Fall fashion means fanfare, and for the past two weeks the elegant, imaginative and occasionally bizarre collections of the fashion elite debuted in New York and London created just that. As internationally-renown designers like Calvin Klein, Vera Wang and Naeem Khan flaunted their latest visionary craftsmanship in the sophisticated galas, the midpoint of the fashion quartet quickly elapsed, the expositions continuing on to Milan on Wednesday. Energizing as fall fashion weeks can be, the incessant shows of the bi-annual fashion extravaganza can get overwhelming with their shuffling swatches, fabrics and textures. But collegiettes™ have no reason to be flustered—here are the top eye-catching trends so far for the upcoming fall season:
PRINT: Oversized Florals
Titanic roses stamped the clothes at Emilia Wickstead and Vera Wang, mixing spring florals with darker autumn colors. Budding in mostly bold and bright orange hues, floral prints were often repeated throughout an entire ensemble in a coat and slacks. The innocent, fresh roses coupled with knee-length skirts harked back to a more conservative frame—yet with lusher colors and extravagant silks.
TEXTURE: Fur
Fur—the more the better—took center stage at the catwalks in New York and London and gave fashion week a softer edge. Used as trims, coats, dresses and everything in between, designers took advantage of an array of furs. Different textures of fur were also spotted on the runways of Felder Felder, Derek Lam, J. Mendel and tons more—some as real fur, others as chunky knits. In London, faux furs were dyed shades of periwinkle, slate and alien green to detract from the natural fabric.
COLOR: Blood Red & Cotton Candy
Red passion donned the runways of Marc by Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta and more throughout the New York exposition. Gowns in rich hues of blood red, tart berry shades and crimson set the passionate tone for the season’s autumnal palette. Similarly in London, deep pinks from Barbie to bubble gum stained dresses and coats on the runways of John Rocha and Fashion East Ryan Lo. While timeless black-white gradients and prints still permeated the runways in New York and London, models brandished trends with the lush, sweet palette.
STYLE: Capes & Frocks
A theme of this year’s sophisticated fashion is wearability and comfort. “It’s imagination with a pragmatic streak,” said Hamish Bowles, International Editor at Large for Vogue, of London Fashion Week. In other words: capes are still a fall staple. As fashion designers lean towards more function, less form this season, models dressed in blanket-like, draping frocks filled the runway with coziness. The simplistic geometry played with volume through often elongated, grandiose robes seen at Derek Lam and Donna Karan, but stuck to basic outerwear colors like camel and olive green.
Two fashion capitals down and two more to go as the fall fashion gala continues on to sweep Milan and Paris (off their feet).