Minimal-skirts and techno-dresses 2007

Another year is drawing to a close, and the fashion and music industries have taken on new shapes and boundaries. It's no secret to anyone that techno music enjoyed no less popularity than capri pants and high-heeled shoes. All the stylish residents of the country gave their preference to minimalism in music and to accessories in clothing. But that can only be looked back on now, whereas it's worth dreaming about and guessing the trends of the coming year already. The question of trends, preferences and priorities concerns both the creators and inspirers of fashion themselves and those who consume it.
44100hz, no less preoccupied with this question, spoke with the participants and guests of Haute Couture Week in Moscow about the trends of 2007:
1. What will be fashionable to wear in 2007?
2. What music will be fashionable in 2007?

Yulia, 29 years old, works as PR director at Sky Lounge

1. I think fashion will be, above all, comfortable and minimalist. For example, a thing like jeans will never go out of fashion. New details will simply be added to them, be it rhinestones, distressing, studs or something else. As for women's fashion, high heels are, without doubt, an indispensable thing - in them a woman always looks good and attracts men's attention; besides, it's the one item of fashion that can't be applied to men.
Men's fashion is hard for me to judge, but one thing I can say with confidence is that men value comfort most of all, and fashion adapts to them.

2. Fashion in music is a rather difficult question. Classical compositions are timeless, while everything else changes. For example, I recently discovered an interesting musical genre for myself - trance, even though it seemed difficult for me to grasp. In general, I lean toward the view that the classics in any of the musical genres will always be in fashion, like Underworld in electronic music, for example.

1. The most interesting fashion trend of the coming year is pure, bright, warm colors, natural fabrics, thin and slightly sheer. Loose-cut garments, light flowing skirts and dresses. I personally am pleased that "Capri" trousers are not only not going out of fashion but, you could say, are experiencing a second birth. "Capri" is a very comfortable thing, not only in summer but also in the cold season; they emphasize the beauty of women's and even men's legs and let you show off high boots or, say, chic shoes in all their glory.
The fashion for elongated tops, knitted and crocheted little dresses, meant to be worn with jeans or leggings and always with a wide belt at the waist, will come into full force. In summer, of course, tiny shorts and R'n'B-style little skirts will be relevant. In general, on Russian soil, elaborately decorated things go down a treat. Apparently it's in our blood. Shiny appliqués, embroidery of beads, sequins, rhinestones, tops and jeans with prints will remain at the peak of fashion in the new year. Incidentally, there are plenty of such items in the Masha Tsigal brand's collections.

2. Now with music it's trickier. It's the kind of art that is only superficially subject to fashion trends. Vivaldi or, say, the Beatles by definition cannot go out of fashion. Besides, each stylistic current has its own features of development; moreover, there's quality, interesting music for people with good taste and throwaway, one-day music meant for village discos - these are two different things. That's why it's impossible to predict musical fashion unequivocally.
In Russia it's fashionable to listen to what by definition won't be blaring from the speakers of the kiosks by the metro. What others haven't yet had a chance to get a taste of. I'm not too well versed in the terminology of electronic music, but from the first bars I can tell whether a track will "take off" or stay in the backwaters of music history. At my last show as part of Fashion Week in Moscow, West End Girls performed. They're two Swedish girls covering Pet Shop Boys hits. They sound very fresh. In general the fusion style, a mix of classics, hits of past decades and contemporary trends, is the true music of the 21st century - the era of postmodernism that has arrived.

1. I think fashion will be individual for each person. Since clothing is, above all, a means of self-expression, dressing exclusively in expensive brands by famous designers will be a sign of bad taste, while a display of individuality will be appreciated on its merits.

2. As for my personal preferences, I like minimal techno. And next year, I think, techno music in all its forms will keep holding its ground just the same.

1. In the new spring-summer 2007 season, modern and traditional plant ornaments and the fresh natural colors of Impressionist painting will come into fashion. Our House's collection will be dominated by the color palettes of the artists of the early-century Russian watercolor school. The main color palette is white, milky, beige, lemon and light-turquoise tones, accented with orange-red ensembles.
Silk fabrics will come into fashion - from "wild" ("RAW") silk, chiffons and muslins to crinkled and boiled silk satins treated with new technologies. Silk details will be combined with other fabrics - lightweight cashmere, cotton, taffeta. All fabrics will be natural only. The main trends of the 90s will return to fashion: an accentuated shoulder, a dropped armhole, an emphasized waist, soft forms of unlined jackets, large draped blouses, high-waisted jeans, cropped coat-macs, cardigans. "Everyday" dresses will be very feminine: soft flowing silhouettes, a combination of light fabrics of different textures, multilayered details. A fashionable nuance - the models will be adorned with embroidery of rhinestones, bugle beads and appliqué, and this trim will lend a special chic to the classic models.

2. I find it hard to answer the question about fashion trends in music.

1. In 2007 fashion will echo the trends of the 70s. We'll wear stylish coats with wide belts and three-quarter sleeves, and long leather gloves are a must with them. High boots on a beautiful high heel will, of course, stay in fashion. As for men, here I see the same old classics, grooming and clean lines - severe suits, elegant cufflinks, clean tidy shoes - time doesn't change this, a man must always look neat.

2. Music is beyond fashion; everyone has their own. Of course, I can't deny that dance music is very relevant today and will probably be relevant next year, and if we're talking about a specific genre, then most likely house music will return to us in its pure form, the form in which it was originally created.

1. I think geometry will be in fashion. Fabrics that will be created using computer technologies. The color palette is hard for me to predict. The only thing I can say is that it will be something bright, not black-white-gray shades. Maybe slightly muted, "dusty" colors. The waist will stay where it is now - slightly raised. The silhouette will become more flowing. Luxurious trim will be fashionable, though there won't be as much jewelry and rhinestones as this year. One thing I know for sure - minimalization won't be in fashion, because more and more women strive to appeal to men, and it's not so easy to attract the attention of the modern man. New actresses will appear in American and European cinema who will become objects of imitation. Unfortunately, contemporary actresses dress with every designer indiscriminately, and this "breaks" the image. For example, Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich (although these images are already so popular that it's trite to invoke them) always dressed in one style. In the old days a film would be released, and along with the premiere a new image always appeared that people strove to imitate. Now that's gone. As a fashion designer, I'd very much like to create an entirely new image for an actress. To think out everything down to the last detail. But, unfortunately, our actresses too prefer to buy a bit here and there, from different designers.

2. Music is increasingly becoming electronic. Hits and classical compositions of past years are turning into mixes, into a meaningless electronic fantasy. This trend affects many fields of art - literature, painting. People get so tired at work that they simply don't want to think about anything when music is playing. That's why it's so hard for rock music to survive now. After all, classic rock calls on you to think, to change the world. Serious music is gradually ceding the palm to light "pop".

1. In 2007 fashion will be more convenient and comfortable, meeting all human needs. And I'm inclined to think that many designers will use minimalism as the basis for creating their collections. Personally, I'm drawn to the casual style - clothes in which I'm comfortable and feel confident. Probably next year we'll increasingly come across sporty-style clothing on the city streets, and hoods will come into fashion.

2. Today music has exhausted itself, everything possible has already been thought up and all that happens is copying from old ideas and styles. Next year we'll be returning to the roots, listening to something from the 70s, only not in the original but in new remixed versions. And dance music is unlikely to give up its positions; in my opinion, it will be just as popular as before.

1. What will be fashionable? I'm categorically against the word "fashionable"! We create not fashionable things but stylish ones. It's always fashionable to be stylish, healthy and well-rested! Right now everyone is trying to reintroduce the mini-skirt. Or rather the micro-skirt, or more precisely, the near-total absence of a skirt. I think our girls will like it - we haven't forgotten mini-skirts since the 80s. Natural fabrics will be in fashion. And in general, in Moscow it will always be fashionable to dress up. Here a girl goes to walk the dog, puts on lipstick, and ends up wearing heels. Abroad people dress somehow more simply, more functionally. There's nothing wrong with this Moscow manner of "getting all dolled up", but here it all depends on one's financial situation. In the metro 90% of women are dressed in jeans, because there's no way to copy the models from fashion magazines. I think the staple items in the wardrobe will remain those that common sense dictates: a jacket, a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

2. Electronic music has won, and it will win next year too. It will be varied, with additions: some like hard rock, some like little bells. But the base is electronic music. Personally, right now I like what's very fashionable in the West and almost unknown here - Pink Martini.

Material prepared by Alena Aleksandrova and Anna Leks especially for 44100hz