Catwalktrend FW2010: his jacket

Your man’s pants, shoes and jackets are no longer safe next season. ‘Cause chances are you’re leaving the house in them. Especially the masculine jacket is an easy, stylish fashion item you can throw over almost any look. Whether you combine it with a cocktail dress, a pair of pleated pants or a pencil skirt. You can never go wrong with your man’s jacket.

The so called boyfriend jacket was already popular this summer, yet for fall it has become even manlier. The shoulders have broadened and the length has increased.

At Sonie Rykiel the jacket was part of a suit and seemed to belong to some kind of giant. Preen, Dries van Noten and Bottega Veneta showed large pieces as well. Also, quite a few designers opted for a double breast version.

In case you’re afraid to look too masculine in these jackets we have a few tips to make the jacket appear more feminine:

1. tuck or roll up your sleeves
2. wear nothing underneath or at least something with a low v-neck (like Michael Kors showed on the runway)
3. wear a small belt over your jacket, around the waist to accentuate your silhouette.
4. add accessories like a brooch on the collar of the jacket

Catwalktrend FW2010: Pencil skirts

Since Christian Dior introduced the pencil skirt in the late 1940s the item has had several popular periods. A few years ago it’s popularity increased again. Victoria Beckham, who – at that time – seemed to be a pencil skirt-ambassador, might have started the trend then. And now the skirt is still hot.

For fall Italian fashion houses like Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino showed many pencil skirts. Domenico and Stefano made theirs less stiff. They looked more comfortable than the average pencil skirt and they’d probably be much more easy to walk in too. At Moschino the skirts ended above the knee.

We’re not quite sure if they’d count as pencil skirts, but we did spot some ruffled pencil-shaped versions. Both Moschino and Nina Ricci came up with those, one in black, one grey-shaded with flowers.

Other brands that made the pencil skirt work were Dior, Dsquared, Etro and Paul Smith. Some looked more comfortable than others, but overall the skirts appeared elegant and made the models look sexy and feminine.

Catwalktrend FW2010: the Olsen-look?

Oh what a waste it will be. Designer skirts and dresses sweeping all over dirty floors and streets. Yet if we believe the grand fashion houses floor-sweeping fashion is certainly going to be a trend.

Especially long skirts for daywear are ‘new’ in fashion. They have this kind of grungy feeling to it and, to be honest, not a lot of people can pull this off.

On the runway the long skirts were very diverse; transparent, sequined, layered and knitted. Quite often they were combined with the most unexpected tops.

D&G combined Norwegian printed knitted sweaters  with transparent floral printed skirts. Marc Jacobs matched his shiny skirts with heavy cable knitted jumpers and Michael Kors & Dries van Noten let their bottoms and tops clash as well.

Glamour meets grunge you could call this look and the Olsen Twins may just have set the trend.

You might have to buy a few extra skirts, cause the bottoms will wear out so soon. But hey, think about all the money you’ll save on shoes. ‘Cause since they won’t be visible you can just wear one of your old pairs.

Catwalktrend FW2010: perfectly pleated pants

Next to the super-feminine fifties skirts and dresses, this fall pleated pants are great statement pieces as well. Though they might appear manly at first sight, designers like Carolina Herrera and Chloe showed how they can be very elegant and sexy too.

There are two types of pleated pants. The ones that reach the waist and the ones that are worn low on the hips. Both look splendid when finished of by a small belt. And of course anything you’re wearing with those pants need to be tucked in, not worn over it.

Some designers combined the pants with masculine shirts (Chloe, Michael Kors, Jason Wu), others managed to make the outfit look feminine by adding color, prints, bows or ruffles (Bottega Veneta, DKNY, Emporio Armani)

And the best way to wear a pair of pleated pants? Put your hands in your pockets and work ’em!

Catwalktrend FW2010: hairy situation

For a lot of designers we hope it’s going to be a cold winter. How else would they get rid of their many enormous fur coats?

The fur coat we’ll see this winter is thicker than ever before. The models at the Chanel show looked like snowmen and at Michael Kors they resembled big hairy animals.

For Fendi Karl Lagerfeld came up with patchwork fur, at Chanel he opted for faux fur and stated: ‘You fake chic, but you can be chic in fake fur’. Viktor & Rolf’s first look was Kristen McMenamy wearing an gigantic fur coat (under which many layers of clothing were hidden).

Lanvin, Thakoon, Hermes, Bottega Veneta and D&G put a small belt around their big fur coats to give it a little more shape.

We saw real and faux fur in just about any imaginable color. PETA activists won’t be so delighted, but the fur looks really were show-stoppers.

Catwalktrend FW2010: Cape it!

For fall a cape is the ultimate fashion accessory. No, we’re not talking ‘bout the super heroes capes, we’re talking trendy capes in all kinds of styles.

Originating from medieval times the cape is the perfect fashion item to keep you warm and classy at the same time. On the runway any imaginable kind of cape was presented.

Fur (Celine, Chanel, Dsquared, Etro), woollen (Kenzo, Yves Saint Laurent, Antonio Marras, Missoni), water-resistant (Issey Miyake), silk (Yves Saint Laurent) and camel-colored (Carolina Herrera, Alexander Wang).

Even a lot of the coats resembled capes. They were worn, hanging over the model’s shoulders and some of them looked exactly like capes, yet had small arm wholes at the bottom.

The cape is regularly discussed as a substitute for the trench coat. And we actually think it’s the perfect alternative. By wearing a cape you are partly covered, so you can still show off the outfit you’re wearing underneath it. It’s great for wearing to a special party and you can even face the rain in it.

Catwalktrend FW2010: the camelcoat

It’s a classic fashion piece you might remember seeing your grandparent in, but it’s a new trend. The camel coat is one of the musthave items of this fall. It gives you a strong look and immediate esteem.

Fashion brands like Gucci, Chloe, MaxMara and Alexander Wang all showed the camelcoat in their fall collections. Most of the coats were long (over the knee) and had little shape. Yet Chloe and MaxMara proved you can make the coat a little more feminine by wearing a small belt over it, around the waist. Dark brown seemed to be a good match for camel, not only for the belt, brown boots, gloves and bags fit perfectly with the coat too.

One thing: while the coats are so big this trend will not look great on just anybody. You’d have to have a certain length to pull of a coat like the ones we saw at MaxMara. But if your the right type, you gotta work it!

Trend Report FW2010: military style

Uniforms in some way always are very appealing. So it’s no surprise the army trend is very popular in fashion. We already saw the army style last season and for winter 2010 many clothes still have an army influence.

The army details are mostly translated to army coats and jackets. Those are often long, camouflage-colored and have details like epaulettes and fringes on the shoulders.

The Max Mara show was full of those coats. They were floor-sweeping long and immediately gave the models a certain status. They looked confident, as if they could rule the world. Jean Paul Gaultier, Burberry and Balmain all had army coats in their collections too. Navy blue and army green being the two most chosen colors.

The long coats won’t be very handy when, for example, having to hop on a bike. Yet they look stylish and will keep you warm from head to toe. And…march!

Trend Report FW2010: add an extra layer

Though the minimalistic look is a big trend this fall, layering is the best way to dress yourself throughout the winter. Just put on a nice comfortable outfit and then start adding the extra layers. First a warm cosy vest, then a coat, a big knitted scarf and finally something to keep your head warm.

Many designers opted for the layered look. More than often it made the models look like wandering nomads, but in the end it made for a cool fall look.

The poncho’s and capes, that are hot right now, perfectly fit with the layered look. And a big chunky scarf will not go to waste this winter. If you’re not wearing it around your neck, you can always put it on your head like Haider Ackermann en Issey Miyake did in their shows.

An extra tip: if you’re going for the more is more look, don’t be afraid of clashing prints, materials or colors. The more diverse the pieces you’re wearing are, the better.

Dutch Models – New Face: Melissa Tammerijn

She just popped up out of nowhere and is planning to stay around for a while. Dutch model Melissa Tammerijn (19) from Delft started off as a runway model last season (fall/winter 2010). And lucky for her she already got to walk in big shows like Marni, Balenciaga, Viktor & Rolf and Sonia Rykiel. Besides, Melissa was booked exclusive for the Calvin Klein fashion show, in which she walked next to accomplished models like Stella Tennant and Kirsty Hume.

With her bright blond hair and her strong face Melissa is often compared to Uma Thurman. And she might just become as well-known as the blond actress.

Recently Style.com, as well as, Models.com named Melissa as one of the Ten New Faces from last season. Last year Patricia van der Vliet and Mirte Maas were in that top ten, so the Dutch models are going strong.

Melissa is taking her career very serious and has already moved to London. Let’s hope we’ll hear a lot more from this dazzling Dutch beauty in the future!

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