| This fall, fashion designers pay homage to the innovators of style. Expect to see unconventional styling and modern adaptations of the classics, such as the modernist ideas of Courrèges from the ’60s, the sophisticated ’50s styling of Christian Dior’s "New Look" and an ’80s groove with Buffalo Boy attitude.
Overall, the season’s looks are clean, with minimal details and no frills, ruffles or fussy extras. Dramatic effects are created with effortless styling – oversized collars or sunglasses highlight the face, a skinny belt cinched at the waist becomes the centre of attention, and over-the-knee boots or opaque tights provide good grounding for any outfit.
The colour theme of spring continues to brighten our days as winter approaches. Charge up your wardrobe with electric blues, shocking yellows, fiery oranges and vibrant purples. Heat up in hot hues of reds or simmer down in shades of pale pinks, and take comfort in tones of green. Black and white break up the electric rainbow and provide balance, while the sheen of silver and pewter play an important role for evening dressing.
Due to the mod trend, optical prints in Technicolor or black-and-white showed up in almost every collection. Marc Jacobs brought back the idea of creating pattern through colour blocking, while Michael Kors for Celine opted for the ease of blocking black and white, which lends itself to bold stripes or animal prints such as zebra, leopard, python and giraffe. Another trend in mixing colours is the use of contrast binding or piping, which adds interesting detail and breaks up solid colours.
Fall 2003 is also a "touchy feely" season – fabrics with texture are key for creating a sense of coziness. Tweeds of various patterns are the most important material in both men’s and women’s suiting, while crocodile is the leather of choice for accessories. Look forward to feeling the softness of brushed cotton, wool twills, satin, corduroy, velvet, pony skin and suede. The surface is also raised on knitwear, with fuzzy angora, cashmere and mohair.
Most of the trends this fall are very approachable and cater to both genders. The following Top 10 trends for Calgary show that all it takes is a little imagination and cold weather to put you in the mood for fall dressing.
Mod Squad
Marc Jacobs led the fashion pack with the revival of ’60s futuristic forecasting by creating garments in colourful A-lines along with maxi minis and opaque tights. Expect to see the space age styling of Star Trek rather than common ’60s icons like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. Tune into classic movies like Peter Sellers’s The Party or Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. For a contemporary point of view, check out Roman Coppola’s CQ.
· Key items: For women, turtlenecks, miniskirts, opaque tights, A-line shift dresses, kitten heels or ankle boots. For men, turtlenecks, slim pants, four-button blazers, Chelsea boots, knit vests.
Buffalo boys
Buffalo Boys, or B-Boys, is about attitude as much as it is about style. This trend takes us back to the days of pioneer rappers like Run DMC, Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. Back in the days of Reganomics and junk bonds, streetwear became a fashion statement of its own – track suits by Adidas, Nike and Filas were the status symbols of the street. A modern take on this look includes mixing casual or athletic items such as trucker caps, hoodies, sneakers and track pants with blazers, tailored pants and collared shirts. Designers such as DSquared2, Marc Jacobs, Jon Richmond and Dolce and Gabbana led the pack on this relaxed men’s wear look.
· Key items: old-school gym bags in leather, bomber jackets with elastic details, basic three-button blazers, sweater vests, zip-front hoodies, jeans.
· Ready to wear: Puma, Adidas, D&G, Von Dutch, Energie, Fidel, Zara.
Easy Rider
DSquared2 and Costume National channeled Peter Fonda from Easy Rider, while Alexander McQueen focused on the future of Mad Max. Leather is the material of choice and aviator sunglasses (mirrored, of course) are the key accessories for this tough chic trend. Avoid conventional motorcycle jackets and opt for a leather bomber instead – the look is tough but approachable. If wearing leather from head to toe is not your thing, wear dark, slim-fitting jeans, a studded belt and some motorcycle boots to create this cool look.
· Key items: leather cuffs, jackets or coats with exposed silver zippers, mini-kilts with leather straps.
· Ready to wear: J Lindberg men and women, Dean Davidson leather accessories, Priape, Barbie’s Shop, Crown Surplus, BSA-Bray Steven Alan, D&G women.
Black and White
Black and white never go out of fashion. With the whole ’60s mod influence, colour blocking or monochromatic blocking is a key trend. Wearing solids and breaking it up with an accessory of the opposite colour easily achieves black-and-white colour blocking. Designers such as Michael Kors for Celine recreated The Graduate’s Mrs. Robinson, while Dolce and Gabbana turned to Men in Black for inspiration. Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel offered an innovative way for women to create blocking this season, with black leather arm- and leg-warmers. For a less expensive version, Dubuc makes arm-warmers for men and leg-warmers for women out of black wool.
Leg action
The ’80s vibe is still holding its own, dominating the silhouette for the season. "Y" shapes or the kite silhouette – loose on the top and slim on the bottom – creates emphasis on the leg for women’s wear. Expect to see slim-cut pants with a natural to higher waistline. (The rise is slowly inching itself up, but don’t despair – rib-grazing waistlines shown on the catwalks by designers like Karl Lagerfeld are strictly for the fashion forward.) To re-create this season’s silhouette, go for pants that hit right at the waist and wear them with a shorter jacket or loose shirt. Miniskirts, opaque tights and this season’s must-have, the over-the-knee boot, are other ways to draw attention to the legs.
Well Suited
This season the dress code calls for polish and sophistication. At work or play, a suit will provide endless options for dressing to impress. For men and women, the suit returns with three buttons and a slightly slimmer cut. Tweed is the key fabric, while corduroy or velvet adds a nice touch for day or evening. Top off your new suit with another fall essential, the trench coat, but go for colour or a pattern instead of predictable black or tan.
After hours, men can wear their corduroy or tweed blazer over a pair of jeans and a T-shirt for a casual yet together look.
· Runway inspiration: Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, Viktor and Rolf, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche.
· Ready to wear: Beige, Teenflo, In Wear, Theory men and women, DKNY men, Zara.
Medieval
Camelot is hot this season, especially in women’s evening wear. By day this look has military detailing fused with ’80s styling and a touch of punk – think Joan (Jett) of Arc. By night, medieval takes on romantic notions of ruching, ribbons, boned corseting and empire waistlines. Look for detailed topstitching on cuffs, shoulders and sleeves that creates the illusion of a coat of armour. Also look for jackets or shirts with Nehru collars and brocade or fur trim. Metallic sheens and shades of grey and black are key, while the silhouette is aerodynamically slim.
Men should think Mel Gibson in Braveheart or Leonardo Di Capprio in Romeo and Juliet. The same top-stitching details apply, but also look for double-breasted officer coats in grey or black, sweaters with Gothic prints or high, knit collars, slim-fitting leather jackets and ribbed turtlenecks.
· Runway inspiration: For women, Alexander McQueen, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani. For men, Gucci, Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane, Helmut Lang.
· Ready to wear: For women, Biscote, Dubuc, Elie Tahari, J Lindberg Women, LM Lulu, Lino Catalano, Club Monaco. For men, Dubuc, Crown Surplus, Pringle of Scotland, 4 You, Zara.
Cozy Knits
From fine gauge to chunky knits, sweaters make a strong statement this season in oversized cuts and bold patterns. Go for updated funky styling instead of a standard crew neck. Women can put a little Flash in their Dance and go for oversized, off-the-shoulder knits, shoulder-baring boat necks or voluminous cowl necks. Sleeves are slim and come in either bracelet length or exaggeratedly long for funky styling options.
For men, it’s all about the Preps versus the Jocks. You can go for V-necks with Argyle patterns, zip cardigans with leather detailing, or physique-enhancing slim sweaters with athletic details. (If anyone can tell me where I can find a classic, black, button-down cardigan – like our grandpa would wear – I will take you out for lunch!)
· Runway inspiration: For women, Stella McCartney, Miu Miu, Jean Paul Gaultier. For men, D &G, Prada, Neil Barrett and Byblos.
· Ready to wear: For women, Paul Hardy, Muchacha, Miss Sixty, Punky Fish. For men, Pringle of Scotland, D &G, Diesel, French Connection.
Finishing touches
Styles for hair and makeup are also influenced by this season’s biggest trends, such as Mod and Buffalo Boys.
Women, if you have yet to jump on the bang wagon, then what are you waiting for? Bangs continue to be big news this season, as well as asymmetrical Vidal Sassoon cuts. Men, don’t bother going for a hair cut because it’s all about length this season, whether you style it slick and polished or loose and shaggy.
To face fall with updated makeup, adopt the polish of the ’40s and mod chic of the ’60s with long lashes and sheer shades. The colour palette reflects this season’s clothing: frosty pinks, mauves, rich burgundies, russet reds, greens, grey, black and neutrals. For day, emphasize your eyes. The smoky eye is updated with pale grey and soft green shadow, or go for mod by using brighter matte eye shadows to create arches. Lips are pale or glossed with frosty pink, and at night go for dramatic red or any deep shade of lip lacquer. The face remains natural for day, so use a matte foundation and concealer to even out your skin tone. At night, add a romantic glow with a touch of frosty cheek and lip cream, and then lightly apply a similar shade of shimmery blush to your cheeks.
Keep it together
Accessories are the final items that punctuate a fashion statement. This season, accessories say it with flash and panache, adding exclamation to the key trends.
· Key items: For women, over-the knee boots, opaque tights in bold colours or graphic prints, fishnet stockings, crocodile everything, fur scarves or wraps, satin sashes or neckties, kitten-heeled shoes, round-toed shoes and gloves that hit the wrist or go over the elbow, topped off with fedoras in felt or tweed. For men, leather driving gloves, croc print shoes or boots with a pointy toe, leather sports bags, bold print or coloured ties and large belt buckles, with trucker caps, felt fedoras and leather newsboy caps as the crowning glory. |
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