Scarlet total onion: red as the main color of autumn
TELLING ABOUT TRENDS FROM PODIUM which can be adapted for your wardrobe for the next six months. This time we will talk about the most fashionable color of the coming autumn - red. Not only that, any bright shade invariably attracts attention - the designers decided that they want to go for broke and offer scarlet total bows this season. Apparently, not by chance: red can be considered the color of monarchy, synonymous with excess and luxury, and it is the latter that returns to the podiums.
How it all began
Probably no other color can boast such a rich number of associations. On the one hand, because of blood, he symbolized rage and militant spirit - in Ancient Rome, for example, soldiers and generals wore scarlet tunics and cloaks. On the other - love and desire. In the art of the Middle Ages in red traditionally depicted Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The scarlet color was supposed to distinguish the latter from the Virgin Mary, for which they used immaculate blue, hinting at the past life of the “libertine."
Purple, purple, porphyry — the clothing of the ancient kings and priests was often purple or red and was incredibly expensive because of the dye (which was then extracted from insects and mollusks) was not easy to get. Until the XIX century, red was firmly associated with luxury and only the richest and highest status people could afford to wear scarlet clothes. For example, in the 17th century, red beetles collected from cacti in Mexico were imported to Europe — it is obvious that clothes dyed with their help were expensive. Red lost its royal status only when synthetic dyes were invented.
The symbol of the revolution and the color of the labor movement - red used for cloaks and flags in the XIX century. In the next century, it became firmly entrenched in this status, becoming state for Soviet Russia, Cuba, China, and other countries. Starting in the 1960s, designers experimented endlessly with scarlet color, including futuristic images like Pierre Cardin, then dotting them like Yves Saint Laurent in a famous dress based on the Mondrian painting.
Designer Valentino Garavani, who made this color a part of his brand's DNA, became a true lover of red. The designer himself describes red as the best cure for sadness, creating in it deaf baroque outfits, sometimes fatal, with deep cuts. Red became associated with glamor and new luxury in the 90s, including after the movie "Pretty Woman", where the heroine Julia Roberts goes to the opera in a bright dress with open shoulders.
How red is back in fashion
If red can be considered a symbol of power in the modern world, then thanks to women, the heads of state and the first lady. Scarlet dresses are often chosen for the release of the spouse of past US President Michelle Obama. British Prime Minister Theresa May, whose unusual politician style often becomes a matter of discussion in the world media, prefers scarlet things, often combining them with black leather details. The fan of the red suits is the American presidential candidate in the last elections in the States, Hillary Clinton; her love for them can be traced from the beginning of the 2000s. And the first lady of France, Brigitte Macron, attracts media attention with bold, but elegant dresses - for example, a combination of a red fitted jacket with simple black things.
Designers also beat the usual motives. For example, Dolce & Gabbana in the 2013 fall-winter collection presented several red dresses, reminiscent of royal luxury of the 17th-18th centuries: they were decorated with beads, complemented by massive gold earrings and pendants. Red was important to visionary Ray Kawakubo. One of the most notable collections with the great use of this color was shown in Comme des Garçons in 2015: an outfit of bright textile roses opened the show. To pay homage to the DNA of the brand, at the opening of the exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum of Kawakubo, the vast majority of guests chose scarlet outfits - such as Katy Perry, who wore couture Maison Margiela.
The show autumn-winter - 2016 was the last work of Edie Slimane for the Saint Laurent brand - the designer left, not without a scandal. It is all the more symbolic that one of the most conspicuous items released under his auspices was a huge fluffy fur coat in the shape of a heart, which later became a star of street style-chronicles. At the show, this frankly ironic thing was elegantly combined with a dress made of fabric similar in texture to Lurex; the whole image hinted at the 80s experiments. Not to mention red in connection with the work of Demny Gvasalia: what is the item from the first collection for Balenciaga - a bright massive down jacket, whose updated version can be bought now. This thing already claims to be the main hit of the brand and will probably be re-released every fall-winter season.
What to wear
This season, the most current combination of red, oddly enough, with red. If you decide on such a total bow in everyday life, for examples you can turn to the restrained, as far as possible, images at the Max Mara show. They combined scarlet things from different materials - velvet, knitwear and fur, - adhering to the rule "the more textures the better." Derek Lam showed spectacular costume. This can also be combined with red things - for example, a blouse or a turtleneck; a print in the form of large flowers will still draw all the attention to itself.
Of course, there is a risk to overload the image, so it is worth observing a few simple rules. In addition to red, you can choose one or two more colors that will set off it, for example gray, beige, white or black. Such combinations showed Emilia Wickstead and Jil Sander. A white collar will suit a simple dress of deep color, and a black turtleneck will suit a wine suit. We have already written about the cult combination of red and pink. In general, scarlet is good in any, most unexpected color combinations, which is proved, for example, by the Prada show. Separately, we advise you to pay attention to this dress - like it will easily fit into any wardrobe.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Andrea Jiapei Li, Touchstone Pictures, Paris Film Productions, Whistles, Celine, John Lawrence Sullivan, Maison Margiela, A.W.A.K.E.
