A Multi-Layered Approach to Fall Outerwear
Not quite warm enough to break out that leather jacket yet? Pretend you’re one of the achingly cool girls on Altuzarra’s Fall runway and wear your biker over a trusty trench. Doubled-up outerwear—like shrunken bombers or blazers worn on top of more substantial toppers—was one of the season’s big messages. Just remember: It’s easy to get lost in all those layers, so keep volume in check. No one wants to walk down the street looking like she’s got a wide-screen TV stashed underneath her coat.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW of Fall’s layered outerwear looks.
How Do You Say “Schoolgirl” in Japanese?
Tokyo fashion week wrapped over the weekend. Flipping back through the shows, it’s refreshing to see a city that fosters such a distinct style identity (as in, that could only come from Japan) both on the runways and in the streets. Many of the new collections nodded to the schoolgirl trend that’s been popular on Japanese sidewalks for some time now, but instead of keeping it cutesy, designers gave the kawaii look more of a tomboy twist this season. At Anrealage, Kunihiko Morinaga memorably sent out uniform blazers, plaid kilts, and knee-high socks that transformed from pale to vivid pastel under the set’s intense light. We also noticed riffs on the classic varsity jacket at The Dress & Co. and Han Ahn Soon.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW of our favorite schoolgirl spin-offs from Tokyo fashion week.
Designers Flock to Daytime Feathers
“There are boys and girls, there is night and day, but above all there is love,” Dries Van Noten told Style.com’s Tim Blanks backstage before a Fall show that balanced the masculinity of Fred Astaire with the overt femininity of Ginger Rogers in Top Hat. The Belgian designer (who might want to consider a second career as a poet) mixed menswear fabrics in tailored silhouettes with frothy feathers for a result that was surprisingly realistic for daytime. Although plumage is typically reserved for special occasions, we couldn’t help but notice that many of this season’s collections were filled with afternoon-appropriate quills. The Proenza Schouler boys paired a tiered ostrich skirt with a degradé novelty sweatshirt, while Christopher Kane trimmed biker jackets and kicky kilt skirts with the downy stuff. Used sparingly—as seen at Erdem, Pringle of Scotland, and Louis Vuitton—feathers offered an unexpected alternative to fur accents. We have a feeling the peacocking street-style set, in particular, will take to this trend.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW of noteworthy Fall plumage.
Calm, Cool, Collected
After covering 400-something collections over the past month and a half, we’re finally settling back into our office chairs and putting together the season’s big themes. Reflecting on our favorite moments from the Fall shows, there’s a consensus here at Style.com that the season’s sparest, simplest looks were the strongest. Derek Lam, Chloé’s Clare Waight Keller, and Christophe Lemaire at Hermès were among those who rose above the notion of trends to turn out classic suits, clean blouses, and crisp trousers. Their clothes had the direct, no-fuss appeal of uniforms.
Perhaps designers’ pared-down proposals were a playful jab at flashy street-style scenesters. Are those girls starting to resemble characters out of a comic book, or what? Maybe, just maybe a few of the oft-photographed types outside of Lincoln Center and in the Tuileries will take a back-to-basics approach next time around. A girl can dream, right?
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW of Fall’s best anti-fashion fashion.
A New Fleece On Life For Shearling
When temperatures dropped and snow started to fall during the recent menswear and couture collections in Paris, showgoers and the city itself were caught off guard. Try putting down salt next time, s’il vous plaît. But we’re not all complaints. The unexpected weather gave rise to a flurry of toasty shearling coats in the streets (see: Mirte Maas and Caroline de Maigret) that echoed the action on the runways (Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, Bouchra Jarrar). Designers were feeling sheepish for pre-fall, too. Technicolor furs turned up at Fendi and Cédric Charlier, while Acne Studios and Céline went supersize. All in all, this is the most jazzed we’ve been about shearling since Kate Hudson stole our hearts as Penny Lane in Almost Famous.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW of surefire shearlings.
—Brittany Adams