We use cookies to give you the best personal experience on our website. If you continue to use our site without changing your cookie settings, you agree we may place these cookies on your device. You can change your cookie settings at any time but if you do , you may lose some functionality on our website . More information can be found in our privacy policy.
Please provide more information.
Stylus no longer supports Internet Explorer 7, 8 or 9. Please upgrade to IE 11, Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge. This will ensure you have the best possible experience on the site.
stylus
trends		 consumer
lifestyle		 consumer
product		 consumer
engagement		 topics events
calendar		 blog
view all
reports
 		about
stylus		 login
stylus trends
Consumer Lifestyle
Food, Beverage & Hospitality
Fashion
Beauty
Product Design
Colour & Materials
Retail
Media & Marketing
topics
view all reports
events calendar
blog
about stylus
T&C
careers
contact us
login
Fashion

Visual Styling Directions 2018

In this new report, we highlight the key visual trends emerging from magazine editorials, Instagram feeds and campaigns that will inspire future visual directions for a width of industries. Unexpected themes and influences include traditional family values and erotica, as well as an emphasis on reality play and a fresh take on masculinity.

Share:
Published:
6 Apr 2018
BY: Hannah S.
DOWNLOAD PDF
RELATED REPORTS
Youth Style Tribes 2019
Youth Style Tribes 2019 Youth Style Tribes 2019 From glam noughties nostalgia and preppy retro sports, to psychedelic skate and futuristic utilitarianism, Gen Z’s cultural and visual references are diverse and complex. We unwrap the looks, lifescapes, retail preferences, pin-up influencers and even playlists of the five youth style tribes you’ll need to know about in 2019 to better engage with this demographic.
Fashion
Fashion Lifestyle
05 Sep 2018
Youth Style Tribes: X-Treme Expressionists
Youth Style Tribes: X-Treme Expressionists Tribes: X-Treme Expressionists The evolution of 2018’s Bad Taste tribe, the X-Treme Expressionists are more glamorous and considered in style than their predecessors – with an emphasis on noughties nostalgia and a vibrant, sexy trashiness.
Fashion
Fashion Lifestyle
05 Sep 2018
Instagram Top 10: Colour & Materials Inspirations
Instagram Top 10: Colour & Materials Inspirations Instagram Top 10: Colour & Material The ever-popular social media platform now has one billion active monthly users (Statista, 2018) and is setting its sights on the developing world with the launch of Instagram Lite. Showcasing the power of compelling visual content, we round up 10 of the most inspirational colour and material Instagram accounts from across the design industries.
Colour & Materials
Materials
10 Jul 2018
Instagangs: Teen Resale Rulers
Instagangs: Teen Resale Rulers Instagangs: Teen Resale Rulers Fashion-focused teens are transforming their social media platforms into mini e-tail economies, curating retro sportswear and upcycling vintage pieces. Armed with a socially conscious mindset and bags of personal style, this group are giving second-hand clothing – an industry worth $20bn and growing 24 times faster than traditional retail – a whole new meaning.
Fashion
Fashion Lifestyle
06 Jun 2018
Reality
Reality Reality Self-acceptance and embracing one’s individuality are key concerns for Gen Z, with 67% claiming that being true to their values and beliefs is what makes a person ultimately ‘cool’ (The Irregular, 2018). From culturally spliced representation to otherworldly influencers, this group is redefining what it means to be real – and on their own terms.  
Fashion
Fashion Lifestyle
24 Apr 2018
VIEW ALL Reports
Power
Power Power Women are redefining the rules of feminist defiance, and fashion – as it always has – is serving as a key medium for change. Whether in the form of pink Pussyhats protesting the Trump presidency or a black dress on the red carpet in support of #MeToo, the dams have burst on this female empowerment movement and it’s time for brands to catch up and take a stand.
Fashion
Fashion Forecast
24 Apr 2018
Instagangs: The Menswear Edit
Instagangs: The Menswear Edit Instagangs: The Menswear Edit From culture clashing and finding beauty in the ordinary, to functional textiles and fear of a dystopian future, we take a look at the most exciting brands and designers set to make a major impression on the menswear market.
Fashion
Menswear
29 Mar 2018
Instagangs: Indie Male Beauty
Instagangs: Indie Male Beauty Instagangs: Indie Male Beauty As the booming male grooming market diversifies into more nuanced categories, Stylus highlights a new breed of male-focused indie beauty brands making waves in the industry. Designed to appeal to discerning millennial and Gen X consumers, authentic brand stories, luxe lifestyle photography and effective ethical ingredients combine to create Instagram gold.
Beauty
Male Grooming
29 Mar 2018
Youth Marketing Strategy 2018
Youth Marketing Strategy 2018 Youth Marketing Strategy 2018 Brands are fighting for relevance when it comes to engaging Gen Z and millennial consumers. At YMS 2018 in London, we heard from social media experts, digital marketers and young start-up founders about how best to cut through the noise.
Media & Marketing
Advertising & Branding
29 Mar 2018
SXSW 2018
SXSW 2018 SXSW 2018 South by Southwest Interactive Festival 2018 covered subjects as diverse as content commerce for Gen Z, data transparency, the erosion of truth, and the distribution of micro content. Stylus presents a series of deep-dive reports into these developments and the consumer behaviours driving them.
Media & Marketing
SXSW 2018
23 Mar 2018
Design Directions A/W 19/20
Design Directions A/W 19/20 Design Directions A/W 19/20 Examining developing innovations and breakthrough ideas across the design sectors – from architecture and fashion, to consumer electronics and furniture – our Design Directions outline three key trends for A/W 19/20 product design development: Burst, Essence and Captivate.
Product Design
Product Innovation
19 Mar 2018
The Phluid Project: Gender-Neutral Shopping
The Phluid Project: Gender-Neutral Shopping Phluid: Gender-Neutral Shopping, NY The Phluid Project – America’s first gender-free lifestyle store – opened this month in New York’s NoHo neighbourhood. The shop sells clothes, make-up and lifestyle items that transcend traditional gender stereotypes. 
Retail
Store Concepts
14 Mar 2018
VM Trend: Floristry Connection - Stores' Floral Sanctuaries
VM Trend: Floristry Connection - Stores' Floral Sanctuaries VM Trend: Retail x Floristry A new wave of in-store floristry concepts is engaging shoppers with an appetite for natural delights and green sanctuaries. Flowers and plants promote wellness and a reconnection with nature.
Retail
Advertising & Branding
07 Mar 2018
The Male Beauty Moment
The Male Beauty Moment The Male Beauty Moment In an industry predicted to be worth more than $60bn by 2020 (Euromonitor, 2017), beauty brands and experts are sounding the death knell for the word ‘grooming’. Stylus charts the rise of male beauty, and examines the forces shaping the sector in a new age of masculinity.
Beauty
Male Grooming
28 Feb 2018
Catwalks A/W 18/19: Communications, Apps & Pop-Up Spaces
Catwalks A/W 18/19: Communications, Apps & Pop-Up Spaces A/W 18/19: Comms, Apps & Pop-Ups The best communication and in-store strategies aligned with the A/W 18/19 fashion shows were democratic (giving brand fans a voice, and open access to brand spaces or on-trend looks) and ideal for social sharing. Digital innovation was used more subtly than in recent seasons.
Retail
Fashion
26 Feb 2018
Retail: Valentine's 2018: Best Digital & In-Store Strategies
Retail: Valentine's 2018: Best Digital & In-Store Strategies Retail: Valentine's Strategies '18 Valentine's Day 2018 saw retailers celebrating love in diverse ways. Key highlights ranged from brand narratives championing a more inclusive 'love' landscape, to digital gifting services, brand-led dating advice, and a thriving pet market.
Retail
Digital Commerce
15 Feb 2018
Gender-Fluid Beauty’s Skincare Evolution
Gender-Fluid Beauty’s Skincare Evolution Gender Fluid Skincare The beauty industry’s take on the genderless movement is growing beyond fragrance and colour cosmetics. Acknowledging the open attitudes of young millennials and Gen Zers towards gender fluidity, skincare brands are evolving beyond the term ‘unisex’ and adopting branding strategies that don’t discriminate. Stylus spotlights the most recent examples.
Beauty
Skincare
06 Feb 2018
Retail City Guide: London, February 2018
Retail City Guide: London, February 2018 Retail City Guide: London, Feb 2018 Our round-up of the latest openings in London includes Italian luxury brands highlighting their craft, immersive beauty stores pampering customers to the max, and comeback labels playing the retro card. Exhibitions explore the disruptive power of the T-shirt, the enduring appeal of Abba, and the energy of mixed-media artist JR's body of work.
Retail
Retail City Guides
01 Feb 2018
Gucci Garden: Experiential Museum-Retail Concept
Gucci Garden: Experiential Museum-Retail Concept Gucci Garden: Museum-Retail Hybrid The fusion of experiential museum spaces and luxury retail has been elevated to a new level with the opening of Gucci Garden in Florence. Celebrating both its past and its rejuvenation as a must-have luxury brand under creative director Alessandro Michele, Gucci opened the immersive multi-purpose venue in January 2018. 
Retail
Store Concepts
18 Jan 2018
Art Meets Fashion: Miami Retail Latest
Art Meets Fashion: Miami Retail Latest Miami: Luxury Retail Openings, 2018 New luxury flagships and mall expansions have opened at pace in recent months in Miami, which hosted the annual Design Miami/Art Basel event on December 5-10 2017, attracting more than 100,000 visitors. Here’s our pick of the best, with an emphasis on fashion-meets-design/art, residential-style spaces and concierge services such as VIP rooms.
Retail
Store Concepts
15 Jan 2018
Instagangs: Beauty as Art
Instagangs: Beauty as Art Instagangs: Beauty as Art A new wave of Instagram creatives and brands are redefining beauty products in line with contemporary and performance art. Elevating products to objet d’art status, these influencers cherish cosmetics, celebrate beauty rituals, and can help brands establish a cult reputation.
Beauty
Colour Cosmetics
08 Jan 2018
Christmas 2017: Window Trends & Inspiration
Christmas 2017: Window Trends & Inspiration Christmas 17: Window Trends & Inspo Retailers continue to celebrate the biggest trading period of the year with festive storefronts. Tapping digitally enhanced participatory concepts, witty luxury initiatives and windows repurposed as communication channels to comment on the zeitgeist, here are our top three global trends from 2017. 
Retail
Advertising & Branding
21 Dec 2017
Instagangs: Directional Brands
Instagangs: Directional Brands Instagangs: Directional Brands From ethnic representation and challenging gender norms, to size inclusivity and a focus on behaving more responsibly, we take a look at the top five emerging brands taking a stand – representing the future of diversity, philanthropy and sustainability in fashion.
Fashion
Fashion Lifestyle
13 Dec 2017
Vogue Italia Champions Women Over 60
Vogue Italia Champions Women Over 60 Vogue Champions Women Over 60 For the first time in the magazine’s history, Vogue Italia has dedicated an entire issue to women over the age of 60.
Fashion
Womenswear
06 Oct 2017
Gucci Taps New York Icon Dapper Dan
Gucci Taps New York Icon Dapper Dan Gucci Taps New York Icon Dapper Dan Luxury fashion house Gucci and Harlem couturier Dapper Dan (Daniel Day) are teaming up officially for the first time. 
Fashion
Womenswear
13 Sep 2017
Youth Style Tribes 2018
Youth Style Tribes 2018 Youth Style Tribes 2018 We look at the five key youth fashion tribes that retailers and brands should aim to appeal to on a peer-to-peer level in the latest report of our fashion lifestyle series. Noughties nostalgia, a taste for luxury, a precise pragmatic approach, resilient craftsmanship and sneakerhead culture are their key characteristics. Find out who they are, how they think, where they shop, and what they’re wearing.
Fashion
Fashion Lifestyle
30 Aug 2017
Ikea’s Frakta Frenzy
Ikea’s Frakta Frenzy Ikea’s Frakta Frenzy Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia has sparked an online frenzy of Ikea bag-inspired products after launching a doppelgänger of the Swedish furniture giant’s iconic blue Frakta tote. 
Fashion
Fashion Lifestyle
15 May 2017
Fashioning a New Masculinity
Fashioning a New Masculinity Fashioning a New Masculinity It’s time to redefine and reassess what it means to be a modern man. From the kidswear market all the way through to the baby boomer opportunity, we dissect the driving forces changing the face of cross-generational masculinity in fashion.
Fashion
Fashion Lifestyle
08 Feb 2017
Nostalgia A/W 18/19
Nostalgia A/W 18/19 Nostalgia A/W 18/19 The universal nostalgia that we revel in as an antidote to an uncertain future manifests itself in a vibrant mash-up with a 1980s focus for Autumn/Winter 2018/19. 
Fashion
Fashion Forecast
18 Jan 2017
About Stylus Terms & Conditions Careers Contact Us
Updated
Related
 ©  PANTONE®TPX
 COATED
 RAL
 RGB
 HEX
 NCS