Sewingplums

If the 6 seasonal must-have items from UK ‘In Style’ magazine aren’t for you, not to worry. Other magazines have different ideas about the key styles of the season.

After looking at over 20 RTW shows, I think perhaps we should feel sorry for the editors, trying to simplify things for us. There’s so much creativity in the collections, it’s not surprising magazine editors can only find little things like strong colours as the common themes.

UK Elle had 20 looks in their August issue. Some commentators talk about one show at a time. Celebrity fashion bloggers and twitterers talk about one outfit at a time.

The August UK In Style must-have individual items were :
Flared pants
Mini kilt
Sheath dress
Aviator jacket
Camelhair cape
High heeled hiking boots.

The September UK In Style suggests 7 looks for the coming season :
– Simplicity – minimalism, simplest lines in non-colours – camel, greys, nudes.
– Country – furs, plaids, big sweaters, hiking boots.
– Glam Goth – aggressive hard edged black, chains, leopard skin.
– Colour – bold colour blocking.
– Uniform – military styles, sharp tailoring.
– Fifties – little waists and big bosoms.
– Embellished – ‘jewellery on clothes’, studs, rivets, sequins, brocade.

Still not something for everyone, but a much wider range than the August issue. Not much softness, even the curves are assertive. Happily there are drapey, frilly, and sporty styles around, they’re not just not mentioned here.

Style.com (US Vogue) picks out a different set of important themes :
Fifties
Menswear
Long coats and skirts
Wrapped Layers
Colour
Gold
Fur

Well, they agree with UK in Style on strong colour blocking, and 50s vintage. But I wouldn’t wear either. . .

UK Vogue’s Catwalk report widens the range of possible looks, and includes styles people round here might wear :
Minimalism – simple luxury.
Retro woman – little waists and big skirts.
Colour.
Camel coats, or parkas.
Grunge glamour – shapeless big knits with luxurious long skirts.
Outside – countryside looks.
Pretty Poetess – maxi-dresses in faded florals over long-sleeved knits.
Romantic lace.
White fur.
Dressing up box.
Their 3 ‘instant update’ items for the season are :
‘Easy’ fit trousers (or cigarettes).
Maxi skirts.
Cape.

All three editors choose colour, fur, and the retro dress shape as key themes.
Two of them agree on country looks, minimalism, and long skirts. Many other tastes are included somewhere.

It’s fun, and also very telling, to look at a few designer collections yourself. You see quickly that much of what the designers show doesn’t fit easily into the fashion magazine categories.

Here are some for Autumn/ Winter 2010 :

Stella McCartney. . Elie Saab. . . . . . . Isabel Marant.

Anna Sui. . . . . . . Louis Vuitton. . . . . . . Céline

Lanvin. . . . . . . . . Christian Dior. . . . Dolce & Gabbana

Well, I didn’t have any intention of picking out all nude tones and black, so perhaps there are a few common threads 😀 And look at the general silhouette. The majority of styles I’ve picked show the body shape, with no exaggeration of the shoulders. But Style.com emphasises strong colours, menswear, or the wrapped layered look. . .

And what if none of those are for you ? Well, different designers have different styles. Straight or fitted, angled or curved, crisp or draped, slim or wide, long or short, minimal or ornate. tailored or sporty, muffled up or exposed, high-tech or heirloom, subtle or bold colours – this season you can find them all. I might have said there’s no crinoline, but I’m not so sure.

Christian Dior Couture

Much pleasure for those of us who enjoy looking at clothes.

But throughly confusing if you’re looking for advice and certainties. There is some agreement that the key looks to choose between are : minimalism, country-layered style, the retro dress shape, long skirts, strong colours, and fur. Perhaps these are this season’s versions of basic styles :
Classic – minimalism, uniform, menswear.
Casual – country/ layered.
Dramatic – 50s dress shapes, Glam Goth, Grunge glamour, colour blocking, dressing up.
Romantic – maxi skirts, Pretty Poetess, 50s dresses.

So, what if those particular simplifications are not right for us ? How do we find our own stable point in the middle of all this variety, for what we wear ourselves ? If the editors don’t simplify things in a way that works for us, then we have to make our own choices. It’s very much a time for finding our own style. I had so much to say on this I’ve written a separate post.

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Links available July 2010
Photos from Style.com

This entry was posted on July 30, 2010 at 1:16 pm and is filed under current fashion, personal style. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.