Be in style this fall with fashion tips from top designers
For true fashionistas, fall first of all means the arrival of a new fashion season, which requires an urgent renewal of the wardrobe based on the ideas and creations of world famous designers, who pretty much decide what we all wear. Even if you don’t shop at high fashion boutiques, the midrange brands borrow designs from them anyway.
Another good reason to go shopping is the change of weather – you can no longer wear those strap dresses and sandals, and need to make sure you’re ready for a sudden change of weather (which is normal for Ukraine) and to meet it in style. And let the international runway trends be your inspiration. This season, designers offer lots of color, graphic prints, vintage cuts, controlled volumes, oversized knits and massive accessories. All you need to do is ad a personal touch to the chosen look.
70’s: The 70’s are back as the hippie style becomes more glamorous, rave more bridled and glamrock more casual: Ashaped silhouettes and elegant geometry of lines, bright waistcoats and striped sweaters, rollneck sweaters, platforms and bellbottomed trousers, trousers suits and capes.
Eco-Style: Fashion designers continue to draw their inspiration from nature. Benetton’s collection once again offers warm and fuzzy knit sweaters of bright natural colors. Organic fabrics, natureinspired prints, green colors, leather and fur are emphasized. This season kneelength pencilskirts, casual dresses that emphasize waist, gauzy blouses, tailored jackets are musthaves.
Ethnic Mix: Bohemian style is refreshed, by getting new ethnic accents and a more precious touch. As the top colors, designers are proposing intense red, royal blue and brilliant orange. An evening dress that is red as fire, an orange cape, a sapphire colored gauzy blouse will be musthave items for fall and winter. This fashion is crossing Eastern Europe, but also India, Peru and Mexico. The colors are merged and the cultures combined, while imagination is blossoming. You can proudly mix Ukrainian traditional items with ethnic elements from other cultures. Russian shortfur coats and sheepskin coats, Cossack shirts and boots, Icelandic ornaments, Scottish chequered, English raincoats, Mexican ponchos, and American Indian national clothes are the hottest items of this season.
Ethnic style from Gucci took a neohippie turn with chiffon blouses and dresses with ethnic ornaments, chainlike belts, scarves worn around hips, vests of fur and clanging accessories. Other ethnic visions are to be found in the autumnwinter collections of Dolce & Gabbana, Tsumori Chisato, Pollini, Kenzo, Hermes and Dries Van Noten.
Back to Black: In autumn we often long for reflection, therefore fashion is always more dramatic, with a lot of black and grey. Victorian, gothic, classic black are the basic trends in the cold season. After a short period of respite, it is coming back strong. Goths, witches, Spanish widows make the catwalk and invite you to join their army of darkness. You can wear it as the Givenchy collection is proposing – accessorizing with tons of golden chains and pendants or the embodied form of a little black dress with a bold cut as in Balenciaga’s collection. Costume National and Calvin Klein are offering an ascetic look, and Chanel – classically elegant. But the real gothic show was demonstrated by Comme des Garcons.
Good girl gone bad: Agyness Deyn and Amy Winehouse have brought the “bad girl” style back to fashion. Choose Alexander McQueen’s biker jacket or leather dress, clutch with thorns from Disquared2, and a coat from Viktor & Rolf, that says “NO” with two giant letters out front. Must haves are accessories with British symbols, buttons, epaulettes, badges, and medals. To get an original military look, mix a jacket with tight patent leather pants or leggings. And black willies with Celtic medals from Burberry’s new fallwinter collection look extra original. Wearing those, you won’t have to worry about rainy weather.
Shapes: Clear lines, architectonic and sculpted shapes assure you an ultramodern look in an instant. Metallic accents point out the daring cuts. If you’re bold enough to pull this look off, get yourself a coat with a square layered collar from Jil Sander, or a jacket or sweater from Maison Martin Margiela. Junya Watanabe as always offers unusually cut dresses, jackets and coats, Marc Jacobs – straight and roundshaped coats, and jackets from Balenciaga will visually deform your figure. If you’re bold enough, add a tubeshaped hat from Louis Vuitton and you’re sure to become the center of attention, even at a hottest fashion party.
Lady Chic: Many of the collections propose more exquisite looks with elaborate embroideries, precious lace, alluring prints, origami details, volumes of delicate colors as palepinks, beige and bright grey. The Prada collection shows a beautiful example of combining romantic and sensual with tender lace dresses. If you want to look extra sexy, put on black stockings and a shining metallic kneelength slim cut dress. The look a la Greta Garbo is more relevant than ever. There is variety of different “masculine” looks: white suit with a superb cut like the one in Salvatore Ferragamo collection, a playful look inspired by Sonia Rykiel or a more masculine, sober approach, just like Karl Lagerfeld is suggesting. And don’t forget about luxurious fur – mink, rabbit, lamb, chinchilla or sable. And this time fur is no longer just for coats – fur dresses and vests are among the hottest trends. Even if you can’t afford expensive fur, you can always use cheaper options like collars, trimmings or fur cuffs. Get inspired by Pollini, Fendi, and Giambattista Valli.
Neo-romantics: If you want to be open about your feminine side and show it to the world, forget rough shapes and gloomy colors. Try on long flowing dresses from Blumarine or Ralph Lauren, flowery overalls from Emanuel Ungaro, and elegant ladylike silhouettes from Diane von Furstenberg. Become an exotic bird with brightlycolored dresses and Turkish pants from John Galliano, or a real princess in a royal dress with hoop skirt from Alexander McQueen. All you need now is to choose your prince.
Luxury shops
Louis Vuitton (15 Khreschatyk, Passage);
Burberry (15 Khreschatyk, Passage);
Salvatore Ferragamo (15 Khreschatyk, Passage);
Gucci (15 Khreschatyk, Passage);
Bottega Veneta (15/4 Khreschatyk, Passage);
Passage 15 (15 Khreschatyk, Passage, 390-3315);
Dsquared2 (9 Horodetskoho, 390-4286);
Sanahaunt (8/16 Grushevskoho, 464-1127).
Mid-range shops
Benetton (42 Khreschatyk, 235-6744);
Zara (23 Khreschatyk);
Mango (13 Khreschatyk, 279-3860);
Mexx (23A Chervonoarmiyska, 287-6610, Maidan Nezaleznosti, Globus, 12 Luhova, Karavan);
Oasis (Maidan Nezaleznosti, Globus).
