Spring 2014 Fashion Trends in Asia: From Formal to Casual [BLOG]

By Jamie Lin

Spring is in the air already. From office look to casual weekend styles, from clothes to accessories, this year the Asian fashion trends are as usual influenced greatly by western trends, we can see a lot of baggy loosed pants for both men’s wear and women’s wear, masculine dress style has also appeared in the Asian women’s wear market. At the same time, instead of directly copying what’s hot in the West, Asians transform the trends into their own unique styles with fusion tastes.

WOMEN’S WEAR TREND S/S 14

• Elegant with a fun touch

Elegance has always been a fundamental element in the Asian women’s wear trends. For this season, the key items and styles include jumpsuit, blazer, cardigan, shirtdress, and suspender. Lace is huge this season, lace top, lace dress, lace skirt can be the highlight of the entire outfit, and bring out the feminine and elegant feel of the style.  Jumpsuit can be worn not just individually, but along with blouse inside, or styled with cardigan or blazer. Besides the traditional feminine looks, influenced by the western trends, this season we can also see some elements of masculine details like suspenders and bowtie as accessories.

 

• Retro Style

There’s a trend of vintage accessories and look in Asia recently, stone or pearl earrings, necklace, bracelet, brooch or hairband are all considered key items for this trend. No matter you are wearing dress, silk blouse, knit top, or even stipe t-shirt, they can all be easily styled with these accessories. Besides jewelry, lace is another key item for the vintage trend, along with vintage floral print clothes and scarves. With a single touch of vintage, the daily look cannot only be elegant and feminine, but also delicate with quality.

 

• Preppy style

There is also a trend of preppy style, including sporty stripe socks, top printed with huge numbers, letters, or slogans. Besides tops, there are also cap and clutch that are popular in this trend. It is not necessarily a casual look; it really depends on how you match the items.

 

• Casual

Key items for casual look in S/S 14 include romper, jumpsuit, denim, trench coat, suspender, and floral print. Suspender is huge this season, for a casual look, suspender with cotton knee length skirt is a great option. Having a trench coat in your closet is a must for the spring look, besides the traditional colors, a bright color spring coat can always give the entire look a touch of spring and fun. Depends on how you wear jumpsuit and romper, they can be both formal and casual. Styled with denim shirt or a simple cardigan, it can be turned into a perfect look for a weekend look.

 

• A touch of Pastel colors

The color of this season is pastel. Aero blue, alice blue, baby pink, champagne, light yellow, just to name a few. From maxi skirt, dress, cardigan, to shoes, clutch, and other accessories, pastel represents the color of the Spring this year.

 

MEN’S WEAR TREND S/S 14

• Military styles, camouflage printed clothes and accessories

For the 2014 spring and summer trend in Eastern Asia, military print is back on the stage. From jacket, pants, to accessories, people mix match their daily look with a touch of camouflage print.

 

• Oxford and preppy style, slim fit for office look

Western trends usually have great influence on how Asian dress. Preppy and Oxford style are popular especially for office look. Instead of regular fit, Asians prefer slim cut, adding some small element with their formal suit. For instance, a bright color cardigan can be styled either inside the suit or freely drape outside the suit can always brighten the entire formal look. Besides cardigan, the dress shirt underneath can also make a difference, other than regular plain color dress shirt, people can also replace them with stripe knit or plaid shirt to add some fun element and make the look younger and more energetic.

 

• Casual look

There are several key items for the S/S14 trends in Asia, including bright colors cardigans, stripe print, spring coat, wide-legged pants, and leather shorts. Asian men wear shorts along with flats, leather shoes, sport shoes, or oxford. This year, besides regular cotton or cargo shorts, there’s a trend of leather fabric. A basic style trench or spring coat is also a must have item, it is easy to style with, regardless you are wearing shorts, pants, jeans, basic knit, or flannel shirt, a basic coat can always be a plus for the daily look. Stripe printed items are hot this season, t-shirt, shirt, cardigan, or small accessories can be seen everywhere on the street. For the spring, a colorful cardigan is essential for the closet, it can be worn with knit, t-shirt, or shirt, or it can simply just be an accessory for the look.

About the author:

       Jamie Lin is a recent graduate from Fashion Institute of Technology, with a specialization of Fashion Buying and Planning. Jamie is absorbed with fashion, with her exposure in Asia, Europe and the United States, and with the professional fashion background, she is keen to provide the world with another eye for the global fashion.