California Apparel News

From LA to London, T-shirts are a “go-to” fashion staple. And this Fall, juniors can look for plenty of new styles to update their wardrobe.

At the Barbara Fields Buying Office’s Fall ’16 Trend Presentation, held during the recent LA Majors Market, the longtime buying expert highlighted key trends of the season. From baseball tees to ringers, knot fronts and graphic logos, the options seem endless.

The T-shirt market is “very strong,” according to Fields, president and owner of the buying office. “It’s one of the biggest growth areas,” said the trend forecaster, whose buying and trend advice has been sought after by retailers for the past 30 years. “[It’s grown] because of all the new shapes and silhouettes,” she explained. And that’s good news for retailers because 20 percent to 25 percent of the total buy are typically in the T-shirt category.

In an “insta” culture that’s influenced by the fast pace of social media, trends now change very quickly.

“It’s a different world…,” said Fields, who visits London every month and has staff in London, Tokyo and Australia who are constantly scouting what’s new.

“It’s got to be now, wear it now, disposable clothes,” she explained. “They see it, they see it on a celebrity, and then they’re right on it.”

For example, all of a sudden patches were the big thing and now everyone’s wearing pins and patches. “They are on everything from jackets to outerwear,” said Fields, who described the trend as one of the newest T-shirt trends of the season.

Retro-inspired baseball and ringer tees also made the cut as one of Fields’ top 10 key trends for Fall. “Ringer T-shirts, baseball T-shirts and graphic tees are continuing forward in a big way,” Fields said. Baseball and ringers both feature retro vintage screen prints, marled yarns and contrasting colors.

Taking cues from the ’70s, pool-boy ribs and skinny ribs are back in shades of wine, olive, rust and gray. In fact, solid and stripe rib-knit tees are both trending heavily. Fields expects solid rib-knit tees to be the million-dollar item of the season. V-necks and wrap bodies will also be popular.

Knot-front T-shirts were everywhere in Europe, according to Fields. Found at the hem, waist or neckline, both the knot front and twist front create a subtle yet feminine accent on T-shirts.

Fields predicts the lace-up will be the single biggest detail of the season. She spotted the style all over London, and, indeed, the lace-up T-shirt is making a big statement for Fall. “The lace-up is selling in T-shirts, wovens and dresses—all the categories,” Fields said.

Silhouettes such as mock necks, neck ties and cold shoulders are also trending. Cold shoulders are popping up on everything from T-shirts to wovens and dresses. Bodysuits, which also fall into the T-shirt category, are continuing. The look is updated with mock necks, lace-ups and lace insets. With Fall’s trend to romantic Victorian styling, lace is important both for trims and all-over fabrications. Look for lace tees in shades of white, black, teal and wine.

Not surprisingly, graphic logo tees and sweatshirts are some of Fall’s biggest trends. Key themes include coffee screens, Internet lingos and socially relevant phrases such as “Wake up and be awesome,” “Don’t steal my Wi-Fi,” and “Eat, sleep, party, repeat.” The trend extends to graphics printed on athletic-inspired styles ranging from classic tanks to tunics and asymmetrical silhouettes. Bold graphics and wraparound screening feature sayings such as “Gym is my boyfriend” and “I run this city #trytokeepup.”