I love a crossover design trend. Seeing how the biggest graphic design trends are also used in high-end fashion is a fascinating insight into how designers draw inspiration from common threads and use shared design styles. As we've already seen across branding, Bold Minimalism is having a moment – and Halle Berry is just one star who has shown exactly how the design style can be used to striking effect on the red carpet. A no-nudity or "excessively voluminous" rule at Cannes Film Festival forced the actor into a last minute outfit change – and this excellent example of Bold Minimalist design was the result
In essence, Bold Minimalism means a minimalist base, with sleek lines or graphics – and a pop of an unexpected element like a bright colour, vibrant typography or quirky, conceptual shape. Halle's halter dress did exactly that, with clean lines of black and white forming the majority of her halter dress. But the back of the dress concealed a mass of pink fabric, providing an surprising colourful, structural element.
Halle wasn't the only celebrity to be channelling Bold Minimalism in her red carpet look at Cannes. Other outfits represented a version of the trend, with bright, simple colours and sleek silhouettes abound – and a pop of something bolder or more conceptual.
Alessandra Ambrosio wore a green, simple shaped gown with flamboyant sleeves, and Eva Longoria's gown was a variation of monochrome – super-structured, deceptively simple but unusually angled and with one part in a bold metallic material.
Cate Blanchett has drawn headlines for supposedly wearing a dress that represents the Palestinian flag. Whether or not that's true, her black, white and green gown was a a brilliant example of Bold Minimalism – that pop of green adds personality and vigour to the monochrome colour palette of the otherwise simple dress.
It's no wonder minimalism was everywhere on the Cannes red carpet after the festival introduced the no-giant-outfits rule – the stylists likely looked to this aesthetic for practical purposes. But the beauty of Bold Minimalism is that there is still a talking point within the design, something special to add a pop of character – simultaneously ideal for big fashion moments and for branding.
The Met Gala was another recent example of how creativity is channeled at design-centred red carpet events, and we looked at how the fashion can influence your character design.
