Lifestyle Trends For Autumn/Winter 2016/17

Trend forecasters are probably the oddest kind of persons. Not in a negative way, don't get me wrong. But who are these people who apparently know what is going to trend in like two years from now? I'll tell you - at least I know one person: Gudy Herder, my friend and fellow blogger at Eclectic Trends. She is a professional trend expert and works for the Global Color Research in London.

Two weeks ago I attended a trend seminar hosted by Gudy for 'Meet the Blogger'. Together with her we pushed the fast forward button and found ourselves in the autumn/winter 2016/17 season - yes, two years from now. Gudy presented four lifestyle trends that nourish themselves from creative vibes in arts, fashion, design. And today I want to share those lifestyle trends with you too. Let's roll!

Trend 01: WONDERLAND

'Wonderland' describes cold, rough nordic landscapes. It evokes escapism and the desire to discover the inaccessible, the undiscovered. It is etherial, sometimes intangible. It draws major inspiration from the nordic nature and brings the feeling of nature into our lives and homes. It is the desire to liberate ourselves from the conventions and limits, it refers to our inner urge to cut off the strings that make us function in our mundane life. Elusive, frosty colors define this trend - think of cold whites, icy blues, dark greens but also opposing lava reds and other volcanic hues, soft sunset colors.

Trend 02: SCANNED

This trend reveals what lies beneath. It triggers our explorative nature to peek under the surface, to see what lies beneath and thus to better understand life. It is a sort of creative Darwinism, an urge to understand, observe and control. It focuses on transparency and X-ray looks, it integrates technology in the human body and life. Even though it has a technological dimension, it is still airy, delicate. It is the poetic dimension of technology if you want so. Color wise think of charcoal, transparent greys, mauve, dusky blues and pale pink.

Trend 03: COLLAGE

Who knew - in two years the 80s will be back, in full force! This trend refers to the so-called 'Memphis Design', an Italian design and architecture group from 1981. It is a non-conformist approach and leverages our creative drive. Vivid colors, geometric shapes, modular concepts - it is a sort of cut & past style with lots of optimism and dynamics. It is all about customization and a modular understanding of design. Think of painterly effects, brush strokes, black & white with blush and peach hues, light blues, greys. Playful is a keyword here!

Trend 04: COSMIC

This trend evokes distant feelings, it is a technological, mechanical concept, rooting in the 80s. Imagine exploding stars, northern lights and a robot feeling. It is acid, vivid, full of drama, it melts, floats, it shimmers, it's metallic, it's crystalline. Color wise think of acid greens, vibrant pinks and purples, midnight blues, turquoise and black. Also think of shimmering gold and silver effects. With this trend we are bound to set off and explore the universe!

After her presentation Gudy asked for feedback from the attending 25 lifestyle bloggers and the two favorite trend forecasts were 'Wonderland' and 'Scanned'. I think this was mostly because we can already see those in the creative world - their colors and landscape designs and X-ray looks are already being applied by forward thinking brands and most of it comes from Scandinavia.

I would like to pick up Gudy's question and pass it on to you, my dear readers: Which trend is your favorite and which one do you think will be really big?

P.S. I am in Amsterdam until Sunday so I will see you back on Monday here on the blog. For an instant glimpse into what I am up to in Amsterdam (lots of design) follow me on Instagram @igorjosif

Photography by Igor Josifovic, collages by Gudy Herder