Observing Spring Summer ‘10 on the catwalks I noticed massive, voluminous dresses. Alexander McQueen’s iridescent snake print dresses with a structured origami pleated look and an exaggerated hip.
Diane von Furstenberg, the queen of chic, experimented with a layered collection with volume around the butt. Bottega, Chloe and Lanvin included in their collection dresses with voluminous derrières. And I thought to myself which woman would want to look bigger than she already is?
Fashion pundits have now denounced this look as being relegated to the catwalk alone. Only a sub zero model who eats a single lettuce for dinner would manage to pull off the volume look without looking like a tent. Normal women who eat a three-course meal, celery for starters, a strand of spinach as the main course and a fig for dessert, are too big anyway. They don’t buy volume dresses.
The autumn-winter silhouettes however are sleeker, narrower and more in touch with reality. The 2010-pre fall collections are awash with prints and patterns. Pucci’s traditional swirls, the psychedelic prints of Erdem, Milly and Tory Birch. Christopher Kane has done the most desirable floral print collection, the ‘Orchid dress’ has an oversized orchid right across the front and the ‘Wild flower dress’ in which his imagination has run wild.
The ‘Celtic Dog’ dress from Alexander McQueen particularly caught my eye. It is made in a soft knitted fabric and perfect for the transition from summer into autumn.
Whatever Prada does is a sure shot trend for the next four seasons. Most designer labels cut and paste the Prada look. They know that they cannot go wrong.
Prada reinvented lace a couple of seasons ago and this has been the trend on the catwalk and at designer boutiques. It is feminine and makes a woman feel pretty and flirty. Black lace dress and Christian Louboutain stilettos. No one can go wrong, not even someone who is famous for fashion faux pas.
Karen Millen did a black lace jacket with an off-white lining and it flew off the shelves even before they arrived even at an £200 odd price point.
Drapes are a trend one cannot ignore. Anglomania is a perfect of example of how plain jersey can be cut and draped on a woman’s body to make her look sexy, hiding away the bulges and bumps.
Danni Minogue and her business partner Tabitha Somerset-Webb who launched Project D have a superb collection of drape dresses giving a feel of effortless glamour. Nothing over the top. Not trying too hard. Just simple and classic. Always works.
The write owns a fashion brand based in Europe. She can be reached on info@amishi.eu [1]
Links:
[1] mailto:info@amishi.eu