Knitch Magazine

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer and autumn has officially arrived in North America. Now we’re enjoying cooler temperatures and have turned our thoughts to updating our fall wardrobes for the season. Whether we plan to add several new garments, a few accessories or entire fresh outfits in the next few months, we enjoy knowing what our favorite designers have in mind for keeping us up to date for Fall 2011. As usual, there are many trends shown on the runways of Milan, Paris, London and New York, and we have narrowed them down to the standout styles of the season.

The Cozy Sweater Is Back Teamed with Everything from Jeans to Evening Skirts. When the fashion designers refer to “cozy” sweaters, they mean loose-fitting, cuddly, warm pullovers and cardigans that are easy to fit because you'll be wearing them larger than you normally would anyway. Sometimes referred to as the “Boyfriend Sweater” as if you’d just borrowed it from the man in your life, we all know how wonderfully these designs work with casual pants and jeans for weekends and office casual wear. But the surprise on the runways was how often these lovelies were teamed with loose-fitting, silky pants and flowing maxi skirts. The likes of Tracy Reese and Max Azria are just two of the haute couture gurus with this type of styling in their Fall 2011 collections. We also loved seeing a chunky Rodarte colorblock pullover paired with a sequined, lacy skirt, and the Les Copains sweater collection for this fall and winter showing pullovers and cardis worn with metallic pants or just alone as a mid-thigh length dress (leggings would be great to add here too).

Go Dotty and Start Seeing Stars in All Aspects of Your Wardrobe. We saw a touch of whimsy with polka dots this past spring, but now polka dots are being featured in so many fall collections of garments and accessories that it has become a dominant trend of the season. From Stella McCartney’s see-thru, polka-dotted sheer sleeves and sheer dresses to Lanvin dotty eveningwear and from the metallic, textural dots of Marc Jacobs to Diane von Furstenburg’s more classic use of dots, there are numerous options for all of our wardrobes. Even Dolce & Gabbana has a version of the polka dot for fall with a series of star motifs that often look like dots until you take a closer look. Or when you prefer not to go dotty from head to toe as shown in most collections, consider adding a belt, scarf, handbag or even a pair of shoes to incorporate this trend.

Take a Walk on the Wild Side with Your Choice of Animal Details and Accents. If there was one thing that most designers featured in their fall collections, it was exploring the untamed side of fashion with animal and reptile prints and most of all, fur. The hottest new animal print was leopard, which strikes us as a natural extension of the polka dot style in some ways. Whether you go with a leopard print shoe from J. Crew, a trendy little skirt from Michael Kors or a pair of Vince Camuto high heels, this trend is here to stay. We also love the snakeskin styling of Ottovio Missoni’s maxi-coats and how Ralph Lauren has designed his handbags in alligator textures. But most stunning of all are the many uses of fur and faux fur on the runways this season. Kenneth Cole combines faux fur with leather and turns it into a spectacular scarf, Ann Taylor features faux fur in wonderful vests and jackets, and Bottega Veneta shows furs dyed in every color of the rainbow. No matter what our personal preferences or philosophies may be, there is a multitude of subtle and not so subtle ways to bring out our wild side this season with a touch of fur.

Go Pretty in Plaid with a Variety of Classic Prints and Styles. The British influence has been strong for several years now, but in no other season have we seen so many uses of plaids and checks in such a wide range of garments and accessories. We expect to see plaids and the like from Burberry Prorsum and Pringle of Scotland, but when we see a Ferragamo suede and crystal clutch done up in houndstooth and a plaid puffer vest teamed with silk pants from Thakoon, we know we have a worldwide trend. And for a classic style with a touch of drama, we just love the Yves St. Laurent plaid suit with an extra long side slit as an accent. Even Juicy Couture has fun and funky suits in plaid or checks with the pleated skirts reminding us of a Catholic school girl’s outfit – if she were allowed to wear such a short skirt, that is!

Be Sure to Mix It Up and Break the “Matchy Matchy” Mold. This season the trend is all about mixing things up and rebelling against the earlier dictates of fashion etiquette to match up the elements of your outfit. You know what we mean – no two different prints together, little textural combinations, one dominant theme per outfit, etc. But this fall you need to break through these preconceived notions if you want to be in style completely. Sometimes called “mixed media” as a reference term, unusual blends of textures, patterns, prints, really anything you can think of are all the rage. Follow the example of a Chanel multi-textured jacket where classic colors are paired yet in differently textured fabrics for a traditional approach. Or go bolder with the crazy print pairings of Proenza Schouler or Ralph Lauren’s mixed print and beaded evening dresses. Or if those are a little too bold for you, check out a Christopher Kane skirt with granny squares of terrific texture.

Accent Your Feminine Curves with Prevalent Shapes and Styles. As a part of the vintage, retro trends still reigning supreme on the runways, highlighting your feminine shape is all the rage this fall. The hour-glass figure is definitely back with a bang, and even for those of us without much of a waist, our favorite clever fashion designers show us how with specific techniques. Peter Som’s lovely peplum styles for jackets, suits and coats are definite winners, especially when they are also wise investments for future seasons too. Michael Kors features peplum shapes too but does the unexpected by adding them to skirts that are then teamed with cropped jackets. Belts also help us add this shaping along with well designed pleats and ribbing. Most often ribbing and pleats are featured in ladylike, feminine tops and sweaters a la Jackie Kennedy and found in the collections of Kate Spade and Donna Karan/DKNY most often.

Choker Necklaces Common on the Runway This Season. Perhaps as a natural accent to the more feminine styling of emphasis on curves and retro looks, the choker necklace is making a strong come-back to the fashion scene. Remember the dainty set of pearls that once adorned every ladylike twinset? Well, instead of pearls or any gemstones really, these new choker and shortie necklaces are crafted of both interesting and traditional metals. For instance, David Yurman has created a multi-textural choker style where the links remind us of chain links but with a burnish that’s oh-so touchable and warm. Michael Kors and Max Azria styled their models in such wide, short chokers that they looked more like cuff bracelets than necklaces at all. Then the fantastic imaginings of British jewelry designer Solange Azagury-Partridge are one-of-a-kind wonders. As just one quick example, her shimmering, short zigzag necklace looks as if it’s been formed out of golden tinfoil twisted into intricate shapes yet it is made of 24K gold.

Androgyny and Menswear Are Still Options But Now in an Updated Tuxedo Look for Women. In contrast to the emphasis on the hour-glass figure, the most popular menswear look is the tuxedo in all its many versions as eveningwear. Designer Tory Burch is one of the haute couture leaders who have fully embraced this trend and shows her tuxedos in satin in sleek, slimming lines. Ralph Lauren prefers his women’s tuxedos done up in brocade and velvet for a more multi-textural, sensuous approach. Stella McCartney and Hugo Boss have also gone for the tuxedo trend in a big way this season and choose to team theirs up with lacy camis or floppy bowties (yes, the bowtie is seeing a real comeback, at least in women’s fashions). So it is definitely time to put away your pinstripes in favor of satins and brocades in the Tuxedo style!

The Top 10 Colors Show a More Painterly Sensibility By Combining Brights with Staple Neutrals. And last but certainly not least, you need to keep in mind how well the top shades of the season can accent your preferences and skin tones. Reddish pink Honeysuckle continues strongly from the spring palette in a shade or two darker, while Bamboo, a yellow almost mustard tone with a touch of green we would usually see for spring, brings a hint of an autumn sunset to the color range. Emberglow reflects the warmth of a flickering fire as a traditional shade for fall, and Cedar as a mid-tone dark green that reminds us of a forest at dawn. To add some jewel tones to the mix, magical, deep purple Phlox adds a hint of drama to the palette as does Deep Teal, a vivid and deep blue green.

Once again we need to balance these intense shades with a staple of neutrals too, and this season’s color recommendations include four lovely neutrals, some even enhanced by subtle undertones. Deep Coffee Liqueur is elegant and a trendy alternative to the ever-popular black and camel-tan Nougat adds warmth and contrast to the palette. Then two very different gray hues round out the Top 10 – Orchid Hush is an unusual tone with complex hints of orchid to enliven the gray, and Quarry is a classic medium gray to serve as a backdrop to the brighter shades in the collection.