ALL THAT GLITTERS

ALL THAT GLITTERS

If a cursory glance through the minimal trends for Spring and Summer left you thinking that dazzle had been left on the sidelines this season, think again.

While all-out glitz has been temporarily shelved (even on the red carpet), the new way to wear sparkle is through pieces that hint at craftsmanship and heritage. Detail and finish take their lead from haute couture, not mass production. Shades of bronze and pewter take precedence over silver and gold: think ‘old-gold’ rather than ‘shiny penny’.

This wow-factor dress from Miu Miu is a brilliant example of how the new approach works. The layers and layers of sequins make for a cool, edgy finish that’s smart, not showgirl. The column dress is nothing new for evening, but the avant-garde detailing makes this a head-turner for all the right reasons.

Many classics for S/S 2010 have been revisited this season: military, tribal and even minimal chic. Each one has had a major overhaul, but sparkle, out of all of these, required the most extensive top-to-toe makeover of all. Tarnished by associations with D-list celebrities going for broke on the red carpet, dazzle done well is beautiful. Applied with no concept of when to hold back, it’s a disaster.

This is why the makeover was needed and why it has worked so well. The remodelling of glitz and glamour has been from the ground up: you couldn’t imagine this Oscar de la Renta frock making an appearance at the Soap Awards, but it looked pitch-perfect worn by Kristen Stewart at a ‘New Moon’ premiere last year.

Taking elements of the unexpected (Lanvin’s jewel-encrusted jumpsuits; Prada’s cobweb vests and Burberry’s bedazzled coats), the new bling is challenging us to pause, look again and re-evaluate. Nothing here is obvious or on the nose. From Dior to Richard Nicoll, old and new perspectives alike have struck gold with their interpretation of what it means right now to dazzle.

Far from being harsh and over-bearing, the softness of the colour palette being used across the board means that designers can go to newer, bolder silhouettes and no-one bats an eye. The Balmain mini-dress, while certainly challenging for the waist-line, is a perfectly plausible look for Xmas. If done in silver-white, it would be a different story.

The good news is that this look works on every budget. As much as you may covet the Lanvin jumpsuit, not everyone can lay down that sort of coin. But the new dazzle is absolutely achievable; it’s just a case of knowing how to put it together.

When accessorising your mini-dress that pays homage to Balmain, or a jewelled jacket, think laterally. Burberry teamed their mega-watt crystal coat with nude ankle boots. French designer Isabel Marant paired her bronze mini-dresses with suede, fringed Navajo boots.

Footwear is a brilliant way of underplaying glitz. Nude tones also work well with smaller glitzy pieces for day. The trick is for every element of sparkle, anchor it with two quieter pieces, whether that’s an accessory or part of the outfit. This trend has legs too: the pewter and bronze pieces will work brilliantly with the bevy of camel and toffee colours beginning to emerge for autumn. Take the Chloe catwalk as your inspiration: leg-lengthening trousers with a jewelled shell top tucked under a camel coat. It’s smart, flattering and almost unbearably chic. Prepare for this autumn to be your best-dressed ever.

Dazzle and sparkle used to have quite a mean-girl reputation: they translated as ‘look at me’, or even worse, ‘I can afford this – and it’s the real deal!’ It’s not surprising many designers in this frugal age have opted for subdued, less showy looks on the runway. If we’re meant to be moving towards a mood of austerity (and in it together), then wearing your entire bank account on your sleeve doesn’t exactly make you part of the zeitgeist.

This makeover is more than skin-deep: it goes right down to the very soul of the trend. Dazzle now celebrates the very things it opposed: artistry, longevity and uniqueness. It’s a look that not only signposts personality, but encourages you to express yours. This trend’s rarest gem is that it works for all kinds of women. If you want to go all-out sexy like the William Tempest asymmetric mini or quirky-cool like Giles’ skin-tight silver suit, every possible combination works.

This is a sub-trend that you will see emerging this winter too. Gone are the days of one trend fits all. Regardless of your personality, being on-trend used to mean donning a particular heel height or a shade of blue, whether it suited you or not.

What the recession has done for the fashion industry is loosened the rules, by necessity rather than design. Trends are becoming flexible, so they can fit you, not the other way around.

It’s all about the wider movement to create fashion that’s wear-now, love-forever. The days of disposable fashion seem increasingly distant and foreign to the way we live now. A trend’s currency is not only its wearability, but its worth. Making that personal, meaningful connection is rapidly becoming the intelligent way to buy clothes. Buy into the new dazzle and it’ll be the best purchase you’ll make all year. Pick your pieces carefully, and they will, just like the finest jewels, appreciate with value.

COME UNDONE

COME UNDONE

This season boasts something to offer every lover of fashion. If you love print, you’re sorted. Post-modern dazzle? You got it. Even a glamour-take on the military look is there for the taking, with Balmain pushing the bold shoulder to the final style frontier.

But if you’re someone who likes their fashion the way they take their coffee, this season’s sleeper trend is the equivalent of a non-fat latte, minus the trimmings.

This summer, if out-and-out dazzle and Riviera prints don’t do it for you, there is always the road less travelled. On offer is the ‘back to basics’ trend. Think of natural fabrics, unfinished hems, and a subdued palette of real-life-ready, workable neutrals.

But look closer and you’ll soon realise that this isn’t just a re-hash of Nineties minimalism. Ripped fabric, sheared hems and peeled-back layers: it’s a whole new way of looking at minimal fashion which has recently taken a back-seat to the attention-grabbing maximalist trends. Never the most exciting trend in fashion’s back catalogue, this new spin takes us to (quite literally) the woman underneath, injecting sex appeal and a dose of nonchalance where there was none before. Minimalism has in the past received bad press, being seen as a little po-faced with a tendency to take itself a little too seriously. Good news: this new take on minimalism is for the girl who takes life, but not herself, seriously.

Prada did the look with their trademark polish. Their collection – awash with 50’s prints and sunny skies – had a darker side if you were willing to discover it. This was translated by means of tailored shorts and neatly cropped jackets. Scissor sharp, these pieces left deliberately unfinished were an exercise in restraint: a symphony of cut and fabric. You almost cut yourself on the edges of the Prada jacket.

Chanel also did a U-turn on their impeccable tailoring, leaving the hems of their tweed suits unfinished to give them a playful, youthful edge. Other hits included Donna Karan’s folds and pleats taking on – and redefining – the power suit, and Nina Ricci introducing light-as-air trench coats that expose the outfit underneath. Handy if you’re someone who begrudges the necessity of a raincoat when you’re having a good clothes day.

The linen dresses, hessian bags and frayed coats on display aren’t just about reworking an old trend; they’re a wonderful antidote to the hard-edged ultra glamour of high fashion over the past decade. It’s a respite from the take-no-prisoners approach spearheaded by micro-trends such as the bold shoulder and body-con. Kinder and softer, this trend is more about the feel of fabric: this sometimes overlooked dimension is often what sells a garment on the shop floor. How many times have you vetoed a sweater on the basis that the wool was just too scratchy?

But this look is far from the soft option. The dramatic silhouette may not be there, but the emphasis on going ‘behind the seams’ hints at the very core of construction and skill required to make these clothes. Going back to basics reminds us of how supremely talented these designers are. The execution of skill and judgement (what to finish, what to leave) is what makes this look so refreshing. After several seasons of exaggerated lines and wow-factor finishes, this quieter look has a lot to recommend it.

This is ideal fashion for those who just can’t do pristine. It’s elegance for a new generation; the kind of girl who mastered the Prada pigtails within a week of seeing them on the runway. For those who missed Nineties minimalism the first time round, this revival is a wonderful way to experiment with cut and fabric but without losing out on detail.

Getting to the heart of the trend, the feat of engineering it takes to make a Jil Sander ripped trench owes more to super-construction than deconstruction. Some of these looks are only a few threads away from being back on the mannequin. It’s what’s holding the coat together that is the genius part.

The unfinished, undone look is a trend where the detail speaks for the big picture: an evocation of what’s great about high fashion. It can do show-stopper trends but also it does the quieter pieces with a precision that’s hard to beat. If ever you wanted a reason why high-fashion still exists, here it is. Like that most elusive quality, elegance, it’s all about what lies beneath.

HELEN TOPE

MUST HAVES

TREND ROUND-UP: MUST HAVES

Cutting through the swathes of fashion advice this time of year can be a bewildering if not downright baffling experience. Which trends are the hottest, which are the coolest and which ones will just leave you cold? Here’s a mini-round up of some of the best looks that will be available to buy this autumn.

Flying High: The Aviator Jacket

Blame it on Burberry; their series of alarmingly-gorgeous flying jackets has put the entire fashion industry in a tail-spin. Whether you go for the full or cropped version, the aviator jacket means that come November, you get to be your very own Amelia Earhart.

Minus the goggles, and paired with sheepskin-lined leather boots for extra cosiness, this is a new take on the leather bomber that was around this time last year. This also has the added advantage of totting up your fashion-air miles: it will look just as good with jeans as it will when slung over your shoulders come party season at Christmas.

Every season has one item that is the must-buy piece, and this is it. Prepare to want one.

All Woman: The 1950’s dress

When Fyfe Dangerfield covered the Billy Joel classic ‘She’s Always a Woman’, little did he know that the fashion world was paying close attention. Pioneered by Prada, the Fifties dress, with neat lines, cut to the mid-calf and in at the waist, is back.

The column inches that have followed this trend are understandable when you consider that this is a look that needs curves to do it justice. For the catwalk, Miuccia Prada hired models more used to the Victoria’s Secret runway to ply her wares, and it certainly did the trick. Endlessly flattering, all this look needs to accessorise it is a frame handbag (the smaller the better), a stiff G&T and an unfeasibly handsome ad executive on your arm.

Even if you’re convinced that fashion has nothing left to sell you, take heart from this trend, because anything that has the power to make you look (and feel) this good is definitely worth your time.

Set the Tone: Camel

There’s a consensus in fashion that if you want to know what’s happening, just refer to Marc Jacobs. Still the pace-setter for an entire industry, Marc’s recent runway hits have included Eighties New York club kids, and a highly memorable tour of American history, via the hemlines.

But his collection for Autumn / Winter 2010 was perhaps the most shocking twist of all. Emerging from a glass box, model after model walked the Marc Jacobs runway wearing shades of camel.

He wasn’t alone either: whether it was coats, jackets or skirts, every shade of beige was represented on this season’s catwalks from the palest biscuit tones to rich, undiluted mocha. But far from looking staid or (whisper it) boring, these collections looked fresh, clean and above all, modern.

This collection has been dubbed by the press as a ‘cleansing of the fashion palette’, and that’s exactly what it is. Switching to neutral, Marc Jacobs has re-set the fashion swing-o-meter that has gone from wild excess to frugal temperance in the space of a decade.

Far from being responsible for lacklustre fashion, it’s recharged everyone’s batteries and the result? A season full of ready-to-wear trends straight off the runway. This autumn, get ready to fall in love with dressing up all over again.

HELEN TOPE

TREND ROUND-UP

TREND ROUND-UP : ACCESSORIES

When the world’s busy paying attention to the big picture, there’s much joy to be found in the little things, and this season, fashion is all about the details.

In an autumn where designers are obsessed with bringing the outdoors indoors, it’s not surprising that many of its finishing touches come courtesy of Mother Nature herself.

Call of the Wild

From birds of prey to the tiniest insects, accessories are taking on the great outdoors with style. The high-street is pinning its colours to this trend by turning out quirky bird and animal-themed jewellery that matched with the textures of the season (sheepskin-lined boots or a mohair sweater), do their thing by stamping your outfit with bags of personality.

One of the biggest accessory trends has been the rise and rise of the hat. Once a neglected aspect of dressing-up, hats have now become fashion’s sign posters. What got them their comeback is how they transform what could be a no-go trend into something that’s wearable. Trapper hats have shed their ‘roadkill’ image and are emerging as the hat of the season. They are the perfect accompaniment to an existing winter coat, or you can punch above your fashion weight by pairing it with a D&G-inspired coatigan (cardigan that doubles as a coat – don’t you love it when fashion invents a new must-have!). The trapper hat works particularly well with military styles and blends beautifully with the country trend, taking Fairisle from the fashion wastelands into something that is absolutely of the moment.

If you find the frontier look a little too reminiscent of squirrel stew and banjos, the urban alternative is the trusty beanie. Fast becoming a modern classic, the slouchy beanie has yet to lose its appeal. Perfect with winter maxi dresses and biker boots for a cosy weekend, the beanie prides itself on being low on effort, but high on impact.

The Lady

If Fairisle makes you itch, and the thought of camping brings you out in a cold sweat, channelling lady-like charm may be much more your speed.

Spear-headed by Prada and Louis Vuitton, this vintage-inspired look has been the star of the season. With emphasis on polish and finesse, the key to getting this right is putting in the legwork when it comes to accessories, and no accessory gets you to cocktail hour quicker than a pair of gloves.

Again, long leather gloves are a recent revival from fashion’s vault. Once a fashion curio, they’re now bang up to date and a particularly deft way of referencing the time period. It can be a fine line between ‘fashion’ and ‘fancy dress’. If you arrive at the office and someone asks you to take a memo and mix them a Martini, you know the balance isn’t quite right.

Pairing a pencil-skirt and kitten heels is a no-brainer, but what takes this look from retro to now is a pair of elbow-length gloves in a neutral, buttery leather. Best worn in a tan shade or black, the gloves will cross-over into other looks too. Think of the capes currently seen everywhere from Erdem to Giambattista Valli – when the temperature drops, those gloves will be a perfect, stylish accent.

Buy the right pair, and your leather gloves will prove surprisingly versatile, even lending themselves to the tougher, urban looks that are still hanging around, thanks to designers such as Isabel Marant and Zadig & Voltaire. You can’t fail to miss the note that this winter is all about texture, and while sheepskin and shearling are enjoying their moment in the fashion spotlight, there’s a lot to be said for the staying power of leather. Of course, no accessory round-up would be complete without a nod to a girl’s best friend.

In the Bag

It’s finally time to say farewell to the oversized luxury tote that has become almost part of the family since its arrival on the catwalks five years ago.

I know, it carries everything you could possibly ever need, and it’s been a loyal friend over the years. But it’s time to let go and find a new favourite. If you’re all about practicality when it comes to bags and were dismayed at the introduction of baby-sized bags for daywear, prepare to be charmed by the satchel.

As far as old-school revivals go, this may possibly be the best. Whether you go for the much-featured and much-loved Alexa from Mulberry, or something from the high-street, this beauty will fast become your new best friend. Not only does it hold everything you actually need, but it has one major advantage over the trusty tote: you can go totally hands-free. The satchel is a marriage of beauty and practicality, slung over your shoulder in one easy move.

It suggests itself as a tomboyish, jeans-with-everything type of accessory at first, but there are a myriad of satchels out there. Proenza Schouler offers a range of suede satchels in mouth-watering colours, Topshop and www.asos.com do their own incredible designs and Miu Miu have gone one step further with a jewelled beauty of a bag covered entirely in sequins, and there’s nothing tomboyish about that.

The rebirth of the satchel is about more than simple nostalgia. Fashion loves to dig up favourites from the past, but this revival, perhaps even more than the aviator jacket and the trapper hat, reveals the most about the state of the fashion industry. This is fashion that takes the best of comfort and style and merges the two to come up with a season packed with hits. It doesn’t matter if you choose to align yourself with Stella McCartney’s selection of neo-classics, or go for coquettish charm in Louis Vuitton. There is no weak spot this year, because everyone has upped their game to produce clothes that are rare: memorable and wearable. Chances are you’ll remember how it felt to snuggle up in your aviator jacket for many years to come, and that’s how fashion should be. If it doesn’t carve a little spot for itself on your soul, it’s not worth the closet space, end of story.

However you choose to wear them, the trends of 2010 will be remembered as the year fashion realised that needing practicality didn’t mean leaving your stylish self behind. This season’s looks may have sprung from details, but they tell us a great deal about the bigger picture. Take a tip from Keats, and wallow in this season, because it’s going to be fabulous.

THE EMMYS 2010

CURVE BALL: THE EMMYS 2010

Often pegged as the opening night of Awards Season, The Emmys provides the best of television talent with the perfect excuse to get all dressed up.

With shows like Glee, Mad Men and 30 Rock often garnering more press than new releases at the multiplex, many stars like Glee’s Lea Michele and Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks are fast becoming style icons in their own right, and there’s nothing small-time about that. In addition to the press coverage, they’ve got the clout that goes with it. Ten years ago, it would be virtually unheard-of for a TV star to be given gowns by designers like Zac Posen and Donna Karan, far less have access to the best of haute couture, but now it’s not only commonplace, it’s expected.

Bearing in mind the scrutiny that now routinely accompanies these events, it’s interesting to see just how the stars of the small screen measure up against their million-dollar counterparts. Some, when faced with the glare of the media spotlight, quake and buckle under pressure, and others accept the glare as another step in their game-plan. Looking the part of a movie star goes a long way to being one: do it well, and a juicy script with your name on it could soon follow.

You’re not just seeing a fashion parade with the Emmys; you’re seeing faces that will become the future Clooneys and Anistons of the next 10 years. Cross-over from television into film is a tricky move, but stars like Katherine Heigl have proved that it can still be done.

The Emmys offer these stars a glimpse of what can life can be like when your name readily equates to box office success. The red-carpet has long since stopped being about scoring style points (although they don’t hurt): to these women, it’s a serious business.

With all that to consider, getting it right on the red-carpet takes on a whole new degree of urgency. Do you go all-out with a risky new design, or go with something tried and true? It was not that much a surprise when many arrived having put their trust in the old fashion faithful, the little black dress.

One of the clear headliners of the night was the ubiquitous black dress. An instant plug-in for glamour and sophistication, the red-carpet version of the LBD was worn by everyone from Lea Michele to Eva Longoria Parker. Fitted at the bodice and flowing out into either a fishtail or flamenco skirt, the RBD (red-carpet black dress) has become a fixture of these events and always scores highly.

Some put a new spin on an old story by switching it up to navy. Traditionally conservative, it’s a risky colour choice for red-carpet as it tends to photograph as black. There’s a time and place for nuance, and the red-carpet isn’t always it.

Those who wore it best wore their heart on their sleeve. The romantic trend is continuing into winter, whilst taking on a suitably Gothic slant, but many on the Emmys carpet stuck with photo-friendly pastels.

One of the stand-outs was Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks. Wearing lilac Zac Posen, Christina’s softly-ruffled dress was the dreamy sister to January Jones’ sci-fi couture. With a scooping neckline and feather detail on the shoulders and hem, this dress was ultra-feminine and ultra-romantic. Accentuating Hendricks’ figure, this was a master-class in how to do the romantic trend if you’re not a size 8. It was a fittingly bold choice for an actress who gets to play one of the most recognisable women on television.

The romantic trend was also signposted by Dianna Agron and Emily Blunt. Agron, a red-carpet newbie, broke in her heels with a Carolina Herrera gown. Dewy-pink and overlaid with antique lace, it was just the right balance of sweetness. A hair either way, or this dress could’ve made Agron look like she was wearing period costume. Keeping the hair and make-up muted but modern, Agron kept the look pitch-perfect.

Looking modern wasn’t a problem for Mad Men’s January Jones who caught many by surprise by opting for an Atelier Versace gown.

Considering her character Betty Draper is the chief inspiration for the lady-like trend going great guns in editorials and on the high-street, January seemed determined to distance herself from her Sixties alter-ego, for one night at least.

The couture gown was a potent electric blue, with a scooped-out front hem and heavily beaded from top to toe. With an entirely different view from the back, this dress was two looks for the price of one.

At every event, there is one dress that divides opinion and this was it. This was absolute fashion marmite: you either loved it or hated it. The gown was a testament to construction and took us onto the next logical stage after Armani Prive’s ultra-sculptural gowns worn by Jennifer Lopez and Amanda Seyfried at the Oscars.

But with all that detail in one dress, you couldn’t help but get the feeling that this was a case of too many ideas in one gown. The ideas – structure, bold colour, and asymmetry – are all great for pushing our buttons and getting red-carpet fashion moving forward, but put together, something just didn’t add up.

One of the big stories of the night was just how many stars dialled into the nude trend. Various shades of caramel and blush made for some of the best fashion picks of the evening. Claire Danes opted for shimmering Armani Prive, doing detail to create maximum impact. The objective was straightforward: keep the silhouette simple and go to town on the finish. It is something that Armani does particularly well: understated glamour is notoriously hard to balance, but get it right and the results speak for themselves. Clare Danes shone – in every sense of the word – and won serious fashion points by foregoing the jewellery and making the hair and make-up clean, fresh and polished.

Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) also scored a home run with a Grecian-goddess gown by Donna Karan. Cast somewhere between blush and pale champagne, it was the epitome of sophistication with a bold asymmetric shoulder and strategic drapery. Womanly and grown-up sexy, this look was textbook Donna Karan, and a personal sartorial best for Moss.

Two of the best looks of the night (Moss and Danes) were from designers who were clearly sticking to what they do best. That seemed to be the theme of the night: those who vied for Best Dressed honours were taking no chances and reached for their red-carpet security blanket.

Lea Michele went for Oscar de la Renta for the second year running; Christina Hendricks went for the va-va-voom vote and Eva Longoria Parker channelled senorita-chic in a gown that played to the crowds as well as the fashion folk taking notes.

But where the Emmys threw us a curve ball was where the stars took risks. Normally risk-taking is a necessary part of the red-carpet experience (and often the most fun). Red-carpet is always a couple of steps behind what’s happening on the runways and that’s no bad thing. Time gives you distance and distance gives you perspective. Knowing what to go for and what to leave on the catwalk is crucial when making a red-carpet choice and the importance of editing was never clearer than at the 2010 Emmys.

What should have been the standouts of the night ended up being outshined by those who went for the tried-and-tested fashion formulas. The sheath dress, the flamenco hem and acres of black should by rights be mothballed for the time being, but they keep returning, and keep making actresses look good, because they have earned their dues as red-carpet fare. It takes a heck of a dress to outdo Armani at the top of his game.

Usually a shoo-in for Best Dressed, January Jones hit a surprising low note with her gown from Atelier Versace. The multi-angular dress was couture at its purest, and maybe too much for the red-carpet. With so much to look at, it was hard to decipher the overall look Jones was going for. From the front, it was architectural modernity. From the back, the flowing train and intricate bodice work was reminiscent of 19^th century couturier Charles Worth. A dress of two halves, it had much to say about where fashion’s going, as well as where it’s been, but for January, for the Emmys, it was a case of the message getting lost in translation.

The Emmys was an unusual night for fashion, where romance and softness won over the best of 21^st century design. At a time where stars are under pressure to wear and wow in the next up-and-coming trend, this red-carpet served as a reminder of how fashion does classic, feminine design and does it well.

This red-carpet was an intake of breath and a pause for thought as Awards Season begins in earnest next year. Whatever 2011 brings, it’s a safe bet that whatever choices win out, we will be dazzled and charmed in equal measure.

FASHION’S NEW AESTHETIC

IN NEUTRAL: FASHION’S NEW AESTHETIC

Freud failed to answer it, but this season, fashion came dangerously close to answering the question ‘what do women want?’

Wants and needs have traditionally been set at odds within the fashion world, with desire outranking utility every time. But this season has proved remarkable because it announces a departure from the see-saw nature of fashion’s calendar. You don’t have to pick a side, because this season, desire and utility are on the same team.

And there are no prizes for guessing what triggered this change of heart. In a recession where every designer is fighting for every dollar they can get their hands on, the game playing gets put to one side, simply because survival is a serious business.

Those who adapted – played it safe – received mixed fortunes. Producing recession-proof classic pieces is a gamble. Get it right, and you’ve got yourself a clutch of money-spinners to see you through another season. Get it wrong, and you risk being labelled cynical, or even worse, unimaginative.

Many big names chose to stick to what they know; Dolce & Gabbana did Sicilian-sexy, Calvin Klein favoured the American aesthete, and Prada made the headlines with snakeskin and 6” heels. This proved to be a wise move too: ‘business as usual’ translated as confidence and assurity, and the fashion world couldn’t get enough.

But this season has proved to be the watermark, assessing not only how fashion has weathered the storm, but what remains. The industry responded, not with an admission of defeat, but a radical rethink that is nothing short of a rallying battle cry: if you love it, wear it.

Previous years have produced seasons that have been so elaborate, so ornate, that it’s become increasingly difficult to tell where couture ends and ready-to-wear begins. This season, fashion’s big idea was not to go bolder, but simpler. Far from being a lazy re-hash of patterns and shapes, this was Fashion 101 – back to basics – not to merely pull in the cash, but to remind us of what’s truly great about dressing up. As if by mutual consent, virtually every designer took on those terms, producing collections that perfectly matched wearability with desirability.

That’s the important thing to remember with the classic and familiar shapes of fashion; the trench coat, the pencil skirt, the skyscraper heels. Everyone knows that a good basic forms part of your fashion five-a-day, but who wants to be regular when you can be fabulous?

It was this very principle that seemed to inform the basis of Marc Jacobs’ collection. Gone were the seasons heralding disco days and kaleidoscopic references to American History. Marc’s lesson this season was a master-class in the building blocks of fashion: a dove-grey overcoat, a simple A-line skirt and a goddess gown that was the final word in shimmering red-carpet glamour.

If the hallmark of a great artist is to do the simple stuff well, and the easy stuff brilliantly, then Jacobs reminded us of why he’s held in such high regard. The whole reason why his collections of mix-it-up fashion are so beguiling is because he understands the basics so very well. This brave new collection was a sounding bell, announcing that, for now at least, the fashion world would be marching to a very different rhythm.

Everyone got the memo, not just purists like Raf Simons for Jil Sander or Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein. Hannah MacGibbons working for Chloe provided a womanly spin on fashion’s new look, sending out reams of covetable clothes that were simplicity itself to wear. After years of tough-to-decipher trends and trouser-styles that need their own how-to guides, MacGibbons’ leg-lengthening trousers were a breath of fresh air. No awkward lengths or hard-to-master drapery. These babies were made with no other purpose in mind than to make you look good, and you’ve got to love that.

Another designer who got the all-woman angle all figured out was Stella McCartney. From her beginnings in the Nineties, Stella has championed clothes for women, by women. Being consistent sometimes wins you faint praise in the fashion world, but Stella has won both praise and loyalty for her dedication to making women look and feel great, and this season was no exception.

Her take on the classics was to revisit minimal fashion, but to make it breathe. Her series of grey jackets and coats formed the basis of a capsule wardrobe that you would actively want to go back to time and again. Learning the lessons from the minimal trends of twenty years ago, McCartney took on the mantle of ‘classic’ and turned its unedifying image upside down. It was all in the detail: the cut-away on the coat shown here makes what is a tried-and-tested fashion formula look brand new. No-one wants a hand-me-down trend and McCartney keeps us interested by adding layers of detail that dazzle the eye and warm the soul.

Taking a step back, this whole season was really about stirring the senses. It’s awakened fashion leanings that we never knew we had. If you thought this decade would continue the last’s obsession with platform shoes and harem pants, this shake-down goes right to the core.

Going back to basics is more than reviving the lost art of minimalism. This time around, it’s about a stripping back of the glitz and glitter and various other distractions that have come to form the voice of contemporary fashion. This season has re-ignited our closet obsession with style, true style that needs no signposts to alert us to its greatness.

This fashion ‘cleansing’ is more than skin-deep, it goes right to the heart and soul of what fashion is truly about. Innovation and grand design do their part, but desire, that simplest and strongest of urges, is what has historically provoked changes in fashion. The Georgians wanted simple, classical shapes to mimic their architecture, and so the empire line was introduced. The Victorians wanted drama and expanse but minus the sex appeal: bring on the crinoline.

It is this which drives fashion forward at its most basic level. Fashion’s latest about-turn seems less surprising when you consider that designers are just responding to what women need and want right now. We want clothes that can slot into an existing wardrobe; clothes that have purpose as well as beauty, and finally clothes that endure beyond trends, hemlines and headlines. Sometimes a girl just wants clothes that will be not a passing acquaintance, but a true and lasting friend.

Fashion’s new aesthetic is a song played in a minor key, but the melody is just as sweet. Going against everything we’ve come to consider as part and parcel of the fashion experience, the tempo has been slowed and it’s finally time to stop and feel the cashmere.

Far from being boring, this re-set has been the most exhilarating change in fashion for many years. This is fashion minus the ego, and it’s not come a moment too soon.

INSPIRATION: LEATHER PANTS

INSPIRATION: LEATHER PANTS

After several seasons seeing them everywhere, we can already affirm that the leather pants are the new alternative to the eternal jeans.

This season the range of colors has increased and brands like Balmain, Valentino and Isabel Marant have bet for the red leather whereas Chloé and Christian Dior have done the same with the brown.

Today's inspirational pictures show us that there are so many different ways to wear them!

rachel X 2

rachel X 2

rachel X 2



rachel X 2