We’re still enjoying the tail end of summer, but dreams of travel and holiday partying in cooler climes are beginning to haunt us. A casual look at the runway collections on the web doesn’t help any, thrusting us into the new season’s conundrum of “What should we be wearing next?†One thing for sure, fall and winter need not be so dreary, with pastel and candy colors from spring making their way into the colder months. Even black has a less somber alternative, what with the appearance of navy blue. White has not even disappeared, it has just toned itself down a bit into ecru. But there are many new discoveries and sources of joy in a season of contrasts and ambiguities: between masculinity and femininity, stark minimalism and sumptuous ornamentation, strength and fragility, tradition and innovation, opulent couture and grunge. And yes, the 21st century woman is so complex that there are 50 shades of gray.
1. TAKE IT LIKE A MAN
There is always the allure of a man’s closet but for the next season, just pulling out one of his old pieces won’t cut it. Better to raid his haberdasher’s stash of men’s suiting material — from houndstooth and Prince of Wales checks to tweeds and pinstripes — and let his couturier cut it to fit his feminine form. Just like their predecessor Coco Chanel, designers like Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Haider Ackermann, and Dolce & Gabbana have feminized this traditionally masculine fabric, draping it like silk or even embellishing it with feathers and lace. Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garçons, on the other hand, has intellectualized it with her “infinity of tailoring.†Rosettes, bows, biomorphic shapes, and cascading swathes of fabric that seem to appear as mere ornament are actually built into the very nature of the clothes, thanks to her legendary pattern cutting that makes every element integral to the tailoring. Shoes also get the masculine edge with loafers and oxfords as alternatives to heels and flats. Celine adds a touch of the metallic while Lanvin does it in glitter with satin ribbon laces.
2. STATEMENT COAT
The coat has been declared the key piece for the season so it has to make a statement, which it achieves by sheer size alone. It does look like it was raided from a man’s closet, but the novel cuts and exacting proportions of haute couture inspire the new sculptural shapes. Coats and jackets have rounded shoulders as seen at Proenza Schouler and Gucci. The bracelet sleeves of Cristobal Balenciaga are resurrected by newly appointed designer Alexander Wang for the house that the great couturier built. Ecru, gray, and navy are the neutrals they come in, but pink, powder blue, cobalt, and yellow are more fun alternatives.
3. GRUNGE IT UP A BIT
The “Punk: Chaos to Couture†exhibit at the Met in New York has given this trend even more buzz as designers come up with their own versions of the ‘80s non-conformist grunge scene. The punk influences and grungy dishevelment are more studied and sexier, however, capturing the spirit of the rebellious style with luxe, tailored versions of studded leather, mesh stockings, and plaid shirts. Shoes and bags get the grunge treatment with buckled straps, studs, and spikes. Saint Laurent’s boots have all of the above plus a plethora of chains, charms, and pearls. The punk’s tattoos can be worn in the form of diamonds like Ana Khouri’s earrings.
4. HITCHCOCK BLONDES AND FILM NOIR BRUNETTES
Fashion looks back to the late great director Alfred Hitchcock and the icy blondes he was so enamored with. This cinematic, film noir vibe can be seen in soft shoulders, nipped waists, rounded hips, and midi skirts cut deftly at Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton. The eternal seductive power of the hourglass silhouette also translated to Italian in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita belles at Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci. Buñuel’s Belle de Jour was another obsession, manifesting itself in fur worn over a sheer lingerie dress at Prada and vinyl trench coats over bare skin at Burberry.
5. SEXY SKINS AND FURS
View allNew technologies and innovations have made fur the fun item to keep us warm this winter. The novel colors are fluorescent, two-toned and three-toned, iridescent and irreverent. The patterns are a whole new story, too, with designers working fur the way they would textiles, achieving unusual designs that would have been impossible to achieve just a few seasons ago like the complex geometrics tediously created at Fendi. For not-quite-subzero temperatures, there are coats in leopard and cowhide print. Jason Wu adds the exotic to the modern with zebra side panels on his LBD. You can also have strategic accents of fur like the way Prada does it on the end of sleeves to give a serious ladylike dress a naughty flourish. Fur bags abound with the wittiest at Fendi and the most divine at Tory Burch where tornasol beetle wings add shine.
6. ECRU TO GRAY TO NAVY
White turns into ecru for fall as seen at Celine, Valentino, and Isabel Marant. Celine made the color warm with tactile fabrics and cozy cuts with a hint of the perverse. Isabel Marant layered fine-gauge and ribbed knits over pelmet skirts channeling the free-spirited bohemian. Valentino’s had an austere grace inspired by Vermeer. On the other end of the color spectrum is navy blue, which is the new black. Originally used by the British Royal Navy, it need not be just for sailors or Wall Street masters of the universe — it has been elevated to chic uniforms for fashionphiles, thanks to designers like Consuelo Castilgioni for Marni, Miuccia Prada for Miu Miu, and Alber Elbaz for Lanvin. The in-between color is gray and it does come in many variations with the right shade and cut to fit every woman — from dove to charcoal, slate to cinereous. Gray is also a big trend in accessories — from Prince of Wales checked mules at Dries Van Noten to gray-toned agate necklaces at Monique Péan and soft leather bags at Salvatore Ferragamo.
7. FABRIC BLOCKS & GEOMETRICS
Fabric is the new block after many seasons of color blocking. Different textures — from shiny satin to matte jersey, buttery leather to sheer organza and chiffon — were juxtaposed in stunning combinations incorporated with clever cutting as seen at Donna Karan and Prabal Gurung. There were also print-on-print collages mixed with monochrome and contrasting fabric blocks at Louise Gray and Creatures of the Wind. In accessories, geometrics took blocking to new levels with faceted accents on clutches at Givenchy and shoes at Nicholas Kirkwood. Pierre Hardy has must-have geometric cuffs in color-blocked enamel.
8. GO FOR THE ORNATE
In a sea of pared-down minimalism, why not stand out with some ornate numbers like Givenchy’s baroque and boho swirls, Tom Ford’s punk-rock florals or L’Wren Scott’s gilded Klimt patterns? For something more geometric, there’s Etro’s micro-beaded takes on cathedral windows and Renaissance ceilings. Geometric in base but ever more lush are Dolce & Gabbana’s Byzantine mosaic dresses. Some designers like Frida Giannini at Gucci went for a softer touch with ostrich and marabou feathers, a typical couture embellishment that added an ethereal elegance and grace to her runway ensembles. Another big story in ornamentation is the comeback of pearls, seen on Rene Caovilla’s sandals, Tom Binn’s glam-punk safety pin necklaces, and Hervé Van der Straeten’s geometric earrings.
9. BE MODEST
With a lot of skin baring the past season, punctuated by red carpet staples of strapless princess numbers, covering up is the new sexy, especially with deftly cut gowns by the likes of Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen and Raf Simons at Christian Dior. Even Donatella Versace’ s full-length column gown is long-sleeved and has a close-to-the-neck Sabrina neck hardly exposing any skin. The turtleneck is also hot, with monastic dresses at JW Anderson and cable knit dresses at Dior showcasing the trend.
10. FEEL YOUNG AGAIN
Stem cells, super foods, wellness, yoga — oh, the search for eternal youth! At least for the next season you can feel it, thanks to youthful fashion and accessories. Start with Givenchy’s sweatshirts printed with Bambi, that beloved white-tailed deer from childhood memories. Or girly heart prints on knit dresses and bags from Burberry (paired with leather or vinyl to tone down the sweetness). Hearts are also all a-flutter with diamond and enamel brooches from Solange Azagury-Partridge, folk embroidered bags by Olympia Le-Tan, and suede “I Love My Loubies†flats by Christian Louboutin. For pure childhood bliss, there’s Charlotte Olympia’s witty platforms immortalizing the classic fairy-tale opening and closing phrases on its heels.