(4) LUXE FABRICS
Velvet, satin, patent, fur (faux and real), shearling Combinations of textures, such as tweed and faux fur, are also being experimented with this season. The texture interplay is best done when kept in neutral tones like camel or tweedy browns. Suede-and-faux fur is another combo that keeps cropping up... one I am seeing more in street fashion than in editorial or runway fashion.
(5) SKY-HIGH HEMLINES
This is, perhaps, a driving force behind the comeback of tights. Skirts are hitting mid-thigh, and rising. Keep in mind, it is still only December. The hemline can only go up from here, and judging from the previews of Spring '07 runway collections it is an inevitability. Maintain your modesty (and your body temperature) by pulling on a pair of opaque, textured, or patterned tights. For a truly up-to-the minute spin on this look, try a mod-length miniskirt, with T-strap shoes, and tights in a contrasting colour. T-straps -- a throwback to 1920s H'wood starlet glamour are the one deviation from the 60s-with-80s-undercurrents vibe that is in full swing right now
(6) LAYERING
If A/W '07 fashion had to be distilled to one trademark, it would be layering. Skin is definetly not in right now....the emphasis is on shapes and silhouettes, suggestions and hints. To layer without appearing bulky...that is the challenge. It is possible to pile it on without looking too overtly grunge-y. Vests are a good layering piece, and if cut right can be slimming. Capes are popular right now, but to be avoided for the busty or broad-shouldered. (The same rules that apply to ponchos apply to capes.) More than a few in the fashion industry seem intent on peddling *legwarmers* to us and young Hollywood seems to have embraced this fad, but for the average woman, this is a daring one. How much 80s regurgitation is too much?
(7) GREY MONOCHROME SCHEMES
Charcoal, slate, pewter, chrome....take your pick. Contradictorily, black-and-white schemes are also a presence, particularly in bold, graphic patterns and in 60s retro swirls. When colour strikes, it strikes brilliantly and boldly, as with bright jewel tones, most popular among these being red and purple -- think royalty. This season's black is sheer, whether it is an opaque tight, or an evening dress featuring tulle. Gold accents in jewelry/accessories are still "in"....the gold chain strap, in fact, is a sought-after feature in handbags especially. The House of Chanel does it to best effect. Nicole Richie loves her quilted black/gold chain strap Chanel purse so much, she seems to be surgically attached to it, and has been carrying it everywhere lately.... One more wild card colour scheme that I personally hope won't catch on? Red-and-black. Another force-fed 80s-nostalgia fad...am seeing this crop up more on television than in real life, but I also observed it in some Spring '07 collections. Ick. The House of Balenciaga seems enamored of the colour bronze. Be ten steps ahead of everybody else, and wear bronze accents. This isn't limited to jewelry...I spied a bronze glaze being experimented with in coats and stand-up collared shirts. This has potential to catch on. Gold has to retire itself eventually.
(8) BABYDOLL DRESSES
They're baaaaaack. Again. But with even SHORTER hemlines. Sixties mod rears its head again but this time, a sweetly belted or bowed Empire waist modernizes it. The reworked babydoll dress (or in some cases -- shirtdress) has a doll-ish, princessy feel. There is also a wink-and-nod teasing quality about this cycle of babydolls. The style is inherently innocent, but the short hem and overall effect is very adult. For a Christmas spin, wear this dress in either velvet or satin.
(9) CUFFS
Cuffed three-quarter length sleeves in blouses are an interesting alteration to the standard shape and length, but cuffs are more of a force in shorts, of all things. Shorts in December? You might want to try this one in warmer weather. Businesslike bermuda-length shorts with cuffs are a recurring theme on runways. A unique marriage of formal with casual. Finding appropriate footwear to complement this look would seemingly be a chsllenge. Wedges are still "in" enough to polish it, but T-straps lend an air of sophistication and could even be worn together as eveningwear. Both combinations would be too trendy for the office, I'd have to say. For an English schoolboy association, pair a cuffed grey trouser- short with a similarly-hued knee sock. (Argyle-patterned knee socks are my personal favourite.) Oxford styled shoes with a chunky or wedged heel completes the effect.
(10) INDIGO DENIM
Distressed, frayed, sandpapered jeans...this dead horse has been beaten with enough force to kill ten horses. Enough already. This played out trend can't be blamed on the czars of fashion. This was one of those styles that the masses couldn't get enough of and kept rushing out to buy, and are in fact, still buying. When an item is in this high of demand, designers have no choice but to keep putting it out there. But finally -- somebody, somewhere, is attempting to break the cycle. On runways and in editorial fashion, denim is eschewing all signs of distress and coming clean. The new denim is darker -- sometimes black, or near-black -- and crisper. Immaculate, even. No tears, holes, or rips. The tapered leg (or 'skinny leg' for the trendy) seems to be sticking around in jeanwear. Not so in trouserwear, wherein the leg is getting wider and fuller. Are you confused yet?
