Our picks for the season's 10 hottest, most directional and most important trends
DSQUARED Fall 2007
POWER TRIP
It is the season for a strong, powerful and somewhat terrifying woman, with designers riffing on S&M dressing—complete with kinky props like riding crops at Dolce & Gabbana and truncheons at Dsquared—full-leather outfits, piles of zips, studs, black, high shine and, most notably, the return to a strong shoulder line. It isn’t created, thankfully, by circa 1980s shoulder pads. This go-round, it’s a more sophisticated take on a forceful shape, from persnickety little peaks at Gucci to Alber Elbaz’s pattern-making magic, which created a raised silhouette at Lanvin with a flick of the scissors.
LOUIS VUITTON Fall 2007
KNIT ONE
Sweater dressing continues to move further away from its prim cardigan past and into ever-expanding and more extreme takes on knits. Last fall’s basic sweater frock made an encore appearance, but this season the knitting needles were clacking away in a wildly creative DIY knitting circle gone haute. Chunky overblown popcorn stitches, heavy-gauge yarns, extreme textures, thick ropes of cable, knit suits, knits for evening and knits as decorative elements, à la Vuitton’s elaborate shoulders, turned humble winter dressing into a moment of fashion frisson.
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Fall 2007
MEDIEVAL WARRIORS
Christopher Bailey didn’t have to look far for his Middle Ages inspiration—he merely cast a glance at the Burberry Prorsum logo, a medieval knight on a charger, and voila: a collection full of Dark Ages references, including fabulously murderous gauntlet gloves. Fellow Brit Christopher Kane hit similar notes, and while Alexander McQueen’s witchy collection took its inspirations from Salem rather than Sir Galahad, it was another example of catwalks run amok with maidens, wizards and knights. A related trend is the return of last fall’s modern urban warrior, skulking around the battlefield of life covered up in endless layers of dark colours and strongly defined outerwear.
DKNY Fall 2007
GREY’S ANATOMY
Now entering its starring season as the new black (no, really!), grey made its quietly chic appearance in every shade imaginable: inky grey, charcoal grey, dove grey, cement, gunmetal and steel. It was spotted in everything from saucy modern mini-suits at DKNY (a 20-something’s perfect first suit) to fur-trimmed sportswear cool at Michael Kors to unusual appearances on leather jackets and in cocktail wear—not to mention the ubiquitous chunky grey tights. Who needs black and white when you can have shades of grey?
EMILIO PUCCI Fall 2007
RAINBOW CONNECTION
We wouldn’t be surprised if Kermit the Frog was backstage this season, perched with hair and makeup and dolefully singing, “Why are there so many songs about rainbows?” Taking a shockingly bright turn in what is more commonly a subdued season, heavily saturated brights were everywhere and in everything from sportswear to eveningwear. It was as if designers pulled out the Pantone chart, closed their eyes and wished for the brightest shades of all. Pigments that border on chemical-waste shades and neo-punk tints will add an arguably much-needed dollop of intense cheer to the chillier months.
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Fall 2007
WORKING GIRL
The designers’ latest daywear looks rush to the aid of women pondering the never-ending question of what to wear to work. From Marc Jacobs’ narrow 1970s Charlie Girl silhouettes to an abundance of sleek pantsuits, spectator pumps, nipped-in 1940s-meets-’70s waists and Mary Tyler Moore–esque belted sweaters over skirts, it’s the season of style in the boardroom. We’re not convinced that all the buzz about the “New Suit” at Miu Miu—a boxy affair with rounded hips (!) that managed to make even size 0 models look hefty—will translate onto the shop floor, but as always, Miuccia provides food for thought.
CHRISTIAN DIOR Fall 2007
SKINS
Skins just aren’t going to take it anymore. Sick of playing second fiddle to frocks, they’ve made the leap from accessories to full outfits—though, of course, there are still heaps of bags and boots, particularly in croc and stamped leather. The return of head-to-toe leather dressing is the most potent example of fall’s powerful woman, and with exotic skins making their appearance in everything from eveningwear to vivid shades, not to mention scads of the season’s must-have Amelia Earhart aviator and bomber jackets, we predict it’s a trend with legs.
CHLOÉ Fall 2007
MATERIAL MIX
The biggest news this season is all about fabrics, specifically about the mixing and clashing of seemingly incongruous materials. The combining of natural and synthetic fabrics is the new high/low mix. Still wearing your vintage with your designer? Yawn. How about mixing your garbage bag with your fur? Now that’s modern, not to mention harder to knock off. Of course, the most 20th century of fabrics—plastic—riffed on spring’s futuristic trend in a less literal but no less fantastical way, starring as superslick dresses, wet-look separates and glossy coats. A post-apocalyptic environmental message to reuse and recycle? Time will tell...
PROENZA SCHOULER Fall 2007
1920s/1940s
Designers dipped into the archives (surprise!) for their sartorial outings this fall. First up, the 1920s, dovetailing perfectly with the Paul Poiret–themed Metropolitan Museum of Art ball and exhibit in the spring. Poiret’s beloved roses made several appearances, as did other ’20s touchstones like cocoon dresses, trompe l’oeil patterns, art deco prints, cloches and jaunty flapper frocks. Fast-forward a couple of decades and land in an Old Hollywood–tinged version of the 1940s, featuring smart, slim, structured dresses and suits, mannish touches, lean pencil skirts and glamorous hats.
COSTUME NATIONAL Fall 2007
OFFICER’S CLUB
Not surprisingly given world events, designers are in a military mood, though arguably a much more playful and purposefully vintage version than the one we are experiencing. Nostalgia is so much more charming than the evening news, no? From the boaty Britishness of Balenciaga and Luella to the pseudo-Russian looks at Yves Saint Laurent and Costume National, soldiers of every stripe were on guard. Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci took his inspiration from a 1920s Japanese marine jacket, and Aquascutum pulled on the house’s military heritage for one of several collections that turned out looks full of toggles, medals and regimental stripes.
