(5/2018) Without mention of the floral print, the introduction of summer fashion is released, and it is akin to an unrestricted rebellion of formal trends that support structure for a culturally stiff attitude towards fashion. The trends this season never conformed to the traditional customs that reserve white for Memorial Day weekend, announce denim cut-offs as the summer trouser, and reserved glittery fashions as evening wear pieces — rules that frame culture’s comfortable idea of the industry. On the contrary, fashion week presented bold white gowns before Memorial Day, Canadian Tuxedos, a conservative alternative to the teenage Daisy Duke short shorts and glittery tops for daytime hours. Unlike the rules that have forever dictated an understanding for how to dress, the runway trends disrupt the framework with repute for the following "don’ts" of fashion.

Never wear white before Memorial Day

If you took poll and asked women if they limit their white wardrobe to the traditional summer season that runs from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend many would say "yes," or they would say "I don’t but, my mother does." Customs that confine a person’s fashion sense rather than allowing a sense of fashion to be expressed freely are harmless because they offer ideas for fashion and style. However, they are incredibly destructive for culture’s ideas on fashion if taken too seriously. The biggest rule-breaking statement on the runway to date was the idea of wearing white before Memorial Day.

In the summertime, nothing compares to the beams of light that bring life to the season. The sight of an all-white outfit exposes newness or a sense of rebirth that also offers angelic elegance to a fashion that never ceases to go unnoticed. Outfits styled in winter white, which in months prior struggled to make the cut for appropriate white attire, are simply second to this sacred uniform. Among a floral frenzy of Cinq a Sept’s Spring 2018 Collection there were looks of full, monochromatic white that broke up the collection instead of presenting a full garden of floral outfits. A bell-shaped, white-toned slip dress, paired to a white, cropped denim jacket was a youthful look. The second look showed maturity, presenting a sash-banded dress, styled with extra long, wide leg pants as the final look to the collection. The brand’s decision to show all white looks before Memorial Day, which culturally speaking is socially unacceptable, reveals the bold nature of the brand. Cinq a Sept outfitted white fashions with tenacity, playfulness and elegance. Presenting white a season ahead, before the resort-wear collections is not only scandalous, but it offers a fresh new perspective to summer fashion.

Don’t wear denim of the same wash

Before the daisy duke slim-cut short came into being, there was the Canadian Tuxedo. Arguably overdressed with layers overcompensated with fabric weight and coverage, appearing cumbersome against the summer sun, an industry’s perspective begs to differ. Designers ran with the idea, offering an alternative perspective on denim. Stella McCartney sent acid wash styles in light indigo and lime green down her runway. A three-piece tee, vest and cargo jean look partnered with a lime colored industrial jumpsuit was a separate look compared to the relaxed, lightweight silky dresses and oversized outfits in the collection, which are normally seen as definitive to her brand. Both outfits broke fashion rules as monochromatic looks presented in the same wash of denim. In just two looks from her recent collection, McCartney breaks an old concert rule of fashion that rejects a one-wash denim look.

With a similar sentiment, Dior showed a patched two-tone denim suit: a double breasted, wide collar blazer and high-waisted pant stitched together by pins. The signature looks appeared singular to one another, creating an overall bohemian collection. The juxtaposition of two separate shades of denim, a light wash and dark indigo provides a break between the matching blazer and jean. The denim suit, made of a wide blazer and jean pant is a modern perspective on a traditionally worn uniform. In breaking the rules of fashion, Dior brings new ideas to old ways.

A head-to-toe denim outfit modernized in Raf Simon’s Calvin Klein 205W39NYC Collection for Spring personalized denim with DIY-esque personal touches that lent reference to an Andy Warhol painting of Sandra Brant and Dennis Hopper. A time to customize denim commences, sparking an interest in exploring just how to make fashion a unique experience of customized denim. Tapping into a Western rancher style of dressing, Simons’ concept of same-wash denim looks, boot-leg denim, and baggy jean button-down uniforms revived a perspective of dressing outside the boundaries of utility. Irrespective of the cowboy boot, a full denim look becomes more than a uniform worn on the ranches and farms, it has become a resurgence of Calvin and his jeans; a motif of the brand that all ages should remain excited about.

Denim, arguably the most approachable fabric on the runway, was introduced unconventionally for summer. Once practically used as a conventional tactic to beat the summer’s heat was redesigned with a bohemian style to counter old stereotypes.

Don’t wear glitz and glam beyond the night

Glitter is no longer reserved for the evening gala or the disco. Stepping into the daylight with a sequenced top is fun and fashionable! The sequin, an approachable type of sparkle, brings a party look to an outfit even before the nightlife begins. In his recent collection American designer Tom Ford sent leotard tops and waist–length jogger pant outfits, or the synched gowns with geometric sequined sleeves, down his runway. A pastel pink, sharpened with full-length sequin sleeves kicked off the beginning of a collection of dresses, designed in other monochromatic colors of beige and yellow with sleeves armored in sequins. Notorious for extravagant eveningwear collections, the designer’s approach to glitter was presented as more approachable than the Halpren and Emilia Wickstead collections that ornamented gowns and jumpsuits in head-to-toe glitter.

The most approachable sequin statement this season was Molly Goddard’s Spring Collection. The young designer incorporated glitter on oversized tunics, which was showcased as a consistent look in this collection. Leaving us with another option in our summer day attire this proposal is potentially freeing for those who love glitter or want to make a bold fashion statement without having to wait for a night out to wear it.

This season, summer fashion presents itself with zeal for the statement that playfully rejects the formalities dictating summer fashion. Summer white, denim on denim by means of Canadian Tuxedo jumpsuits, and shimmering daytime sequin outfits were rebellious trends that lit a spark for warm-weathered clothing designs. Recent runway looks broke the traditional rules that have structured guidelines of fashion. A focus on the runway offers a frame of reference for fashion found in Lord and Taylor to Zara. As a compass navigating the direction— from an artistic perspective to the commercial — the runway makes fashion history.

Outside of New York, fashion is understated. Whether it was a printed top or a flowery jumpsuit fashion never went beyond a Michael Kors logo printed tote bag, or Tory Burch flat, in college. Statements felt elementary at points in my life. Another source of fashion knowledge came from my mother, who even today takes an extremely practical approach. She would take my sisters and I to the mall every summer to shop for outfits for vacations in Miami, strategically commenting on designs that would flatter our body type, and style us with expression. But even her approach felt too rigid at times. A move to New York City introduced a whole new world, where everyone dresses to the industry standard, with pronouncement and loud expression, creating outfits that demand attention. After fashion week the runway trends trickle into daily attire. This season, the runway encouraged us to abandon the strict rules that confine fashion into a box and shares a bold fantasy for a world that sees fashion beyond societal limitations.