Autumn's Fashion Trends 2011 for Women:
To autumn (nearly), season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, reaper of the wicked sundress and emissary of fresh trends. Only “trends” is problematic as it signifies the fleeting – and this fashion phase is a volte face.
The chief missive is “timelessness” – not for the last time will the minimalism masterclasses of Phoebe Philo at Céline and Stella McCartney be cited. If you’re hunting for a pagoda-shouldered jacket, this is not the season. Rather, it’s time to put together decidedly un-starry pieces: a white blouse, buttoned to the throat, tautly tucked into slick wool trousers; a camel coat belted just so. Flashy has played swapsies with simple, and girlish Lolitas with all-woman Lollobrigidas.
Which walks us to the other autumn story: boobs and hips, and garbs that embrace said proportions – swishy circle skirts, saucy bustiers – are cool. Even hip glossy LOVE celebrates “all things feminine” in its new issue, gushing how “during Fashion Week, a more voluptuous woman was sauntering her way into the spotlight: a new feminine silhouette, a full-blooming figure whose roots lay back in the Fifties”.
Pared down versus in-your-face curves, minimalism versus maximalism: foes set for an epic autumnal wardrobe fisticuff, right? Only if they didn’t share a collective motto, Strictly for Grown-ups – a rallying cry that unites other visual spars like neutrals vs leopard prints, and trousers vs midi-skirts. The real war? Streamlining your buys for the new season: charge forth with this battle plan.