S/S 2012 Trends Review 5

Olympic Fever

With the Olympics this year the fashion world has decided to celebrate with a sportswear comeback: luxury sweatshirts, racer-front vests and two-tone crop tops made their way down the catwalk in many S/S 2012 collections. 

I have to be honest, I dislike this trend. I never have been a fan of wearing sportswear casually, it should be used for sports and sports only. Don't get me wrong I am in support for the olympics, especially since athletics and running were a big part of my childhood and teenage years. However, I just think that, no matter how much it is dressed up or accessorised sportswear never looks good.

The designers that held up the olympic flame were Alexander Wang, Isabel Marant and Marc Jacobs.

Alexander Wang opted to take inspiration from a more stylish selection of sports: Motor Cross and BMX. This translated into a futuristic and edgy collection. Wang picked up on the bright trends of S/S with fluorescent pieces and prints, layered with mesh textures 

Though the use of multiple zips and pockets reflect Alexander Wang's belief in functional clothing, the overload of access points seemed a bit unnecessary and took away from some of the clever styling in pieces. 

The collection did manage to embrace many summer trends all at once and did give sportswear a more stylish edge, however, in many pieces there was just too much going on at the one time taking away from the fashionable elements Alexander Wang had carefully integrated. 

Isabel Marrant, the wardrobe staple for Rosie-Huntington-Whitely and Kate Bosworth, created a collection which offered a youthful, laid back, care-free approach to sportswear with baggy race-front tops and boyfriend jacket style varsity jackets. The collection contained some pretty pieces but in general was pretty bland. The one outfit that really stood out was the combination of an elegant and feminine lace top and tracksuit bottoms, I couldn't help but think why?!

Marc by Marc Jacobs, the secondary ready-to-wear line founded in 2001 provides customers with more wearable and affordable Marc Jacobs pieces. The clear difference between the two lines is that Jacobs uses his main line to experiment and explore his fashion fantasies whereas the ready to wear line reflects a life the designer once lived. 

The Marc by Marc Jacobs line previously drew inspiration from college kids and vintage styles. However, in the S/S 2012 collection Jacobs took the line in a new, modern direction with neon colours, particularly a bright orange which was prominent throughout the collection. Jacobs took the familiar vintage sportswear style and revitalised it. 

Though I did not care for this collection, I could appreciate the clever elements in design and colour with the frequent use of red, white and blue, a patriotic sentiment for Jacobs. The pieces I did take a liking to were the footwear, particularly the high top trainers in various colours.