Top Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Trends
Coming off of Fashion Week in New York, the designers have established a variety of trends for the Fall / Winter seasons in 2012. For many designers it is clear that the operative trend is androgyny. Women will be wearing man-tailored shirts, suits, hats and boots as part of their fall finest. This was the style direction of Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Sonia Rykiel, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, and many other top designers.
Winter colors have traditionally been reserved, like black, brown and navy. For this season, designers like Tommy Hilfiger, Alberta Ferretti, Victoria Beckham and others are celebrating color with bright crimson, neon orange, purple, sky blue and other colors that uplift the mood and set the style. This is also reflected in the variety of prints that are being shown by designers like Gucci, Stella McCartney, Miu Miu, and even Hermes. And Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, and Christian Dior are showing pleats and frills to dress up your fall frocks. And designers like Anna Sui, Marc Jacobs, Versace, and Givenchy are presenting feathers and animal prints as part of their design elements.
The underground fetish world has reared its head in the sunlight of fashion trends with very Victorian style touches as espoused by designers like Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Antonio Berardi, Givenchy and others. These are very form fitting styles accented with knee-high boots. And another extreme trend is the mixture of textures in ways never before seen on the world's fashion runways. Designers have added sequins to leather and combined silk with fur and knitwear, and even added plastic to chiffon. Like them or hate them, you at least have to acknowledge that this fall / winter season will be memorable and new.
And for those who embrace timeless tradition in style, this Fall and Winter will feature the return to elegance. Gucci, Miu Miu, and Jonathan Saunders, to name but a few, have designed creations reminiscent of Lauren Bacall or Audrey Hepburn in the golden age of Hollywood glamour. True, they have modern touches, but put one on and you can't help but get that feeling that Bogie is just around the corner.
The next trend is a common sense one. Skirts are getting longer to midi or maxi lengths for the colder months of fall and winter. At least that is what Balenciaga, St. John, and a host of other designers are showing this year. And along the lines of keeping warm, bulky sweaters and an extensive use of faux fur trim are design elements that are surfacing for the fall. And whenever fur surfaces as a trend, leather comes right along for the ride. Hermes, Zac Posen, and Brioni are all showing leather dresses and skirts. And for outerwear, hooded coats and wider poncho style coats should hang in your closet right alongside the trench and military coats. And finally, designers are creating wide cropped trousers to be worn under those coats.
