A sea of blues and greens washed over the runways of the Spring 2023 season, carrying in its wake nostalgic memories of pastel-tinged innocence and a hope for peaceful times yet to come.
First having a big cultural moment in the 50s in America, when it adorned finned cars, living rooms, and surf-rock guitars, seafoam green – along with its cousins mint and sage – has been winding in and out of recent fashion trends for at least ten years. A year and a half ago it popped up on the runways often paired with an opposing hue like yellow. But this season saw many moments of the color standing on its own, while the related but seafoam blue has grown to become perhaps even more popular.
Bottega Veneta‘s Matthieu Blazy surprised us with his use of seafoam in a collection that boldly built off the success of his minimal and elegant debut for the house. With a unique eye for all things aquatic, it’s no surprise that Botter made thorough use of the serene blues and greens you might see along a Caribbean coastline. Dsquared2 took seafoam back to its roots for its delicate surfer-girl collection. Gucci went even more old school with its exotica-influenced collections that incorporated soft yet vibrant blues and greens that reminded us of majolica or other early-industrial pottery practices. Meanwhile, JW Anderson reflected contemporary concerns by referencing soullessly beachy default screensavers to call into question our digital selves and our treatment of the real world’s physical health.
