STYLE MANIFESTO TRENDOMETER JULY/AUG 2013

>>> Lady of the Lake (Or, Neophelia): Pre-Raphaelites and neo-Medievalism Some time ago we suggested that Botticelli was going to be a big influence on design trends to come. Why? Because Botticelli was a huge influence on the pre-Raphaelites, and we had an intuition that the pre-Raphaelites along with medievalism, Arts & Crafts and Victoriana - were going to be big news. On an obvious visual level, we already see signs of this, particularly in fashion. Minutely detailed Botticelli-style florals gradually replace blowsy roses, and neo-Medieval references appear in clothing and campaigns by e.g. Vivienne Westwood and Chanel (in particular, see Chanels current medieval campaign featuring Tilda Swinton). Faerie-Queen style festival floral headbands are now ubiquitous and we also see the increasing use of jewel-like colours and textures in interior design. There is, too, a mainstreaming of the Victorian/Edwardian aesthetics of steam punk. However the trend has broader implications. Weve said many times that the austere climate in which we find ourselves is bound to produce anti-austerity responses, that is, a tendency towards decadence, escapism, playfulness, parody and even camp. On an overt level, this can be seen in what Style Manifesto calls neo-Rococo and whose parodic, even post-punk aspects we've discussed many times. However the latter can seem offensive in a Recession if the tongue-in-cheek aspect is missed. Where to find instead a visual reference that allows escapism whilst also aligning with current ethical concerns about craftsmanship, reverence for nature and a grounding realism? The pre-Raphaelites seem the perfect source. Whilst the work was complex and diverse, a common theme especially in its later manifestations was the unlikely combination of a minutely realist, even photographic style, and a reverence for craftsmanship, authenticity and nature, with a sense of mystical meaning that harks back to a mythical past. Neo-medievalism and pre-Raphaelite references allow escapism whilst avoiding neo-Rococo excesses. The diagram above shows the way these dual reactions to austerity might play out.

What does this mean for designers? In advertising, fashion photography and production design we might expect a renewed interest in minutely detailed and apparently realist or photographic material that nevertheless hints at some sort of mystical, poetic or allegorical aspect. In interior design we are likely to see neo-Gothic(k) and Tudor references, darker interiors, and nods to the hand-made aesthetic. The spatial connotations are more complex and well focus on these in a future blog on new spatial/experiential directions.