Nathan Jenden AW09
We know we've only just hit spring, but it can't of failed to escape your notice that over the past few weeks we've been distracted by both New York and London Fashion Week.
Showcasing the hottest designs for autumn/winter this year, we're already thinking ahead and giving you the fashionable lowdown on what will be hot and not come September.
We've been monitoring the designers closely this year, what with the recession threatening to really impact upon the fashion world, and while this was evident at some shows, generally they came out and defied the financial meltdown with bright colours and prints.
We'll admit some collections fell short of our very high fashionable expectations, but as a general rule we we're pretty impressed with the looks shown on the catwalk this season.
In particular we loved Vivienne Westwood's preppy style and Nathan Jenden's snowflake-inspired collection, but special mention has to go out to Ashish and his sequined wonder range- totally gorgeous!
Bora Aksu's new goth range was something of a triumph at London Fashion Week and wunderkind Henry Holland did it again with a colour chart collection to make Dulux proud.
Designer of the Year, Luella produced a strong collection, which was well-received by many but we felt it was lacking some continuity of previous collections.
New York belonged to Zac Posen and Diane Von Furstenberg in our opinion, with Caroline Herrara following closely behind with her stunning collection.
There was a general feeling in both London and New York of 'good girl gone bad' with many of the collections omitting this vibe.
We absolutely loved it, as gave the uplifting message of 'Sod the recession, I'm going to wear what I want' and with us all feeling a little depressed at the minute, this was exactly the message we needed to hear!
With all this in mind, FemaleFirst have compiled a list of five top trends to keep an eye out for in upcoming months. Remember you heard it here first...
1. Turquoise
This is more of a colour trend for the autumn, as we're ditching boring black and embracing this gorgeous colour, which was seen on catwalks aplenty this season. Matthew Williamson, Diane von Furstenberg, Rebecca Taylor and Zac Posen all sampled this colour in their collections. While some went all out and created yeti coats in the colour (Williamson) others opted for cute ankle socks (Taylor) and then some designers just showed their allegiance to the colour in accessories. We officially heart turquoise!
2. Bows
The more we say how much we love a trend, the more it is guaranteed to show up in collection after collection. The bows are officially back in town for AW09 and we for one couldn't be happier. Bora Aksu showed bow ties to great effect on sheer panelling, while John Rocha featured huge oversized bows on coats, capes and dresses. They've been around for a few seasons now, and it just goes to show you if something aint broke, don't fix it- instead find a new way to incorporate it into your collection!
3. Native/Tribal
Tribal is set to be a big look for the summer, but if predictions are correct on the catwalk recently, this trend could well follow into AW09. Anna Sui's Russian voyage was inspired in New York, while Matthew Williamson's gorgeous tribal offerings made us go weak at the knees. However it was Diane von Furstenberg's collection which really made us sit up and take notice. Her leopard print macs and dresses were created with the 'real girl' in mind and finished off with some chunky accessories, really gave her an edge over other designers.
4. Tights
Tights are always going to be in fashion around winter time, but this season there was an altogether different impression given on the runway. The tights showcased were pivotal to the styles being displayed on the catwalk and what's more were bright, fun and original. Where tartan was the must have look last season and florals have been billed as the tights of choice for the summer, all manner of tights are set to be fashionable for the end of the year. Ossie Clark debuted pure white tights against a 70s backdrop, House of Holland followed the colour chart effect of the collection into the tights and Bora Aksu showed tights with strategically placed holes in them.
5. Structure
It seems the power woman trend is refusing to go away this year, as the looks showcased on the runway last September are reappearing in new collections for the autumn. Zac Posen's New York show was dominated by powerful women on the catwalk, with exaggerated shoulders being the favoured choice by Posen. Nathan Jenden also favoured structure and clean lines with his collection shown in London, as he presented tailored jackets with large shoulders and trapeze style dresses, while Twenty8Twelve kept their range really simple, yet elegant.
FemaleFirst- Laura Terry