Fall 12: Helmut Lang

Textural marbles and florals create a sophisticated look at Helmut Lang. 

TREND | Swirling Universe

Helmut Lang, Rick Owens, Top Shop, Thakoon. background: Pattern People

We've been seeing these swirly, smokey, cosmological prints on runways and retail for a few seasons now, but they still feel very edgy and new. The mysterious nature of these prints lends a cool sophisticated edge to everything it touches, and so far its been mostly in the realm of the edgiest labels: Helmut Lang, Christopher Kane, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Threeasfour. In other words, if you're starting to think of Fall/Winter 2011, there's still lots of room to explore this direction.

Upcoming Trend: Acid Landscape

balenciaga, prada, balenciaga, christopher kane, helmut lang. background: pattern people
This future trend seems to be popping up in different corners of high fashion, as well as lower-end retail. From Prada's 70's looking beach scenes to Christopher Kane's apocolyptic mushroom clouds, the mood ranges from mysterious to downright dark. Helmut Lang's moody ocean landscape from Spring 10, is somewhat gothic, and Balenciaga's sweater and coat prints for pre-fall seem to be a continuation from their paint-stroke prints of Spring 10. Here in Pattern People land, we've been combining treated lanscape photos shot in our own surroundings, with geometric elements like stripes. Clouds have also been a huge inspiration.