Elegant Autumn Winter Fashion Trends

22 Sep.08

Autumn officially starts today and this season brings plenty of trends to try, from folk to heritage, gothic to superheroe, minimalist to winter garden, long view and belle curves.

We’ll take a closer look at some of the hottest (and my favourite) trends for this season: Purple (the new black), Tartan Checks and the Long View look.

The Long View Trend

Goodbye short and hello long! Now the summer is gone (we had a complete washout summer in the UK) it is time to embrace the hottest trends of the Autumn Winter season, the Long View. Designers like Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam, Carlos Miele and Erin Fetherston graced the catwalk with mid-calf to floor-grazing skirts paired with long tops and long coats, creating simple and stylish silhouettes.

Carlos Miele and Erin Fetherston

Derek Lam and Marc Jacobs (style.com)

This style is demure, sophisticated and elegant, which is perfect for the Autumn and Winter season.

You can get this designer look by combining a long skirt and a long tunic and complement it with a long coat. If skirts are not your thing then try a long shirt dress or a long tunic over trousers to achieve this trend.

Your chosen colour scheme is important. To achieve this look I recommend you decide on the colour of your main garment and then use different shades of that colour for the rest of your outfit. Some of the colours I have used to achieve this look are black, grey and brown. Here is a suggestion to achieve this look:

Ware House Grey Jacket, LOSVE Long Black Skirt, Ware House Polo

Purple Colour Trend

In fashion some colours are trendier than others and for the Autumn Winter 08 season, purple is the new Black. Purple has traditionally been a symbol of royalty, it is associated with spirituality, luxury and mystery. In Thailand purple is the colour of mourning for widows, while in China it is a symbol of joy and good luck.

Purple is not a new trend, the ancient ‘Tyrian purple’ was originally obtained from various species of marine molluscs. It took 12,000 molluscs to make 1.5 grams of Tyrian purple dye and during the Roman Empire, Tyrian purple was more expensive than gold!, which would explain why it was a symbol of royalty.

When William H. Perkins artificially synthesized purple dye in 1856 the discovery revolutionised the world of fashion. Purple really became fashionable when Queen Victoria wore mauve at her daughter’s wedding . Purple hues were all over the catwalks for AW 2008. From soft velvets to opulent silks, day and evening wear, shoes and handbags. Purple was on every kind of garment and accessory. Here is a selection of designers that used the trend.

Tuleh & Erdem

Christian Dior and Oscar de la Renta (style.com).

Purple is also evident on the high street too. French Connection, Warehouse, Mango, Topshop and others have introduced the regal colour in their collections so there are plenty of options for this trend.

Below is a selection of this trend (don’t combine all of these in one outfit !)

From top left LOSVE Purple Tunic, ASOS Coat, LOSVE Long Skirt and Faith Shoes

We love the purple trend, especially the deep shades of plum and aubergine. It allows us to wear a dark colour (that’s not black) and add vibrancy to our winter wardrobe. Winter does not mean we have to be wrapped in black or grey, right? For the more adventurous out there, you can mix purple with green or brown. Make sure you also try purple on accessories like handbags and scarves.

Tartan Check Trend

Tartan check is one of the key trends to try this season. The checked pattern made it into tops, coats, skirts and accessories.

So what is tartan?. Tartan is a pattern consisting of repeated criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands, stripes or lines of various colours (usually between 2 and 6 colours). It is traditionally woven on fabric but today it can be printed on many items.

In the US, this type of checked pattern is usually called ‘plaid’, while us Brits use plaid to describe a long woollen shawl or blanket with tartan pattern.

Tartan is an old pattern, believed to have been introduced in Scotland by the Celts. Since then tartan has been strongly associated with Scotland. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made tartan fashionable, when the monarchs visited the Highlands and built the royal residence of Balmoral and had the fabric displayed throughout the castle.

For Autumn Winter 08, tartan checks were notably seen in the catwalk by Dolce & Gabbana and Ralph Lauren among others. Here is a quick selection form the catwalk:

Dolce and Gabbana

Ralph Lauren

If you decide to wear tartan or any other checked pattern, my advice is to wear it on one garment and keep the rest of the outfit simple. Here is a just one way to wear tartan.