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.

LOSVE Tartan Skirt, FCUK Polo Neck, ASOS Sude Boots, Oasis Bag

I would love to get your thought on these trends, so which Autunm Winter trend will you be wearing ?

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Comments ( 4 )

I love this blog (esp the coordinated outfit and links to buy) and the label. I have already ordered some items and i only stumbled on LOSVE today! keep it up!

p.s there appears to be some coding issues on your blog?

http://snowyheights1.blogspot.com/ added these pithy words on Oct 05 08 at 5:08 pm

Hi snowyheights1,

Thanks :D, really appreciate the feedback.

Please let me know the coding issues you encountered - drop me an email on blog@losve.com

Thanks
Silvia

Silvia added these pithy words on Oct 05 08 at 5:37 pm

I’m loving it! Your outfits are great and they look gorgeus - but, unfortunately, on slim people only,,, ;(((( I am not slim and tall and most of clothes in high street shops are made for tall and very slim people… I am quite short (156 cm) and little bit fatty with big boobs and I can’t really find fashionable and inexpensive clothes for myself… ;(- Specially trousers - those are simply not closing on my belly and not even coming on my fatty tights, yet I’m not that much fatty like really fatty women, I’m just having some extra fat somewhat. So, I do not wear pants at all, as I find I look better in skirts - A-line and ‘fit & flare’ ones - with longer and wider top or tunic, necessary bell-sleeved. This is my style. Would you have something for me at Losve…? I give some meaning to a price, as well as quality of clothing I wear. I want to find sth suitable for my 156 cm of hight and extra belly… but not expensive. Thanks. A.

Aisha added these pithy words on Nov 09 08 at 12:46 am

Hi Aisha

Apologies for the delayed reply. Have you checked the petite section at many retailers ? We don’t have one yet at LOSVE.

I suggest you to try

- A-shape tunics, these wont cling to your waist line.
- V-neck tops to visually reduce big busts. You could try layering this with a crop jacket or cardigan.
- bell sleeve tops to compensate with the hips and tummy area.

I would avoid:
- Front ruffles as these visually increase your busts

Panelled and A line skirts create great flare and a visually proportionate body.

From LOSVE I suggest these:

http://www.losve.com/store/green-check-long-sleeve-tunic-dress.html
http://www.losve.com/store/purple-tartan-long-skirt.html
http://www.losve.com/store/grey-work-panelled-long-skirt.html
http://www.losve.com/store/a-line-black-long-skirt.html
http://www.losve.com/store/tartan-tiered-long-skirt.html

Silvia added these pithy words on Nov 14 08 at 10:01 pm

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