Autumn/Winter seasons are my favourite when it comes to dressing up, as it means I get to layer up in different colours and textures, and wrap myself up in some of my favourite winter jackets. I came across these photos about a year ago here and my attention was instantly captured by these gorgeous shearling and leather jackets (bottom pic is a Rick Owen piece). I’ve always had an attraction towards fur and sheepskin lined jackets, and these look perfect for snuggling into on a cold winter’s day…
Variations of the shearling jacket worn in recent photos found here and here are shown below, and as you can see there is also a trend toward the aviator-style jacket too – a sub-trend from the usual military fashion trend we’ve been seeing in past several seasons, and is a look which is easily achieved with sheepskin-lined leather.
Being an avid reader of fashion blogs and street-style websites, as well as possessing a passion for fashion research and trends, it was only natural for me to become a huge fan when I first discovered WGSN while studying Fashion Design.
For those of you who haven’t heard of WGSN, is an online tool which identifies and analyses current and future trends. It boasts a client base of over 36,000 members that includes both high profile haute couture designers and smaller independent labels. Juliette describes what WGSN does as a combination of “magic and science”, as not only does it help “transform businesses” it is also a key driver in “shaping the future.”
A classic example is the ‘gladiator’ sandal trend. WGSN first spotted the gladiator sandal in 2007 and listed it as a key shape in 2007. By 2008 the gladiator sandal was seen down the runways at Fashion Weeks. In 2009, the gladiator sandal was announced Retail’s Top Seller.
Juliette shared with us her insight into the key drivers affecting design-led businesses, from apparel-product development to retail and consumer trends for the upcoming year. There was a lot of information to absorb and I practically spent the whole time scribbling down notes (and munching on the free lunch box provided with our goodie bag hehe). I will be bringing up some of these important topics later on in my blog, but for now: A big THANK YOU to I SPY STYLE for awarding me with the ticket! Make sure you check out their awesome website here! xx
Braids are not something new to the catwalks, however their recent popularity grew since the hype on Sienna Miller at the 2007 Golden Globes when she wore a hair-plaited headband resembling that of a ‘milk maiden’. Although she received mixed reactions at the time, her milkmaid hairstyle has since then been adopted by other celebrities such as Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba, and Jennifer Aniston.
(Sienna Miller)
(Clockwise from top left: Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba)
Evidence from the Spring 2010 catwalks reveal that the milkmaid braid is still going strong – and that many of our designers are embracing the braided hair trend in various forms. Oscar De La Renta has incorporated multi-hued ribbons into his braids, as did Zac Posen in his plaited buns.
(Oscar De La Renta Spring 2010)
(Zac Posen Spring 2010)Meanwhile Norma Kamali opted for the braided topknot up-do, producing an almost hat-like effect. And Missoni took on a sculpted fishtail hairstyle, building volume up the sides and at the crown.
(Norma Kamali Spring 2010)
(Missoni Spring 2010)My favourite braided hairstyles would have to be that of DSquared and Alexander Wang, who used loose bohemian plaits and messy side braids as their catwalk look.
(DSquared Spring 2010)
(Alexander Wang Spring 2010)I also happened to find these photos from one of my favourite blogs, Sea of Shoes. They are photos of the current shop window display at a Chanel store in Paris, which are portraying the milkmaid braid trend on their mannequins! For those of you who want to try your own DIY braided beauty look, check out here and here.
Topshop Unique presented their usual colourful spread of 80’s trends but this time there were more sports and surfwear influences combined with the dirty stone-washed denim of 90’s grunge. Shapes were loose and slouchy and layered over tight-fitting neon-coloured bra/tank tops and cycle shorts (or ‘bike’ shorts), and there were plenty of stomach-baring outfits – yup, the crop is hot. Hawaiian prints have made a big come back, my favourite being the old school surfy ‘shark’ print (on model below right) which brings me back to my early teenage days. We also saw flashes of the football stripe again, except this time they were embellished in sequins (not pictured), and there were lots of zip detailing to be seen throughout the collection. Accessories included round coloured-framed sunnies, girly hair ties and rucksacks, and denim were decorated with patches and emblems. This collection is a combination of ‘Beach Boys-meets-Desperately-Seeking-Susan’ – what’s not to love?
Hope you’re all ready for a photo-fest, because I’m about to rave on about one of the best Spring collections I’ve seen yet – by Alexander Wang. Like many other designers who are sporting the ‘sporty-look’ next spring, he has taken his inspiration for his new collection straight out of the football locker room and onto the runway. Since his collaboration with The Gap earlier this year, his colour palette and fabric choice has broadened away from his signature look of black-leather-and-studs, and towards the red-white-khaki-and-grey of American sportswear.
Not to say there was no leather or black involved – it just wouldn’t be Alexander Wang without those key elements. But this time he has incorporated them into his own interpretation of sportswear with examples such as the amazing cropped leather jacket show below on the left (my favourite piece in his collection), and the matching leather baseball/aviator-style cap on the right. I’m lovin’ the cropped stripey knit top too, and can think of several outfits I would happily wear this layering piece with – all non-midriff exposing tho…with..err..the state of my midriff!
I also found this great photo from Style Bubble of Wang’s grey balloon-sleeved sweatshirt fused with a corset and leather lace-ups…
And here are some yummy pieces that will fulfil the appetites of loyal Wang-lovers who need their dose of his dark-side. I find his choice of using soft, fluffy, sparkly fabric to make his strong football-shoulder pieces (below left) very clever indeed, and I think his sheer-shoulder tunic/top/dress (whatever it is) in the end pic (below) is puff-perfect.
But what really impresses me about Alexander Wang, is his attention to detail. Every strap, panel, lace-up, stitch, zip, dome, button, seam etc are carefully thought out and placed in exactly the right places to make each garment so desirable. Look at the detailing on the sheer/leather vest below…I love how the back looks just as hot as it looks on the front. I want this!!
I also really love his version of the high school varsity jacket – double-breasted AND zipped. And the sports bras are perfect for wearing under anything that will show off your back.
According to an interview with Alexander Wang he used Australian Wool for lining in some of his pieces (nice one!), and is expanding his T line to include a line for women too. Basic T’s and dresses never looked so good!
I worked backstage as a dresser/assistant for the fashion parade, and started the day early at 8am to help set-up and prepare the outfits for the show. There were a total of 66 outfits to dress 14 models (12 female and 2 male) – this equated to 5 outfits for each female model and 3 for each male. Some of us managed to watch the models rehearse their walk on the catwalk, a lot of them walked in doubles of triples (i.e. 2 or 3 on stage at one time). Combined with the rather small stage and short catwalk (see above photo), it was pretty clear that outfit changes will need to be extra quick.
Each of the dressers were assigned a model (the guys only needed 1 dresser), and my model was a lovely girl named Madeleine who was a delight to work with :o) Some of the dresses she got to wear were stunning! There were plenty of colours on all the racks, as well as some stand out black-and-white numbers, not to mention a few hats and facinators that were a statement on their own!
While we were busy setting up, the models were having their hair and make-up done. Hair was simple and clean, pulled back of from the face into small bun – perfect for wearing the hat and facinator of your choice. Bobbi Brown were the make-up sponsors for the show and as you can see the hot colour for up-coming spring is juicy tangerine, finished with a matt nude gloss (except for the boys of course!).
(Madeliene is my model on the left)
(Left to right: Me, Bianca, Jess, and Jessica)
snipsandsnippets 
