By Glynis Traill-Nash
While it’s all becoming a blur now, the autumn/winter season has offered up some sensational treats. Here’s a look at the top trends from the catwalks of New York, London, Milan and Paris…
Trend-wise, ladylike is still a feminine force to contend with, although this time round she’s much less retro and more sophisticated and sometimes super luxe, as seen at Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Lanvin, L’Wren Scott and Raplh Lauren (when his ladies weren’t off hunting). At Jil Sander, Raf Simons, too, took to this grown-up version of ladylike, giving it a balletic twist, and occasionally slashing leather through a dress or offering cut-outs to offset any vintage vibe. There were also those who further subverted the trend, including Erdem and Christopher Kane, who made ladylike look so lovely, but then at second glance you realised that there was something much darker going on.
Brights are still the perfect punctuation point to all the dark tones of black and grey. Giorgio Armani added near neon shades of pink and orange in tops, jackets and even furs to grey flannel trousers and shorts, Dries van Noten went for accents of vivid orange, while Alber Elbaz sent out a run of women in crimson, purple, and mid-blue to start his celebratory 10-year anniversary show. These are all key colours this season, while cobalt blue held court at Alberta Ferretti and Klein blue made a strong statement at Balenciaga.
Metallics are also having a moment, in particular gold. The catwalks were awash with gilty behaviour. Dolce & Gabbana showed off golden curlicues and heavily embellished pieces, while Cédric Charlier (ex-Cacharel) dazzled with dresses in solid gold fabrics. Others adding a golden touch were Prabal Gurung, Rochas (with stiff trousers and matching sweat tops), and Marni with black and gold brocade.
Brocade has also been seen at Roberto Cavalli and Marchesa. Velvet, too, was a contender at Carven, Temperley London and Burberry Prorsum. Gucci and Balmain even sent out its devoré version, a most alarming fabric in the wrong hands, and one that will likely date rather quickly. Nubbly tweeds were another favourite, at Rochas, Nina Ricci, Marni, Ralph Lauren and Derek Lam. Lace, of course, was one of the top trends of the season, from its finest incarnations to chunky cotton versions. Great examples came courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana and Marchesa.
This “nubbliness” brings us to the question of texture, another key trend. Anything raised, rough, feathered, studded or bristling anemone-like is go for this season. Burberry sent out tiered fringing on dresses and skirts, while Dolce & Gabbana sent out dresses positively encrusted with embellishment. Antonio Marras, Alberta Ferretti, Meadham Kirchoff and Marc Jacobs also had fun here. Fur is also adding texture this season, and while it is almost always a constant in northern hemisphere winter collections, this year it was positively ubiquitous. It sat on shoulders at Roksanda Illincic, collars at Nina Ricci, hems at Missoni, sleeves at Mugler and House of Holland, capes at Dolce & Gabbana, coats at Gucci, and covered skirts at Cavalli. But it went positively gonk-like (for any of you who remember those big-eyed toys of youth) over dresses and vests at Giorgio Armani, Antipodium, Lanvin, Mulberry and Meadham Kirchoff.
And print-wise, lovers of checks are in luck, with tartan strong at Vivienne Westwood Red Label, Ralph Lauren, Karen Walker, Meadham Kirchoff and Peter Jensen. Houndstooth was oversized at House of Holland and Dior, at times falling apart for graphic effect. Prada’s op art trouser suits were a little eye-popping, but great fun. Dries van Noten photographed Chinese, Japanese and Korean traditional robes and created digital prints for his own pieces. For the best in digital prints, however, no-one can touch Mary Katrantzou, who created dresses adorned with everyday objects including spoons, forks, typewriters and manicured gardens.
All images courtesy of Elle.com
