Fashion trends on an off the runway this season are all saying the same thing: brocades are where its at. Historically, brocades and jacquards have always been of as luxurious fabrics, ideal for eveningwear. This season though, brocades have been seen as outerwear and even as some bold suiting and daytime looks.
1. Outerwear

Dolce & Gabbana | Fall 2016 Ready to Wear
Brocade outwear was seen at every huge fall show this year, from Dior to Gucci to Prada. The best way to go if you’re trying to hop on a trend like this? Large florals. One of my favorites, from Dolce & Gabbana (seen above), features gold flowers on a strikingly matte black background. In reality, it’s silhouette is quite simple, but the print choice pulls it up to high fashion. Here are a few options from Mood that would be great for outerwear:
2. Dresses and Details

Antonio Marras | Fall 2016 Ready to Wear
Dresses have always been a favorite when it comes to brocade, but this year we’ve seen shorter hemlines and simpler silhouettes, bringing a new and slightly more casual look to such an elegant fabric.

Prada | Fall 2016 Ready to Wear

Prada | Fall 2016 Ready to Wear
Another runway favorite has been subtle brocade details in dresses. Some designers have been experimenting with mixing fabrics, like you can see with the skirt panel above, and others have been using solid brocades to add just a small sheen to garments in certain areas. For instance, the Marras dress below has a black on black brocade across the bodice and high neckline.

Antonio Marras | Fall 2016 Ready to Wear
Here are some Mood picks to get you started on the perfect brocade dress:
3. Suiting

Roberto Cavalli | Fall 2016 Ready to Wear
Women in menswear have been taking the runway by storm recently, so it’s only natural that they’d be getting in on the brocade trend. Striking jackets paired with equally bold trousers were seen during shows from Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, and Dries Van Noten, just to name a few.

Dries Van Noten | Fall 2016 Ready to Wear
Each of my favorite brocade suiting looks took elements from different fashion eras. Cavalli threw it back to the 70s with some flare pants that are becoming evermore popular. Van Noten’s cropped cigarette pants scream modern chic, and these paper bag waist trousers from Dolce & Gabbana bring some early 20th century menswear to the forefront.

Dolce & Gabbana | Fall 2016 Ready to Wear
Here are some terrific abstract brocades that could look fantastic as tailored garments:
4. Daywear

Pepa Pombo | Columbia Fashion Week 2016
A few of our favorite designers even took the evening elegance of brocade into some daytime looks. This deep gold ensemble from Pepa Pombo would look fierce as a resort look and I can definitely imagine these cigarette pants from Michael Kors as some bold officewear.

Michael Kors | NYFW
Try your hand at some casual brocade garments with these vibrant, geometric brocades:
3 comments
I’ve always loved brocades having made numerous garments from this beautiful fabric. Now I can pull them from the back of my closet for some serious wear this fall.
I’m a beginner and was told brocade is a difficult fabric to work with. Is this true? I love the fabric
Hello! It certainly depends what type of brocade you’re working with. Since they are often silk (or made to appear like silk), they typically have a metallic finish – this sometimes causes them to slide around, so a lot of pins are a must. There are also different types of weights. Heavier weights are great for outerwear, but it might be tricky to work with the stiffer ones if you’re just starting out. Mood also has a few that have a remarkable amount of stretch, so that is something to keep in mind when choosing a fabric as well. If you’re worried, I’d definitely recommend getting swatches of the ones you think you’ll like and playing around with them on your machine before ordering yardage! 🙂