It is once again that time of year when designers around the world showcase their new looks for Autumn and Winter 2013. Now if you are like me you might not have the time or funds to catch all of the shows displayed during Fashion Week, do not panic because I am here to give you a quick run down of all you need to know. The must – do trends for this year are Punk, Tartan, Suits, Prints and Lace. Now you might read that and think so am I meant to slap on a tartan lace suit with studs on? Don’t fret, these are just looks that you should try in different outfits, and they can actually be used in subtle and simple ways. An example of this is the Punk trend, you do not have to go shave your head and purchase a leather matrix coat. Instead, why not use a deep coloured lipstick, such as a bold dark purple, or add a studded hair band to your look.
Last weekend I decided to hit up London Fashion Weekend, an event put on to allow us to see how these trends translate on onto the high street. I started the morning by viewing Marks and Spencer’s new catwalk show. They captured all of the trends perfectly and much to my surprise they had even managed to create some outfits suitable for the younger generations, aka me. The lace trend was shown in a stunning white dress with a black lace features on the upper half, simple yet effective. Also some of us may recoil in horror at the idea of Tartan being a must wear, but M&S managed to keep the look but in a toned down manner by having a long winter coat in black and white tartan print.
Although this does not have anything to do with the clothes show, I was slightly surprised to see so few models of colour in their show. It was especially staggering as not only do M&S portray themselves as the real people’s brand, but also because a massive campaign against runway racism was recently brought into the headline by Naomi Campbell.
The event also had a lot of pop up designer boutiques, allowing people to get up close and personal with this seasons must haves. Designers there included Blonde + Ginger, Calvin Klein and House of Harlow, who had some stunning printed dresses. When I wasn’t window shopping at the pop up shops,
I decided to listen to some of the talks going on by industry experts. The fashion show creative director of Toni & Guy explained how punk hair is the easiest to achieve look with large plaits and braids, also by using temporary colour hairsprays. The worst talk had to be from a fashion PR woman, whose name I didn’t even bother remembering. When asked about her advice on getting into the fashion industry she started prattling on about how she partied with Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton and they loved her clothes. What a totally intelligent and relatable piece of advice….
Best talk by far goes to Hilary Alexander, ex-fashion editor of the Telegraph and recent receiver of an OBE. She actually did give good fashion advice, she said never wear or talk about something you don’t understand or feel comfortable with. So embrace the trends your way. So my overall advice is when you are unsure of how to wear bold trends, such as prints, start small and add only one piece of the trend to your outfit at a time. Events like the London Fashion Weekend are a perfect way to translate runway to your way.