With all our new merchandise coming to Toronto over the next few weeks I’d like to focus on the main fashion trends for the season and the type of looks you’ll be seeing at our sales:
Fashion coats – make your fashion statement for this fall/winter by having a couple of different styles, then you can achieve a completely look every time you step outside your door! For Burberry the coat was such a key item that there was barely anything else on their catwalk, just a steady stream of gorgeous coats! Here’s just a few of the styles, and fabrics that are surfacing: Plaids, jumbo checks, 1960’s style pea coats, emphasized shoulders and sleeve shapes, epaulettes, giant “flyaway” collars, military collars, traditional tailored single or double breasted styles, trench coat details and fur trims.
Mix and match – collaged color, pattern and texture. Either within the garment itself, by mixing multiple patterned coordinates or by using accessories such as printed scarves, hosiery, bags or shoes.
Brights – they were big for spring/summer and they’re still going strong for Fall. Tangerine, lipstick red, hot pink, purple, cobalt blue, turquoise and yellow, calmed down with neutral splashes of dark grey, camel or black. Also important is color blocking intermixed with bold black and white graphic prints.
Sixties revival– a distinct trend emerging – cocoon and shift-dress shapes, skinny pants sets, boxy coats, tulip skirted dresses, mod sweaters and beehive hair-dos! Watch out for more “Sgt Pepper” inspired military flourishes too.
Polka dots – Marc Jacobs covered everything including his hats and hosiery in dots. Printed, laminated, appliqué and knitted, any size will do.
Animal prints – now seemingly a perennial theme – leopard, python, cheetah, faux fur and metallic, in more subtle tones they are even on skinny jeans too.
The tuxedo jacket –a la Bianca Jagger. Whether worn casual and sleeveless at Isabel Marant , lacey and long at Lanvin or classically masculine at Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren.
1940’s couture – all very World War II-era Paris – long, lean “hobble” skirts, pinched waists, short jackets, bold shoulders and classic camel toppers, nostalgia and elegance. Marc Jacobs topped off this look with modern little pill-box hats strapped at the chin and Mui Mui accessorized her retro collection with matte red lips, clutch bags and hair combs.
70’s Glam Rock – another decade continuing to trend. Biba inspired maxi dresses, flared jumpsuits, stripy sweater dresses, fur trimmed blousons and thigh high boots.
Fur mania – love it or hate it, it’s big for the season. Whether dyed into bright colored stoles, edging parkas and bomber jackets or used as an accessory as per Alexander Wang with his outrageous mink wrapped sunglasses and fur trimmed metallic loafers. We won’t be selling any real fur at the UK Designer Sale but we’ll definitely have faux fur jackets and faux fur trimmed coats.
The menswear look style is going to be particularly strong, the best example was at Dolce & Gabbana’s fall/winter 2011 catwalk show where each outfit alternated between a boy look and a girl look. The “Tomboys” wore crisp white tuxedo shirts, low slung pants, boxy vests, cropped ‘urchin’ pants, oversized evening tuxedos, “teddy boy’ coats and pork pie hats. On the flip side the “Temptresses” wore their trademark feminine “Sophia Loren type” stretchy sheath dresses (fabulous in tiger print!), and billowy floor-length numbers in star patterns, lace motifs and pretty music-note prints.
So look out for all these trends and more at the upcoming UK Designer “pop up” Sales!
Teresa
ukdesignersale.com 