Fall (in love)

This summer has been great- filled with fun, sun, and revealing outfits, but if you are like me you have already begun to dream of the next season, my favorite season. Why do I look forward to a time of declining temperature you may ask? Well I do enjoy the crisp autumn weather, but even more than that I love fall fashion and all that comes with it! To me fall has always been a time of hope and new beginnings. Much of this is due to the nostalgia of returning to school each coming fall(with a new wardrobe), this fall being the first time I will not get to experience this excitement. Autumn has also always brought new people into my life, friends and boyfriends-every relationship with a guy I have been involved with was started in the fall, including my current one (10/3/09)! It’s just a magical time of year, and the fashion represents that.

My yearning for autumn led me to scope out the trends on the runways for F/W 2011 which I would like to break down for you. This fall expect the unexpected, no longer does a drop in temperature have to mean plain dark clothes. Though the runways did have their fair share of black there were also a lot of whites, bright colors, sheer fabric, side cut shirts, sparkle/shine, appliqués, and prints (including tribal, animal and floral!) These trends were seen not only on one or two runways, but almost all of them (isn’t it strange how all designers come up with the same concepts each season-conspiracy!) There were also the returning trends that we see almost every fall on the runways including leather, lace, velvet, pleats, feathers, knits, neutrals, suiting, fur, and plaid. The overwhelming decade influences seemed to be 1940’s, 1970’s, and Victorian era, but I also noticed some 20's influence as well as world traveler themes.

The top designers that I love for this fall are Alice & Olivia, Burberry Prorsum, Vivienne Westwood and Roberto Cavalli. Alice & Olivia had a major 70's vibe with hints of other eras. It displayed a variety of looks for different occasions including -corduroy bellbottoms paired with a sweater and blazer for a casual day look, a glitzy sparkly dress paired with a fur wrap for a fancy evening out and a tweed skirt paired with a fur trimmed jacket for the office. As usual Burberry captured me with their amazing coats, which I long for every season. They switched it up this year though and incorporated the trends of bright colors and animal prints. There were also fur, puffed, and plaid coats. Each outfit was very simple-bright pieces were allowed to shine paired with monotone neutrals. The overall feel of Burberry was classic, clean and modern. Vivienne Westwood showed modern takes on suiting and many shiny pieces-including coats, pants, dresses and boots, and even had some tribal inspired designs. The pairing of each piece was uniquely Westwood-yellow body suit with long sleeve cropped top, shorts and boots, or how about a sheer plaid mini-skirt with metallic puff sleeve top, maroon knee highs and black crystal adorned shoes? O, and let’s not forget the crazy tribal face makeup. Roberto Cavalli truly amazed me, every outfit incorporated multiple trends and prints-there was so much going on, which would have been easy to make look like a jumbled mess, but was very well executed. The collection was a mix of deep blues, reds and even black and white. Many beautiful skirts and dresses were shown, as well as jackets with a mix of suiting- trouser and vest separates. Each look exuded elegance and opulence with a rock star edge.

So now I’m going to put on some big bossy plaid pants and tell you what to buy for this fall (this will ironically not include plaid pants). If you are a person who dresses up and wears suits to work, this is the season to stock up. Invest in suiting that is unique and interesting, which can also be mixed and matched or broken up for a more casual look, a la Chanel. Pencil skirts, belts, stockings, and dresses are 40’s inspirations that are hot right now! For the weekend or after work change it up with sheer lace tops, bright accessories, shiny pants, or a leather skirt. Make outfits unique and funky by mixing unexpected patterns and layering!

If you don’t really dress up or you are still a student (I envy you!) go for some more casual pieces that are 70’s inspired. D&G showed all sorts of fun, young designs for this fall including stripes, bright colors (Orange & Yellow), letter prints, sheer and lots of layering! The classics like cords can be a great addition- skinny or flare, neutral or bright! The school girl look will always be popular, grab a pleated mini and take it in a different direction by pairing it with a printed tee or sheer blouse, as seen from Mulberry. A new bag with fringe or animal print, tribal inspired jewelry, or cutting the sides of pre-existing tops (sounds a bit crazy) are smart ways to incorporate trends without spending all your hard earned cash.

I hope this overview of the fall season will guide your upcoming purchases and lead to great on trend style! I myself am looking forward to rocking some of these trends, after I convince my mom to go not-back to school shopping with me (with her handling the expenses still of course) and buy some knits, skinny cords, belts, stockings and printed dresses(not to mention more boots and shoes!)

Happy shopping everyone!!