Press days: a little preview of s/s 2011 part 4

Yesterday I was invited to the Press days at Sumo in Brussels. The press releases weren’t in yet, so I can’t really say a lot about the brands at the moment, but as soon as I know more, I’ll fill you in on the details. What I do know is that again we see a lot of the same trends here: a lot of denim, military, safari and retro styles with animal prints, sand colored items, light fabrics, stripes, polka dots and floral dresses.

At IKKS we see 3 main trends: military/safari with it’s sand and khaki colored items and animal prints; denim because the amount of denim jackets, blouses, boyfriend and 70’s jeans; and retro because of the typical retro prints: stripes, flowers and checkered pieces. Besides these 3 key trends we also see some lace, leather, metallics, waistcoats, shorts and straw hats.

I.CODE by IKKS is the younger line of IKKS and covers more or less the same trends. The collection has a nice contrast though. It’s kind of a mixture of boyish (straw fedora hat, a blazer and boyfriend jeans) and girly looks (floral dresses with ruches).
Nathan Baume again brings us gorgeous classic bags for spring/summer. The models come in really nice colors like blue, coral red, mint green and yellow. My favorite model is the one pictured above. It’s a very classic model that kinds of reminds me of the Hermès Birkin bag. I love how the decoration lock is made to look like a bow.
The collection of Brussels’ designer Annemie Verbeke contains a lot of bright colors, prints and stripes. I really liked the jumpsuit on the doll, especially the sleeves that reminded me of a kimono. In the back they get pulled up into a nice bow.
Thomas Sabo is probably best known for his charm bracelets. I particularly love the seasonal collection he designed that was inspired by the ocean (right picture, top shelf). He also recently released his own perfume called ‘Charm Club’, which smells really great. Soon he’ll be adding a lip gloss to the beauty collection as well.

Exit has a wonderful selection of ballerina’s in all colors of the rainbow with different embellishments: bows, jewels,.. and different fabrics: suede, leather,…

http://www.exit-and-co.be/

The Superdry formula is the same as always; sporty pieces with vintage american inspired prints in English/Japanese. I have to say, I’ve been following this brand for over 4 years now and I’m a true fan, but I was secretly hoping to see something new here. The spring/season collection has a lot of nice bright neon colors though. 
Fun fact: according to my Japanese friend Eri, the tagline of the brand in Japanese says: be dry.
A great discovery for me was the fantasy jewelry collection of Hypnochic. This young Belgian/African brand offers a lot of cute bracelets, necklaces and rings featuring peace signs, flowers, hearts and bows. The designers get their inspiration from all over the world, and that is reflected in the ethnic vibe of their collections.
These are the first sunglasses of the brand new Trussardi eyewear line that will launch in January. Aviators and big frames are the key here.
Hoss Intropia is one of my favorite Spanish brands at the moment. The Spanish influences are clearly noticable, but the collection still better than let’s say Mango, because of their excellent quality of fabrics. The vibe of the collection is overall ethnic. We see lace, prints, ruches, beads, sequins, embroidery, in short, a whole lot of embellishments.
Le Mont St. Michel works with prints, camel, daim, knits and prints. For the winter collection, they’re currently collaborating with the Belgian band Das Pop.
Robert Clergerie has some very lovely pairs of wedges. I’m not sure about those kind of boots during summer season though.
One of my favorite Belgian brands, Essentiel, comes with a lovely selection of bright colors, floral prints, different textures,.. in short, a wonderful collection to look forward to next season. Next to Hoss Intropia, this was one of the collections that really stood out because it was different than the other things I’ve seen so far. This is mostly because the designers used a lot of different fabrics and weren’t afraid to experiment with silhouettes. Las year, Essentiel celebrated its tenth birthday and they will soon open up a new store in Waterloo. www.essentiel.be/

 

**Pictures and info thanks to Sumo Int.**
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