Cutting through the swathes of fashion advice this time of year can be a bewildering if not downright baffling experience. Which trends are the hottest, which are the coolest and which ones will just leave you cold? Here’s a mini-round up of some of the best looks that will be available to buy this autumn.
Flying High: The Aviator Jacket
Blame it on Burberry; their series of alarmingly-gorgeous flying jackets has put the entire fashion industry in a tail-spin. Whether you go for the full or cropped version, the aviator jacket means that come November, you get to be your very own Amelia Earhart.
Minus the goggles, and paired with sheepskin-lined leather boots for extra cosiness, this is a new take on the leather bomber that was around this time last year. This also has the added advantage of totting up your fashion-air miles: it will look just as good with jeans as it will when slung over your shoulders come party season at Christmas.
Every season has one item that is the must-buy piece, and this is it. Prepare to want one.
All Woman: The 1950’s dress
When Fyfe Dangerfield covered the Billy Joel classic ‘She’s Always a Woman’, little did he know that the fashion world was paying close attention. Pioneered by Prada, the Fifties dress, with neat lines, cut to the mid-calf and in at the waist, is back.
The column inches that have followed this trend are understandable when you consider that this is a look that needs curves to do it justice. For the catwalk, Miuccia Prada hired models more used to the Victoria’s Secret runway to ply her wares, and it certainly did the trick. Endlessly flattering, all this look needs to accessorise it is a frame handbag (the smaller the better), a stiff G&T and an unfeasibly handsome ad executive on your arm.
Even if you’re convinced that fashion has nothing left to sell you, take heart from this trend, because anything that has the power to make you look (and feel) this good is definitely worth your time.
Set the Tone: Camel
There’s a consensus in fashion that if you want to know what’s happening, just refer to Marc Jacobs. Still the pace-setter for an entire industry, Marc’s recent runway hits have included Eighties New York club kids, and a highly memorable tour of American history, via the hemlines.
But his collection for Autumn / Winter 2010 was perhaps the most shocking twist of all. Emerging from a glass box, model after model walked the Marc Jacobs runway wearing shades of camel.
He wasn’t alone either: whether it was coats, jackets or skirts, every shade of beige was represented on this season’s catwalks from the palest biscuit tones to rich, undiluted mocha. But far from looking staid or (whisper it) boring, these collections looked fresh, clean and above all, modern.
This collection has been dubbed by the press as a ‘cleansing of the fashion palette’, and that’s exactly what it is. Switching to neutral, Marc Jacobs has re-set the fashion swing-o-meter that has gone from wild excess to frugal temperance in the space of a decade.
Far from being responsible for lacklustre fashion, it’s recharged everyone’s batteries and the result? A season full of ready-to-wear trends straight off the runway. This autumn, get ready to fall in love with dressing up all over again.
HELEN TOPE