion savvy these days and are aware of trends and labels. There is a lot of mini-me in kidswear which is not always a good thing and in Europe certainly I think there is a sense of a backlash with childrenswear getting much simpler and dare I say it, childlike."
While many childrenswear brands would continue to develop their trends in line with women's and menswear, Evans predicted a return to innocence for the category.
"I think possibly we will start seeing a new naivety and eclectic look rather than mini disco-divas. I hope so anyway."
While apparel categories dominate the scene, with womenswear taking a customary leading role, no fashion trend forecast worthy of the title would be complete without a glance at the burgeoning accessories market.
It's well known that accessories have been huge in recent seasons, with many mainstream apparel retailers boosting sales by branching into that category and the boom shows no sign of waning.
"[The] accessory business is huge and every retailer is trying to maximise their product lines by providing a total lifestyle offer. Trends for autumn/winter point to strong shapes and clean lines with a modernist twist. Colour is quite graphic and everything points to a strong, confident market."
While WGSN's predictions on the look and feel of the fashion itself will undoubtedly have buyers and designers itching to steal a march on the competition for the next autumn/winter season, the seminar also has its eye on the longer game by providing invaluable insight into emerging retail trends.
Most retailers will not be strangers to the latest buzzwords: retail theatre and retail experience, and those that take these concepts seriously are right to do so, according to Evans.
"The rise of internet shopping, coupled with the general globalisation and homogenization of retail means retailers have to try just that bit harder to draw in the customer. There is no sense of locality any more. [There are now retailers like] Zara in China, H&M in New York and Gap in Tokyo. Retailers need to provide a unique shopping experience that appeals to the consumer's emotional side in order to win custom and take control of their market share.
"I think the Playground! store in Bangkok is a great example of retail theatre. It is a true conceptual lifestyle store incorporating fashion, homewares, a gallery, restaurants and even a cookery school under one roof."
Clearly, an enhanced retail space is an almost indefinable factor that can encourage foot traffic and boost sales.
"[It is] all about creating a story around your product, be it through innovative lighting, digital signage - an increasingly important visual merchandising trend - or through display. You need to draw the customer in and make them feel part of a unique experience."
However, good retail was not just about space and display but overall execution, she said.
"One of the key trends WGSN has been monitoring is that of good customer service. The stores who are winners in the retail arena are providing the customer with a sense of trust, value for money, an in-store experience and above all, efficient personal service. Satisfied customers can be the marketing department's best asset.
"Another key trend is for surprise and innovation, changing the merchandise mix on a regular basis to keep the customer's curiosity whetted and so ensuring repeat in-store visits to check out the latest looks. London's Dover Street Market and The Shop at Bluebird are great examples of this method of retailing. There is always something new and unexpected to catch the eye.
"Established retailers are already realising the importance of creating a sense of theatre and are looking at new ways to promote a unique shopping experience. Some successful examples include the Flea Market department at [US retail chain] Marshall Fields - a seasonal spring event where the store hosts an eclectic mix of hand-"The JCPenney Experience was a great example of an old-school US retailer moving with the times. They set up a 15,000 square foot virtual pop-up store in Manhattan's Times Square, where customers' could browse the latest spring lines via displays that where linked to their online marketplace."
Evans clearly has many more insights and examples up her sleeve. Little wonder, as WGSN's 100-strong team of creative and editorial staff work with a network of experienced writers, photographers, researchers, analysts and trend spotters in cities around the world, tracking the latest designers, brands, trends, stores and business innovations, meaning her presentation looks set to provide - at the very least - some serious food for thought.