Fall/Winter 2006-07
This report is a combination of reports supplied by Premier Vision to the press, InfoMat show sightings and comments.




COLORS
· Fresco nuances: Lily, rosemary, thistle, almond, pomegranate, pollen
· Burnt glazes: Ebony, ruby, mahogany, amethyst, fox, caramel
· Organic inks: Oxide, steel, petroleum, cedar, ink, indigo
· Neutral charcoals: Carbon, charcoal, cardboard, filing, greige, ermine

Judging from the "bests du jour" published in each PV newsletter, the overall best-selling colors were:
· Women: Ruby, ebony, petrol, ermine
· Men: Carbon, ink, ebony, fox, cardboard
· Sportswear: Ebony, carbon, filing


FABRIC
"A season where the quest for equilibrium takes place between opulence and discretion, prestige and oddities, nobility and humor. This winter's fabrics are written into a dynamic that overturns the past, and rewords codes to locate them in tomorrow's present. Wool runs wild, fantasy is calmed in all sumptuousness, materiality explodes with generosity, denim grown refined, and softness matures."

· Obscuring: hazy opulence (ie. Shiny fabrics that have been mated), stripes and checks that are shaded, blurred pointillism (big trend here! Sequins have been taken and printed on in a sort of Monet floral blur)

· Magnifying: luster over showiness, "ultra-mattness" (as stated above, shiny fabrics are muted to a false mattness, a kind of hidden opulence), "patterns are enhanced through partial treatments and are enriched by alliances between felted and silky, glazed and velvety, matt and shine." Patterns here are abstract florals or Edward Gory-like geometry (haunting, somber)

· Elaborating: "a thoughtful and demanding universe where the search for comfort is oriented towards a delight in materials and seeks to ingeniously connect the spirit of made-to-measure with industrial requirements". Discretion/Ostentation are the key themes here. Heavy fabrics are lightweight, soft fabrics have a structure. The trick here is the play between the look and the feel of the fabric: a wool might look thick and heavy, but in fact be lightweight. Light fabrics are strengthened by volume and inner structures: "sturdy cottons interpret coat-woolen weights and weaves. Wools and knits are felted grandiloquently, compact and supple, dense and light, play or jacquard"

· Decoding: subtle washes, crumpling fabric that is meant to lie flat, giving patina to the new. "sublime suitings and silks flirt with the comfort of nonchalance. Met is inserted to create moldable fabrics with a malleable firmness." Irreverent treatment of traditions.

SILKS/PRINTS/LACE EMBROIDERY RIBBON
"A season dedicated to controlled opulence, where sumptuousness guards against excess. Decorations refer freely to culture, history, Old Master paintings, and popular traditions. Patterns favour calm colourways, with a penchant for fully assumed ornamentation. Plains and print and embroidery grounds gain in nobility and consistency."

KNITWEAR
"Major sophistication linked to the subtlety of handles and the nobility of fibres: wool, silk, cashmere blends, cotton crepes. Fineness that favours unctuousness for knits to wear close to the skin. A warm thickness for coat- and jacket-weight woollens."




WOOLLENS AND SUITINGS
"This season, wool invites itself in all delicate nobility. Coating weights take on an opulent thickness, while suitings grow luxuriously finer. More casual, washed treatments and softened behaviours metamorphose the perception of woollen products. Workwear, deft and not devoid of the humour of authentics and checks, strives to disturb recognizance."


SPORTSWEAR/ACTIVEWEAR, DENIM/CORDUROY
"Sportswear expresses its specificities with refinement. Fabrics take on weight and substance, behaviours are elaborated with precision, finishings play on subtlety and regularity, favouring mattness. The influence of wool favours warm handles, and patterns are inspired by suitings."


KEY FABRIC
hidden opulence, surprising handles (heavy that is light, light that is structured), irreverent use of fabric (giving a certain nonchalance to expensive fabrics). Paradox: by trying to render luxurious fabrics almost banal, the fabric becomes more than luxurious and far from banal!

FABRIC BESTS
Aspects: number one are the "structured", then the "faux-old" and "fantasy tweeds"
Touches: soft and wooly
Materials: wool and cotton
Structures: twills, jacquards, "chevrons"
Decorations: checks (Scottish and fantasy), armored stripes
Finishes: washes dominate

COLOR/FABRIC TRENDS
· Beaux-Arts: dark prints, mixed violets and dark blues with hints of hunter green
· Phantom of the Opera: Gory gothic prints, oversized florals
· Kensington Gardens: muted pinks
· Viennese School: muted brown and blues, muted graphics
· Irish retreat: browns and purples, plaids and florals
· Bohemian Rhapsody: greens and browns, florals, paisley, stripes
· Rainbow Warrior: Bright! Oranges, browns, blues, stripes and florals
· Venus Beauty: blue, red, Bordeaux, florals, paisley


InfoMat Remarks
Good energy, good presentations, certainly looked as though people were buying, buying, buying. As stated above, obvious attempt to have "nonchalant chic". At Schlaepfer (the renowned cutting-edge textile manufacturer) the emphasis was on a matted shine: sequins that were printed on with abstract Monet florals, shiny thread that was obscured by a dark finish. People were snatching up sheer fabrics printed with oversized flowers in all sorts of bright acid shades. Floral seems to be back, but either the flowers were blown up to abstraction or "pointillist" renditions. People were definitely trying to push the stripe/geometric theme as well, and according to the daily "Bests," stripes were being snatched up in large quantities by the buyers. In the leather section, heavy emphasis on shiny metallic leather in saturated browns and greys.

For me, the most interesting part of the exhibit was Textprint, the presentation of 25 winning designers for 2005 from the UK. The young designers were there themselves presenting their textile designs. Louise Goldin makes fabulous macrame knitwear in a sort of Kawakubo/Malandrino mix. It was certainly refreshing to see young textile designers present cohesive fabric collections rather than be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of fabric in the other stalls.

Premiere Vision handouts
Fall/Winter 2006-07, the season
http://www.premierevision.fr/pdf/mode/AH0607EN-infomode.pdf
A season where the quest for equilibrium takes place between opulence and discretion, prestige and oddities, nobility and humour. This winter's fabrics are written into a dynamic that overturns the past, and reworks codes to locate them in tomorrow's present. Wool runs wild, fantasy is calmed in all sumptuousness, materiality explodes with generosity, denim grows refined, and softness matures. The energy of another way, light and essential, envelops winter 06/07.

Fall/Winter 2006-07É.the fabric
http://www.premierevision.fr/pdf/mode/AH0607EN-fabricssectors.pdf
A detailed fact sheet for each major product sector of the Salon.

Publisher: Premiere Vision
Premier Vision is The World's Premier Fabric Show . It is to professionals what Paris is to Fashion ; a trends' capital where the colours and materials of a whole season are decided eighteen months in advance.
Web: www.premierevision.fr
Published: September 2005
Market: mens womens
Region: france
Industry: textiles

DISCLAIMER
Information in this report relies on sources including Trade Shows, Associations, News Releases, Government Reports and other public sources. Infomat can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof.