Evans Spring Summer 2010 Preview

On Wednesday I had the huge privilege of attending the preview of the spring/ summer 2010 collections from all of the Arcadia brands. I had a grand ole time and was there for hours poring over all the clothes, touching everything, taking as many photos as my lil camera could stand and trying my best not to look like a total rookie who was out from behind her computer and covering a real event for the first time- though I probably did. It was a fantastic event which I thoroughly enjoyed and I got to meet other bloggers, namely the gorgeous Miggy from Miggy Likes the Internet who spotted me first and came over to say hello.

My first stop around the stands was of course Evans and all I can say is- WOW- we are in for a fantastic season. Looking though the rails of clothes the one phrase that kept going through my mind was, “I can’t believe this is Evans.” They have all the major trends- the nude colours, the fringing, nautical looks, the made to be seen underwear, lace, pale washed denim, sparkle, military- the lot. There was a good balance between the items that were trend heavy like a brown/ black satin biker style jacket covered in dark hammered sequins for the more trend literate customers, and items with a broader appeal such as  a cotton blouse with lurex threads woven through the fabric, and a pale blue denim dress with tiny ruffles at the hem and cuffs. There was a focus on jackets in varying styles which I liked as you can easily update your existing wardrobe with just the addition of a different jacket if you don’t want to heavily buy into a particular look.

The collection was fluid and although there were separate themes and trends within the ranges they all gelled together seamlessly. Some of my favourite items were hanging on a rail and I don’t have photos of them yet as I could only photograph the mannequins, but fingers crossed- I will have at some stage.

The general trends were… (sorry about some of the hazy pictures)

…..Nude/ neutral pallettes and texture….

…… fringe details …..

……… and mixing florals with tougher looks.

There were lots of nude and neutral tones with added textural interests such as large ruffles, fringe,  a beautiful ostrich feather fronted waistcoat and a good dose of sparkle. Sequins were still evident but not as dark or dramatically in your face as for Christmas ’09. For summer sequins are matt and overprinted with floral designs as in the case of one long A- line vest top, and hammered and distressed as in the jacket mentioned earlier. Tunics and knits had subtle sparkle with lurex threads and yarn that ran throughout the fabric and there was lots of sparkly jewellery to hand.

Nautical……

You know I love a bit of red white and blue in the springtime and there were a couple of nautical knits to get me looking forward to spring. A horizontal stripe cardi with very subtle sequin detailing was a gentle update to a classic look along with a stripe jersey dress/ tunic which was given a modern update by being combined with a photo real floral print.

For those of you who like a tougher edge to your wardrobe there were lots of studs and other hardwear to keep you happy. Stud details on shoes and bags were key and there was a particularly Balmain-tastic denim jacket with pyramid style studs along the collar that caught my eye. Other jacket detailing included exposed zips, waterfall fronts with large eyelets, peplums, military styles- there was a jacket to suit all tastes.

If you’re not into the whole rock chick look Evans offered plenty of softer more feminine pieces with floral prints, a sharper modern take on the tea dress, liberty- esque prints, maxi dresses and soft knits.

As well as clothing I also saw some truly delectable vintage inspired underwear that actually made me breathe in sharply and whisper “OMG” to myself but I don’t have any photos at the moment.

More looks from the event to come…………..