From relaxed cuts to hot pink hues, here are the 12 top trends from Paris Fashion Week for next season

Bell sleeves, retro florals and the new designers to know: we say bonjour to spring
Sonia Rykiel SS17 at Paris Fashion Week
Swan Gallet/WWD/Rex

1. Turtle neck dresses at Céline

Even for devout original Phoebe Philo, our collective demand for high-necked dresses with slobbish sleeves has clearly proved compelling.

The result of this was a collection which flowed with high-necked jersey dresses in keeping with the zeitgeist.

This was just one segment in a spellbinding show in which Philo unveiled butter-soft silk kick flares, raw-edge leather culottes and mismatching shoe boots (NB: you can expect to wear shoes in opposing shades next season).

Céline SS17 
Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty

The dresses suggested a strong but free Céline protagonist.

2. Bee motifs at Christian Dior

In the hours before Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut for Christian Dior the buzz was palpable. It seemed apt then that when the designer’s vision was at last unveiled on the catwalk a bee should take centre stage.

Echoing a Napoleon bee - one of the emperor’s favourite symbols - favoured by Monsieur Dior as well as a motif regularly used by Hedi Slimane during his time in charge of Dior’s men’s offering, the bee indicated a designer who was paying close attention to the house’s archives.

Christian Dior SS17 
Jacopo Raule/Getty

A collection which blended numerous ideas - inducing fencing and the fashion world’s collective obsession with logos (see the J’adior Christian Dior boxer waistbands) - also played a key role in the designer’s vision.

Dior SS17 at Paris Fashion Week

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3. Retro florals at Balenciaga

Backstage after his sophomore show, a happy Demna Gvasalia proclaimed smiling to be the new black.

Of course, given the Georgian designer’s recently acquired status as a trend machine, there’s more than just happiness for fashion fans to sink their teeth into next season.

Balenciaga SS17 
Catwalking.com

Along with pin-sharp shoulders and supersized lifevests, Balenciaga offered a lurid but lovely Seventies floral print inspired by vintage swimsuits. Expect to see it everywhere.

Balenciaga SS17 at Paris Fashion Week

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4. Hot pink at Valentino

At Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut solo show for Valentino on Sunday no great thought was required to work out that dresses are among the house’s best performing ready-to-wear products.

Accordingly, the show was a celebration of precisely that, with the designer inviting a new and more youthful customer into the fold with easy-to-wear shapes and playful embroidery.

Valentino SS17 
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Designing for the first time without his female counterpart, Piccioli also seemed determined to harness his own version of femininity: this was a new beginning.

For the clothes, this meant shades of raspberry - and lots of it. This is a house that’s in the pink.

5. Pyjama stripes at Lanvin

Bouchra Jarrar’s design debut at Lanvin brought a renewed focus on daywear to the house known for its devotion to cocktail-hour dressing - among the highlights was slouchy tailoring decked out with pyjama stripes.

Lanvin SS17 
Catwalking.com

A softer take on pinstripes for the boardroom and an equally contemporary option for after-work drinks, Jarrar teamed striped silk trousers and flowing tunic shirts with flat jewelled slides.

6. Trench coats at Maison Margiela

If there was one takeaway from Paris that even trend refuseniks will rejoice in it’s the news that trench coats are back with a bang.

Spanning the entire breadth of show season - from Tibi in New York to Prada in Milan - the classic coat has made a bigger comeback than Craig David.

Maison Margiela SS17 
Catwalking.com

Fashion’s most adventurous dressers will delight in John Galliano’s take on the trend at Margiela, which saw the staple teamed with spray-painted shirts and vinyl lace skirts, or deconstructed entirely and reworked into chic day dresses.

7. Parachute straps at Roland Mouret

The cold shoulder is going nowhere - particularly among the cocktail classes.

In Roland Mouret’s latest collection bias cut crèpe and silk tops fell low across the body and were fastened in place by parachute straps.

Roland Mouret SS17
Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty

A recurring theme during this week’s round of shows, the same flowing ribbons were used as belts at Dior and as waistbands at Stella McCartney.

8. Suede at Balmain

While Seventies nostalgia may have eased come the spring, the same can’t be said for the era’s favourite fabric.

Eschewing his trademark bodycon dresses in favour of a softer silhouette, Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing revealed floor-sweeping paperbag-waist skirts cut from extra-soft suede, while the fabric also played a starring role in Jonathan Anderson’s latest collection for luxury leather brand Loewe.

Balmain SS17 
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Stella McCartney also dabbled in a vegan-friendly take on the trend with an eco-suede drawstring tracksuit among her collection’s high points.

9. Tailored Harem pants at Chloé

Classic French dressing and brilliant workwear solutions informed Clare Waight Keller’s latest Chloé collection. But that’s not to say that the Brit designer played it safe.

Among the stand-out pieces set to line the wardrobes of London’s chicest office-dwellers next season were a tapered, tailored take on harem pants.

Chloé SS17 
Catwalking.com

Those wishing to trial the balloon-trouser look are advised keep the top half simple and always tucked in.

Chloé SS17 at Paris Fashion Week

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10. Robes at Dries Van Noten

Sticking with the “I woke up like this” theme (see pyjama stripes), dressing gown-style robes are also having a moment.

At Dries Van Noten they came crafted from floral silk, teamed with matching shorts and worn with an easy elegance.

Dries Van Noten SS17 
AP Photo/Zacharie Scheurer

Bedroom-ready outerwear also made an appearance at Lanvin, Balmain and Haider Ackermann.

NB: this looks work just as well paired with denim as it does with louche tailoring.

11. Cotton shirts at Hermès

The humble shirt returns to favour in a host of new guises. Among them, a masculine inspired zip-up style as debuted by Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski at Hermès.

The perfect luxury accoutrement - NB: opt for simple but expensive - this shirt will make lifelong friends with your favourite statement skirt.

Hermès SS17 
Catwalking.com

At Stella McCartney, masculine men’s shirting was given a contemporary edge through the addition of sculptural panelling and silky organic cotton.

Seek out sky- blue shades and team with sludge- brown trousers or denim.

12. Bell sleeves at Sonia Rykiel

Julie de Libran’s first collection since the death of her predecessor Sonia Rykiel in August was a celebration of her favourite silhouette.

The takeaway trend is the bell-shaped sleeve, a favourite of Rykiel’s.

Sonia Rykiel SS17 
Catwalking.com

Featuring on knitted sweaters and long-sleeved peasant dresses, the shape is a natural progression from the long-length cuffs which have been occupying our wardrobes for some seasons.

Knitwear fans can expect to see bell-cuffs on chunky knits and lightweight cashmere next year.

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