Future so bright you gotta wear shades

THE future was not so much bright, as black and white, at David Jones’s spring/summer season launch last night.

Jessica Gomes, left, with other models at the David Jones spring/summer collection launch. Picture: James Croucher

THE future is not so much bright, as black and white.

Traditional spring blooms and bold summer colours were eschewed by David Jones at its spring/summer season launch last night, with black, white and a combination of the two taking centre catwalk on Level Seven of its Sydney store.

This follows international trends towards a more spartan colour palette — with blue the main exception to the rule.

Just as the catwalk was beginning to look a little monotonous in monochrome, it was left to a handful of labels including Willow, Trelise Cooper, Megan Park and Romance Was Born to inject bright colours.

Donna Player, David Jones’s group executive of merchandise, said that of the main trends for the new season, “Black and white is really important for us.”

Designer Nicky Zimmermann — whose label Zimmermann closed the show with Jessica Gomes in a black-and-white motorcycle print dress — agreed the trend was strong, and with good reason.

“Overall I think there was a lot of black and white; it’s an obvious kind of trend,” Zimmermann said. “I always like a bit of colour and print, but I think there’s a certain ease to it which people are liking. Particularly in a lot of the more casual brands, the weekend wear.”

The other runway surprise was Jodhi Meares’s active wear label The Upside. While Player concedes swimwear is always on show for a summer launch, this is the first time active wear has shared the runway. “I think active wear and the blurring of the lines between what you wear to the gym and what you wear out speaks to those women who want to be younger for longer and look younger for longer,” Player said.