Fall-winter 2013/14 forecast: Rebels and traditionalists

What would fashion be without its iconoclasts and insurrectionists? The Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibit at the Met in New York showed how they have added so much frisson to the scene, extending their influence from their beginnings in the ‘70s all the way to fast fashion today.   The clash of the punk concept of “do it yourself” and the couture concept of “made to measure” continues to bring many interesting ideas just as the eternal dialogue between traditionalists and rebels never fails to provide us with many exciting options for our wardrobe. 

For the coming season, the heritage of British tailoring looms large but not without the filters of punk and grunge, and only with innovative cuts, new silhouettes and unusual combinations.  Even the full-on revival of stuffy fur has the acid color splashes of anarchy. And when designers decided to dig through the archives of the signature houses or to mine religious and medieval tomes, history was still turned on its head and nothing was considered sacred.

CHECKED OUT

Checks and tartan from the Scottish highlands are as traditional as they come but designers gave their inspirational twist. Moschino put a new spin with taut jackets, perky pleated skirts and fun military headgear.  For added oomph, the signature logo came in a heart that was embroidered right smack in the center of a mini kilt.  Phoebe Philo at Celine made the blue, red and white straw bag of budget store Tati into chic separates and coats that belie their humble origins. 

BRITISH TAILORING

Savile Row heritage fabrics like tweed, pinstripes and Prince of Wales checks and houndstooth invade women’s fashion but draped lovingly at Lanvin and Haider Ackermann and festooned with feathers at Louis Vuitton and Dries Van Noten.  Rei Kawakubo at Comme Des Garçons, of course, went beyond the tenets of British tradition with her “infinity of tailoring,” thanks to clever pattern cutting she managed to create rosettes, bows, biomorphic shapes and cascading swathes of fabric that seem to appear as mere ornament but are actually built into the very nature of the clothes.

COLOR YOUR WORLD

Winter need not be so drab as evidenced by a host of candy colors and powdery shades that were seen on the runways. Pink came with polka dots at Miu Miu and in satin-trimmed fur at Louis Vuitton. Cedric Charlier and Victoria Beckham did yellow while Yves Klein Blue was a favorite in New York in the collections of Derek Lam and Michael Kors.  On the autumn side, there were rich shades of plum as seen at Lanvin and Alberta Ferreti and forest green at Marc Jacobs and Prabal Gurung.

SHOW YOUR FAITH

Religious themes from the medieval period figured heavily in a number of collections:  Dolce & Gabbana used the intricacy of Byzantine mosaics in their opulent dresses and accessories.  Chainmail from the Crusades gave heft to opera coats at Roberto Cavalli and had a lighter treatment at Anthony Vacarello, Chloe and Paco Rabanne.  The patterns of medieval cathedral windows came out in bright quilted metallic tops at Balmain.

STAY NEUTRAL

Ecru is the season’s new white, navy is the new black and gray comes in many lovely shades from dove to charcoal, slate to cinereous.  Celine had cozy-cut dresses with stoles in ecru while Valentino gave the color an austere grace with a collection inspired by Vermeer.  Miu Miu changed the proportions of the original British Royal Navy blue jackets where the color got its name by exaggerating the shoulders and cinching the waist further.  Gray was used extensively by Stella McCartney for the must-have coats of the season while Hermes had slim pencil skirts in a gray that mixed beautifully with its signature cognac leather.

THE CELLULOID STAR

The film stars of Hitchcock and Fellini were the inspiration for the nipped waists, rounded hips and midi skirts at Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Rochas and Gucci.  Buñuel’s Belle de Jour was another peg, manifesting itself in vinyl trench coats over bare skin at Burberry and fur worn over a sheer lingerie dress at Prada.

BE A REBEL

The anti-establishment themes of punk and grunge brought back shades of Courtney Love, Siouxsie Sioux, and Sid and Nancy with a lot of plaid, vinyl, spikes, studded leather, mesh stockings and boots with chains and heavy metal.  Versace topped up her dark punk looks with yellow plaid while Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent glamorized his grunge with chubby fur coats. 

PURR WITH FUR

Fur ups the sex quotient while fully bundled up.  This season, it has gone quite exotic and rad in pop colors, even fluorescent in two-tone and three-tone variations.  Fendi had lavender streaks with hot pink ribbons weaving through the center on a model with a dyed tomahawk hairdo while Peter Som’s aqua coat was embellished with exotic feathers.

SWEATERS AND TURTLENECKS

This is the easy look for the season: pair a sweatshirt or a turtleneck with a pencil skirt or cropped trousers.  Clements Ribeiro had them in multicolor and monochrome floral combinations while House of Holland and Peter Pilloto did contrasting geometrics.  Christian Dior had matching black and white cable knits.

ROUND IT OUT

The rounded shoulder was one of the distinctive features borrowed from couture.  Alexander Wang, the newly appointed designer at Balenciaga, paid homage to the iconic cuts of the great master with round-shouldered shortened jackets.  Also seen at Mary Katrantzou, Kenzo and Proenza Schouler, this look softens the strict silhouettes of winter wear.

THE LOWS AND THE HIGHS

For next season, you can go low with gorgeous flats in the form of velvet smoking slippers or traditional loafers with a twist like the pink suedes at Giambattista Valli.  For heels, instead of platforms, single sole, pointy pumps are taking center stage.  Casual boots, from low-cut ankle boots to the classic Chelsea, are the versatile styles to own.  There’s also the hybrid boot, a melding of boots and high heels with peep toes and open backs.  And of course there are the sumptuous thigh high and beyond boots, skin tight and worn like leggings at Celine or decadently embellished at Tom Ford.

OVERSIZE IT

Big is the new silhouette.  Take your big man’s coat like at Stella McCartney’s where they came in shades of gray or at Richard Nicoll in color-blocked beige. The angular cocoon skirts at Roksanda Illincic were huge while Louis Vuitton’s prefall collection had oversized jackets over minis.  Acne Studio’s big navy jacket was paired with a midi.

FOLD THE CLUTCH, GRAB THE BAG

The clutch of the season is soft and folded, giving any look that nonchalance that can take you from morning to night.  Celine’s comes in woven leather in red, white and blue.  Burberry makes you feel young again with its version in heart-filled pony skin.  Louis Vuitton’s is pure luxe in amethyst or emerald croc.  When the clutch won’t cut it, grab a doctor or a bowling bag like Prada’s fun checks in periwinkle and oxblood. For high-glamour evenings, the minaudiere still rules.  Valentino has a mint one bordered with metal studs and a Dalmatian-spotted fur piece that puts Cruella du Vil to shame.

SINGLE EARRING, MULTIPLE RINGS AND BANGLES

For jewelry, many designers opted for the single earring to make a statement but preferred to pile on the rings and bracelets to keep fingers and wrists bejeweled.  For the hard-core punk vibe, Versace had spikes on earlobes and Jean-Paul Gaultier opted for single dangling hoops with metal bolts and diamantes.  Ear cuffs were also trending:  In fractured crystal at Dries Van Noten and leafy and embellished with pearls at Thakoon.  At Christian Dior, Raf Simons punctuated his metallic palette with multiple silver rings with pearls and agate that covered all the fingers.  Chanel had multiple rings as well as stacked bangles using the 2.55 bag strap chain woven with leather.

WEAR YOUR HEART

Keep it light and happy with hearts:  there’s the diamond and enamel brooch from Solange Azagury-Partridge, emerald studded pendant from Wilfredo Rosado or the cameo heart necklace from Bottega Veneta. Or you can spell it out with Lanvin’s witty necklaces of l’amour.