Debatably, nude was the colour (or non-colour?) of last year. Nude as in the go-to colour of choice for the Kardashian clan and their many fashion endeavours. From bodysuits, skirts, knits and swimwear, not to mention the nude-lip that has been circling. It’s hard to remember a time when a member of the reality all-star family didn’t dominate the influence of consumer culture.
It seemed only a matter of time before the newest addition to the Kardashian household claimed his fortunes in the palettes of the various shades of beige. Kanye West's continuing YEEZY collections seem to adorn the same aesthetics: body-con mini dresses, a lot of spandex, and not much else. A domination of the industry see's the elusive YEEZY brand become the name on every social butterflies (now nude) lips, posing the idea of dressing for Instagram, and conforming to the hype surrounding his adidas-collaborated YEEZY imprint, a trend that first launched at New York Fashion Week FW15. Like any circling trend, imitations soon followed, with designers and fast-fashion retailers making their own iterations of the brands aesthetic to satisfy the sartorial appetites of YEEZY fans all over the globe. The line's exclusive range of trainer-like footwear poses the straight up imitations though, with other manufacturers making straight-up counterfeits, with China becoming the the prime source of counterfeit production in 2016.
Back to the colour in question though: with Louboutin adding 5 more shades to his new S/S 16 nude shoe collection, fashion seemed to be adopting this soft, au naturale look. Skin toned fashion was once labelled as an 'un-sexy' shade of an underwear garment, a secret spandex or an invisible force hidden under a sheer dress. When it comes to dressing the nude colour way, Grecian goddess glamour in the form of Valentino's gowns are available in lots of colours and his models wore dresses to match their own colouring.
As 2017 has fast-approached, and already presented us with an uncertainly of the future, the all-elusive world of fashion continues to tick away at the life-span of trends, and the driving forces behind them. With high street stores from every price point on the spectrum churning out moth-eaten sweaters, and the 10th shade of nude coloured hoodies all battling to imitate West's dominating trend at the end of last year. Fashion is fickle, and it seems that West’s relentless obsession with control is proving to be his undoing: his telltale aesthetic is so meticulously calculated and relies on such distinctive staples that it seems unlikely to truly progress.
Image 1: 'Runaway Trend Alert' WGSN:n.d. [online]. Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/blogs/trend-alert-cosmetic-nudes/ [accessed 2 February 2017].
Image 2: CONTRIBUTOR. 2017. “YEEZY season 4: Is Kanye west exploitative?” Clothing [online]. Available at: http://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/09/12/kanye-west-yeezy-season-4-exploitation/ [accessed 2 February 2017].
Image 3: Blog – FASHION SIZZLE OFFICIAL SITE. 2017. [online]. Available at: http://sizzle439.rssing.com [accessed 2 February 2017].