Touches of high fashion for a/w 2012
I’ve been lazy about images. For lots of photos of runway styles, look at the Style.com (US Vogue) Trend Report for the a/w 2012 season.
Also the UK Elle Trend Report.
UK In Style has separate reports on each fashion city, if you want to be reminded that the fashion journalists pick out a small selection of possibilities from a huge variety of styles.
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Fabrics
Brocade is the season’s big idea for a patterned fabric.
Fur used in unusual ways, such as sleeves or yokes only, or inset strips.
Patterns and embellishments
brocades again.
Chinese inspired.
baroque arabesques.
geometric patterns with right angles.
big dark florals.
leopard and python animal skins.
glued or sewn jewels or metal plates/ studs.
Pant and skirt suits made with top and bottom in the same print/ non-classic weave.
Or the opposite – make different sections of the garment in different prints.
Colours
(For the Fall 2012 Pantone Report scroll down the left side of their site to Features.)
Red in all its shades, but especially berry, is the key colour for this season.
Black leather and lace is neo-Goth.
Silver, especially in accessories and hard-edged minimalist ‘futuristic’ clothes styles.
Gold, especially in added baroque pattern.
Shapes
Oversize coats.
Bow-neck blouses.
Waist emphasis – peplums, padded hips, waist belts from narrow to wide cinch.
Jumpsuits – though just with a bib front as in overalls/ dungarees, not a complete top with back and sleeves.
Style details (this season’s ‘masculine’ styles)
Military – browns, olives, or brights for colour.
Equestrian – leather and high boots.
Accessories
Clutch purse.
Mule shoes, ankle boots.
Snoods, neck rings, fun fur scarves.
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These are the key trends picked out by US Vogue and UK Elle, but if you look through all the runway shows you can find designers who support most style enthusiasms 😀
Different fashion writers can pick out different themes.
Here’s Angie of You Look Fab’s similar summary of the season.
Here’s an update on Angie’s must-haves for this season.
There’s a rather different selection of trends from Connie Crawford here.
Here are Nancy Nix-Rice’s wearable ideas on the season’s trends.
With lots of inspirational current outfit photos from her here.
As usual, there are possibilities to suit many tastes. And not to worry – go your own way if nothing appeals !
For more focus on casual clothes, it can help to look at the ‘resort’ collections.
Eek, on the insider sites, the 2012 autumn-winter runway collections are now ‘old news’. You can already look at the 2013 spring-summer collections if you want to be really fashion forward ! (Style.com, firstVIEW, Tom and Lorenzo)
Actually, you can only impress people with your high style if they know the same fashion references.
Nancy Erickson had a quote from Chanel in her July/August newsletter :
“A really well dressed woman. . . should be able to pass through a motley crowd unnoticed, but should create a mild sensation on entering a drawing room among the knowing elite.”
Perhaps your favourite ‘knowing elite’ is not clothes high spenders in expensive drawing rooms or on the red carpet, but top professionals, sports fans, vintage lovers, goths, gym users, cafe-bar party goers, people in the countryside, at art gallery openings, music festivals.
Is that important to you ?
or celebrate the creativity and skill shown on the runways, and treat it all as entertainment 😀
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Links available September 2012
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Explore posts in the same categories: current fashion
Sewingplums 
September 23, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Thank you for the Connie Crawford material. (sigh) I want all the looks.
I’d just come to the opposite conclusion of the Chanel strategy. I like looking just slightly eye-catching out on the street, on the move, but closeup, in a gathering of people, I would prefer not to incite too much interest in what I’m wearing. Maybe the answer is amazing coats – those I have aplenty – over muted clothing. I know the probably intent of the Chanel remark is that the knowing elite will notice precisely those clothes that are muted 🙂 but I don’t encounter them.
September 24, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Yes Vildy – Connie Crawford has very wearable styles and a luscious selection of fabrics.
I do enjoy hearing about people’s personal styles. For those of us who are a bit more unusual, it can take a while to recognise what it is. But it’s both freeing and grounding, when we get there 😀
September 26, 2012 at 1:15 am
Hello Lisanne! what a treat to see your blog posts, i hope your health continues to improve and you’re feeling better 🙂 these seasonal round ups of yours are quite helpful for me – i see all the detail and get overwhelmed, of course. But your focus on the broad strokes allows me to see how my wardrobe intersects with the larger world. I am encouraged that a couple of my recent ‘big’ purchases (Tahari Heidi coat and Hobo clutch) fit in quite nicely with trends Ms. Crawford picked out of the runway. As my name suggests i do love to go me own way, but i do like a bit of approachability. And being able to find pieces i love available for purchase is always welcome 🙂
you said, ” For those of us who are a bit more unusual, it can take a while to recognise what it is. But it’s both freeing and grounding, when we get there ” This is right along the lines of my current obsessions….in a conversation with You Look Fab forum member Suz a month or so ago i realized that, while most people can get a personal style and appropriate wardrobe put together without a huge amount of time and fuss, there are conditions that can put real constraints on this process. The goal isn’t unobtainable, but a person will have to be wilier and more persistent – and as you put it the goal is utterly worth it. (as is the journey 🙂
i am very excited to be moving my own blog more in this direction – how to get around medical issues, very unique/unusual personal style, severe budget constraints, rare coloring or body build, and so on. Your own focus on wardrobing and personal style has been so helpful and fascinating that i realize there IS lots to say!! 🙂
and thank you for the mention on the blog roll 🙂 i actually waited a few days after spotting it to say anything, i was worried you’d see you made a mistake. Very silly of me, but i hope you see it just shows what an honor it is to me. Take care, steph
September 27, 2012 at 9:10 am
Thanks for your lovely comments Steph – and I look forward to what you have to say.
I started blogging because I was writing much too long comments at Stitchers Guild, and I’m still surprised how much comes out on all these topics !
Amazing that you find my mention of your blog an honour – I feel the same about you – perhaps we’re both too modest. Best Wishes 😀