It's July, and you know what that means--the fashion houses are trying to convince us that fall is just around the corner! I look over the fall collections for inspiration.
Bold chokers and big cuff bracelets are the way to accessorize for fall. Layering chunky bracelets with smaller, more delicate bangles is also encouraged. Shiny precious metals are always in fashion, but we are also seeing bold motifs like animal and tribal prints. The McQueen fall 2011 collection features many of these big, bold chokers, studded and bejeweled to resemble dominatrix/fetish apparel. Michael Kors's ready-to-wear also showed up with chokers. My favorite orange-hued Project Runway judge paired the bold necklaces with a low-cut collared white shirt and sparkly, tuxedo-style pants topped with an oversized, menswear-inspired jacket. Oh my--yes, please.
That's not to say the side-slit is out. Michael Kors 2011 fall collection has two uber-sexy skirts--an above-the-knee pencil and a calf-length modified A-line--that feature the traditional cut. I like this long-skirt/high-slit combo trend, because it works on women of all heights.
Do Don Henley and Stevie Nicks get royalties for this trend? Let's hope so, because leather and lace are everywhere on the 2012 fall couture and ready-to-wear runways. Jason Wu featured lace appliqués on skirts and jackets, and then went daring with sheer, lace-embellished blouses. While a sheer blouse isn't necessarily office-appropriate, a pencil skirt with a lace detail, or a blouse with a lace collar can help you translate the trend in a more conservative way. Pick up lace camis and t-shirts for layering, and the look will take you from summer to fall, and right through the winter. I'm wild for the lace applied over the tone-on-tone ivory graphic print on the sheath dress, pictured right. Wu added polka dot nylons that are cute enough to make me want to wear nylons.
Leather and fur are not entirely surprising in fall/winter collections, and the usual suspects are making their appearance: at least one leather skirt, pant, jacket and/or boot is featured in almost every collection. Alexander McQueen for fall 2011 is a standout: The design house used white, black, and gray leather and fur to create dominatrix looks for clients ranging from, apparently, Glinda the Good Witch to the Wicked Witch of the East. My favorite: the front-zip leather walking shorts paired with a fur-trimmed sleeveless parka and opera-length leather gloves. I'm going to a wedding in Alaska this November and I think this outfit would be perfect for a ski weekend in Talkeetna.
If Diane von Furstenberg approves, then so do I. Polka dots were all over her 2011 fall collection, in a variety of sizes. I'm tiny so I tend toward small prints, and I like polka dots because they are really very wearable. I am in love with the midriff-revealing, Gloria Vanderbilt polka dots with the cowl-neck (pictured, above right).Polka dots are at once whimsical and a classic. Daytime and casual looks can support a larger polka dot motif, while smaller polka dots can be quite elegant for evening; pair a black dress with white polka dots with pearls and heels, and voila! One jewelry trend to look for this season are long, opera-length strand necklaces. I'm already on the lookout for a long, single-strand of faux pearls to wear with my BCBG polka dot cocktail dress.
