Buyers' Briefing Newness: A/W 19/20

Womenswear
Print &
Pattern
Discover the key trends driving print and
pattern for A/W 19/20, backed by WGSN
Instock data, social media trends and
buying intel

Acne Studios
 Action Points
The overwhelming presence of florals over the past few
seasons now gives way to other print stories, such as
geos and animal motifs. Checks are also set to dial down
slightly, following overexposure across retail stores and
e-commerce since their big return last A/W. At the more
catwalk-led end of the spectrum, tie-dye skins, repeated
patterns and dense conversationals emerge as key
stories to watch.

1. Look beyond florals and explore geometrics and

repeated patterns to update dresses, knits and layering
basics.
2. Continue to bet on animal motifs, but move away
from leopard in favour of fresher tiger and zebra
stripes, as well as hybrid styles.
3. Give perennial stripes, florals and checks a retro
overhaul, in line with the season's vintage influences.
4. Dial down the more-is-more, print-clashing aesthetic
of maximalism, as minimalist themes start kicking in
for A/W ranges.
5. Use subtle blocking and non-figurative, textured
motifs for the contemporary market.

Alexa Chung
 Repeated Icon
As undefined repeats carry through, patterns move into a
graphic, contemporary aesthetic, inspired by designer-of-the-
moment Marine Serre's crescent moon motif. Appearing
across categories, from dresses to blouses, repeated icon
motifs look particularly strong on decorative layers and
hosiery – a look squarely aimed at the juniors' and
contemporary markets. Monochrome renditions prevail, but
the simplicity of patterns allows for plenty of
experimentation with colour. This is a fresh and subtle way
@julia.rguez
to tap into conversational motifs, as well as an alternative to
polka dots and geos.
Marine Serre @aeronstudio

Evidence

WGSN's The Feed: #repeatedicon

Brands/influencers: Marine Serre, Saks

Potts, Chloé

Instagram influencers: @sitabellan,

@dualipa, @freddieharrel,
@annabelrosendahl

Cake Saks Potts @annabelrosendahl

 Retro Geos
Geometrics are slowly but steadily making a return,
especially on retro-infused designs and foulard looks.
Working particularly well within the subtly 1970s aesthetic
at the heart of Purpose Full, geos provide relief from
the ubiquitous floral patterns that have been dominating
stores in recent seasons, offering a new print direction to
watch. Championed by the likes of Chloé and Miu Miu at
designer level, these new geos have a retro vibe, while also
feeling graphic and contemporary in small-scale, precise
@dj_gigola
designs.

Frankie + Clo The Evening Standard

Evidence

Catwalk data: on the S/S 19 catwalks,

geometrics increased by 7% YoY across
printed apparel, particularly within blouses
(+28% YoY) and knit and jersey tops (+203%
YoY)

Brands/influencers: Chloé, Miu Miu

Trade shows: Comocrea

Baum und Pferdgarten Grazia Italia Mujerhoy Magazine

 Animal Hybrid
It's clear that leopard print is the star
pattern of S/S 18 and A/W 18/19 deliveries, dominating
stores, editorials and Instagram feeds. While leopard will
continue for certain levels of the market and linger
overall, particularly for transitional deliveries, it's other
animal skins and hybrid renditions that drive newness.
Small-scale, abstract and undefined designs provide a
fresh take on this popular motif, with designers such as
Rejina Pyo, Burberry and Petar Petrov leading. Think
Evening Standard
about Appaloosa spots as an alternative to leopard
prints and polka dots. Animal prints saw a +126%
increase in full-price sell-through in the UK and +91% US.

Free People

Animal print
▲ UK +225%
US +77 % YoY
Petar Petrov Burberry Rejina Pyo
 Vintage Florals
Tapping into #countrycalling themes as well as the
ongoing popularity of vintage influences, decorative,
retro-flavoured blooms are set to be an important floral
story for transitional dresses, skirts and tops. Rich
autumnal shades reinforce the country feel, with designs
ranging from large-scale upholstery-inspired and
tapestry looks to painterly motifs. Already confirmed
across key textile design shows such as Comocrea, this
The Vampire's Wife
Zimmermann is a familiar, accessible print that spans market levels,
worked on dark, light and coloured bases. Render vintage
florals as a print at the start of the season, and consider
Evidence Paris it as a motif for opulent jacquards and velvet for party
deliveries.
WGSN's The Feed: #countrycalling

Trade shows: autumnal vintage

blooms were a key pattern at A/W
19/20 Comocrea

Brands/influencers: The Vampire's

Wife, Zimmerman, By Timo

Macro trend confirmation: Light

Magic tapestry florals story

@bytimo Blaze Milano Intermix

 Micro Checks
Sartorial checks have dominated retail for the past
couple of seasons, going hand-in-hand with the rise of
tailoring and the collegiate feel of Retro Academy
themes. While they continue to grow at retail, the high
level of exposure that checks such as Prince of Wales
and plaids have had will result in them dialling down
slightly come next winter, with pared-back mid-and
micro-scale renditions taking hold.

Paris Tattersall, dupplin and windowpane styles will work well

for retro-inspired, classic looks, particularly for outerwear
and tailoring. Brown and autumnal tones keep the look
accessible and commercial.

Shrimps

Checks
▲ UK +66% YoY
US +136%
Rochas Custommade Sandy Liang
 Tigers & Zebras
As the interest in animal prints shows no
sign of abating, tiger and zebra patterns come though as
key contenders to popular leopard spots. Already starting
to hit retail this season alongside snakeskin, tiger and
zebra stripes still offer plenty of commercial mileage,
featuring across dresses, knitwear, tops and even
bottomweights.

Ganni Authentic colourways and designs prevail, but look out

Street Style
for psychedelic renditions coming through for a fresher
aesthetic, as seen at Esteban Cortazar.
Evidence @_jeanettemadsen_

WGSN's The Feed: #stripedskins,

#zebra, #graphicskins

Catwalk data: tiger prints increased

+236% YoY on the S/S 19 catwalks

Brands/influencers: Réalisation Par,

Ganni, Hofmann Copenhagen

Alexa Chung Réalisation Esteban Cortazar

 New Retro
Stripes
Another perennial with true cross-seasonal appeal, stripes
get a retro overhaul for A/W 19/20, chiming in with macro
trend Purpose Full.
Chevron, horizontal and vertical designs are all seen, with
interesting colour combinations driving newness. Opt
for nostalgic shades mixed with rich autumnal hues, or
accent with vibrant brights for a more sophisticated update
to popular rainbow stripes, as seen at Lisa Says Gah. This is
a key motif for knitwear, rendered on simple jumpers, knitted Zimmermann
dresses and polo shirts.
@dualipa @deanmartindale

Key product categories: knitted jumpers and

dresses

Key drops: Autumn transitional

Key update for: perennial stripes and

rainbow stripes when contrasted with vibrant
hues

Lisa Says Gah @simotto @alwaysjudging

 Tie-Dye Skins
Tie-dye showed a steep increase on the S/S 19 catwalks and
animal prints continue as a leading story. For A/W 19/20,
the two begin to merge, with darker colourways offering a
season-appropriate update. Proenza Schouler is a key
catalyst for this look, combining dye effects with hybrid tiger
marks for its turtleneck tops and jersey maxidresses, which
have quickly become Instagram favourites. Consider
clashing patterns for statement looks at the younger end of
the market, and render on decorative sequins and glitter for
@maria_bernad
partywear drops.

@patriciamanfield Paris

Evidence

Catwalks data: on the S/S 19 catwalks,

ombré and tie-dye increased 94% YoY

Brands/influencers: Proenza Schouler,

Halpern, Koché

Instagram Influencers: @patriciamanfield,

@maria_bernad, @alwaysjudging

@lolaparnell @palomija @itsdwallace

 Opaque Florals
The second florals story for A/W 19/20 focuses on soft,
almost opaque and faded blooms, ideal as a season-opener.
Rendered on pastel and desaturated grounds, designs vary
in scale and styles, but all tap into a delicate, slightly blurred
effect which perfectly propels forward popular prairie
themes.
Use on key items such as the corset blouse, strong-shoulder
dress and raised waistline dress, as well as on entry-price
pieces, such as jersey turtleneck layers. Raey

Erika Cavallini Acne Studios

Evidence

Brands/influencers: Acne Studios, Raey,

Erika Cavallini

Catwalk data: florals remain the biggest print

for S/S 19, with 24.8% of the mix. Floral prints
doubled across knit and jersey tops,
increasing +102% YoY

@magdabutrym @lilyaldridge @jalousemag

 Dense
Conversationals
Toile de jouy and scenic motifs continue to enjoy airtime as a
trend that is yet to peak at retail, championed by influential
brands such as Off-White, Balenciaga and Nanushka. While
toile is set to continue all the way into S/S 20, it is also having
an impact on conversational prints as a whole, as we note
these all-over, densely packed interpretations offering a fresh,
commercial direction for conversational motifs. Both hand-
@ciao__lucia drawn and digital designs are used, with subjects ranging
from exotic landscapes to stylised cityscapes.

Milan

Update to: toile de jouy, scenic prints,

conversationals

Key product categories: dresses, tops

and blouses

Test: larger-scale, hand-painted motifs

on dresses

Invest: smaller-scale, more dense

and undefined designs for tops

Nanushka @rowenroseofficial
 Fuzzy Textures
Non-prints and non-figurative patterns give a distorted and
abstract quality with plenty of versatility. Played out in all-
over applications, these textured prints offer an alternative to
perennial patterns such as checks and geos, and can be used
extensively across product categories, from outerwear to
tailoring. Their glitchy aesthetic taps into a contemporary,
screen-generated territory, working equally well on synthetic
wovens, satins and textured wools and tweeds for a humble
and artisanal feel.

Jessica Choay

Key market level: contemporary and 35+

Alternative to: checks and geos

Key shades: muted and earthy tones that can

be lifted by golden and bright tones

Key drop: transitional through to party

Key product categories: coats, dresses,

tailoring and blouses

Style Mafia Bogdar

 Duo Block
Colour-blocking focuses on two shades – predominately
tonal combinations – for a clean and contemporary
aesthetic. In line with the return of the minimalism, clean
blocking possesses enough versatility to work hard for the
customer, reinvigorating core items such as trenches,
pleated skirts and simple knits. Diagonal splicing is widely
seen, adding an irregular, almost deconstructed quality to
this popular print. This story will work right the way through
the season for both formal and casual items – particularly
important for career-wear assortments. @omanko T Magazine

Key shades: tonal combinations are key.

Neutral and soft hues prevail, but brights are
also seen

Key design: diagonal splicing

Key product categories: knits, dresses and

separates

@shelleymokoena Giada Mijeong Park

 1980s Florals
1980s influences have dialled back, following an
overwhelming presence on the catwalks that never quite
took off in a big way at retail. But key elements of the decade
remain important for party deliveries. Alongside puff sleeves
and opulent minidresses, high-octane, vibrant florals
continue to be seen on blouses and party dresses. Saint
Laurent, Balenciaga and Kenzo remain key references for
this look, but we see a shift away from ultra-bright hyper
florals towards a sophisticated, eveningwear-led update,
@kalmanovich
with rich shades of red, purples and blues on dark bases and
luxe materials.
Saint Laurent Costume

Evidence
Brands/influencers: Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Kenzo
Catwalk data: large florals increased by 23% YoY
across A/W 18/19 catwalks and a further +34% YoY
in S/S 19, with dresses leading the way as a product
category
Retail: the Saint Laurent jacquard minidress is
already a sold out item across e-comm

Zoo Magazine Exit Magazine @adrianneho

 Methodology
WGSN Instock data
• Based on women's products across 122 retailers
UK and US retailers from August 1 2018 to October
13 2018. Historical data was collected from August
1 2017 to October 13 2017
• Please note, some retailers are excluded to ensure
like-for-like calculations and to avoid inflated
product counts due to the acquisition of new
retailers on the Instock platform
• Numbers may fluctuate as we re-categorise to
help clarify ambiguous/new products or if retailers
refactor their website
Definitions
• New in: new products available online during the
specified period by retailer, category or sub-category
• Market segmentation: retailers are segmented by
their reaction to trend. Trend-led retailers are those
that are first to respond. Contemporary retailers
work alongside trend to create their own look. Value
retailers include supermarket and other value
brands. Mass market are those that don't lead the
trends but follow them. The luxury market
represents high-end retailers
WGSN Catwalks data
• WGSN is supplied with images covering all of the
major catwalk shows and pre-season collections.
Each look is classified with its individual garments,
allowing us to get accurate counts for each product
classification. This ensures the tags apply at a
garment level, not to the whole look
• The garments are then given further keywords for
style, silhouette, neckline, length, print and pattern,
detail, embellishment and fabric. This process is
completed by our panel of fashion-trained image
taggers. Each image is quality checked for accuracy
by an in-house team
• This report uses data based on S/S 19 and S/S
18 collections across London, Milan, New York and
Paris

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