The changing of seasons can represent different things to different people. Some associate the new season with allergies and illness while others with fresh opportunities and some with warm comfort food. But to trendsetters and fashionistas everywhere, a new season is connected with one thing only – Fashion Week.
The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was just held in New York from Sept. 6 to 13. To those of you who are unfamiliar with the Fashion Week, it is a bi-annual event in which the world’s top designers decide what will stylish, and thus what we will be wearing, for the upcoming seasons. This event is held in only the most fashion forward cities in the world – New York, London, Milan and Paris – in that order. Fashion Week in February determines what will be trendy for the Fall/Winter season and September determines the Spring/Summer trends. There were many trends to be excited for Spring/Summer 2013, but let’s focus on what was observed for the Fall/Winter 2012 season.
Probably the most accessible trend from the runaways is statement collars. Statement collars are collars on a shirt that stand out from the rest of the garment. Examples of this include collars that are decorated with gems and rhinestones, have a differing pattern such as animal or floral print or are made from different material like velvet or lace. Don’t have a collar on your shirt? Not a problem! Many designers have created necklaces that take the appearance of collars. This is one of the first Fall/Winter 2012 trends that have already been adopted by major retailers. H&M, Forever 21, and Target are some of the many stores were you will find a statement collar necklace at an affordable price. Don’t have the cash to buy a new blouse or necklace? Make your own! The best part of this trend is that it is very easy to replicate and allows for complete creative freedom. So get out your old bedazzler kit, a hot glue gun, and an old blouse and relish in how fashion forward you are.
The next trend that has been consuming the runways is Gothic Revival. Now before your mind jumps to black corsets and smudged eye make-up, you need to think of Gothic is the architectural meaning of the word. This runway season is noticeably filled with deep jewel tones that were inspired by stained glass in Gothic cathedrals. Even more commercial designers like Tommy Hilfiger are jumping on board. Popular colors include burgundy, royal blue and eggplant as well as the darker shades of emerald green and teal. Accessories tend to be in darker staple colors like black, gray or brown. The trend is not limited to clothing as we have also seen many models sporting wine colored lips. While an entire outfit from the runaway may appear overly dramatic, this trend can easily transition into everyday college life. Take a pair of black skinny jeans and match it with burgundy silk top then finish off the outfit with black ankle boots and an emerald necklace. To dress the look up, in case you have a presentation or job interview, you can wear an eggplant dress with black heels, an ebony bracelet, and ruby colored lipstick. Men, you can also try out this trend! A pair of dark brown pants with matching shoes and a royal blue sweater is all you need to fashionable.
Finally, the last big trend Fashion Week has shown us is baroque style. Running in the same vein as Gothic, baroque is all about exaggerated and elaborate 17th century gold patterns on black fabric. Dolce & Gabbana first introduced the trend during Milan’s fashion week in February 2012. The style has now gained massive support with other designers, Versace and Stella McCartney, working it into their collections. Again, this trend is predominately gold patterns complimenting a black piece, however, some versions of baroque do use white as the main color or use other colors to create the pattern. This trend is extremely high culture so it can easily make you look more formal than you intend to. Because of this, bringing baroque to campus is a bit challenging. The key to not looking overly formal is to wear it in small pieces. Wear a baroque necklace over light colored top or wear baroque leggings under an oversized sweater to help play down the formality of the style. If attending a black tie event, a baroque dress or a baroque skirt matched with a white silk blouse would be perfect.
