AUTUMN-WINTER 2009/2010 COLLECTIONS:

WHAT SHOULD YOU WEAR TO BE FASHIONABLE NEXT YEAR?

The close of Paris Fashion week last Thursday, March 12th marked the conclusion of the latest cycle of fashion events, showing the gorgeous proposals promoted by the most world-famous fashion houses for the women’s look of next autumn-winter 2009/2010.

As you have already read in our previous articles, almost all the collections presented have been notably influenced by a return to the past, to those old styles which represent the golden years of fashion and that are now seen as the mainstays of fashion itself.

Fabrics, shoes, accessories, make up….everything exudes the feel of the 50’s, 70’s and 80’s, in a return to the roots of genuine elegance and craftsmanship. Trousers are stretchy and made of black leather or shiny lurex, accompanied by long over shirts in vivid colors.

Medium length or long coats are trendy once more, after a long period in which they had been set aside in favor of more practical jackets. They can either be made of prestigious fabrics such as buclè or of gorgeous natural leather, as proposed by Hermes at Paris fashion week. Gianbattista Valli, like many other Italian and foreign designers is more in favor of a return to the fur coat, made in classic colors such as black or brown or in shocking bright shades like red. While at both New York Fashion week and London fashion week, the style is restrained and lacking in luxury accessories, Milan and Paris fashion weeks propose a more gorgeous version of these coats, enriched by jewel-buttons or with decorations in order to make the woman’s look more luminous and chic. Jackets are fashionable only if they are short and show off the perfect waist-line.

Skirts are uniformly short, falling just above the knee and, they too, like trousers, are made of leather or shiny fabrics. Mini dresses are classic black or colorful and they are often worn with gorgeous patent leather boots. Legs, left uncovered by sensual micro skirts are sheathed in colorful, patterned tights like the gold ones proposed by Luella at London fashion week. French designers, on the other hand, celebrate the return of sexy black fishnet tights, as a complementary seductive accessory. Shoes and boots have vertiginous heels to emphasize the female silhouette, so that a woman looks taller and more attractive.

The evening look is characterized by the classic long dress, with sensual necklines and daring slit-skirts , enriched by inserts made of lace and satin. Fabrics are rigorously shiny and decorated with rhinestones and sequins if these dresses are Made in Italy or Made in France, while they are more sober and unadorned by any accessory if the creation comes from a British or New York designer.

This one observation is enough to help us understand one of the most notable differences between these four fashion weeks, which is of course connected to the difficult economic period we all are living through, a dangerous monetary crisis which is also having a negative effect on the fashion world .

The crisis exists and we can’t deny it, but while American and London designers try to react and deal with it  by proposing very simple dresses, without any luxury accessory, where sometimes the only positive note  is the use of vivid color (see the autumn-winter 2009/2010 women’s collection proposed by House of Holland at the London fashion week), Italian and French fashion houses focus all their energies on creating something really gorgeous and seductive, not only in its external appearance but, above all, in its quality. Especially at this difficult time of economic recession, they focus on high quality products, where nothing is casual but everything, even the smallest detail, is completed with particular care and attention. Italian and French collections are certainly rich in accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, jewel-buttons, decorative pendants and handbags. Unlike American and British models, the Italian and French ones are almost always accessorized with an appropriate handbag. Leathers used for making coats and dresses are very prestigious and fabrics too are gorgeous and durable, in order to assure the woman comfort and elegance at all times. There are also some designers who aren’t afraid of displaying their deep love of luxury, such as the Italian Francesco Scognamiglio, who enriches his creations with genuine 18 ct gold, using it to finish his jackets or to complete his bags and boots.

As  far as the fashionable colors of next winter are concerned, looking at all the collections over the course these fashion weeks, we can confidently say that unlike the winter just past, the next cold season will be characterized by strong vivid tonalities such as red, blue, wine-red, Bordeaux, emerald green, turquoise, yellow, orange, fuchsia and violet. Classic colors such as black, brown, grey continue to be the most used, especially for the classic pinstriped suit or for a gorgeous evening dress, while white, still used by some designers, is no longer used as a principal color but only combined with other tonalities.

This season, we followed all the four main fashion weeks with particular curiosity, not only because we were interested in knowing more about the style and colors of next year but because we wanted to see what direction fashion would take in these months of extreme insecurity and instability on all fronts. How would the top world brands react to the economic crisis?

Now, that all the collections have been presented and the main points of next year’s woman’s look are clear, we can express our feelings and preferences. We have to be sincere: every single collection has made its own contribution to defining the complete look of the trendy woman of next autumn-winter 2009/2010, but the Italian and French proposals have certainly been more complete and gorgeous. Both the London and New York collections, with the exception of some designers, seemed apathetic and lacking in creativity to us, as if the crisis had deprived designers of their natural ability to imagine the woman of the future. In our opinion they have just re-proposed some old stylish models without enriching them with a touch of contemporary modernity. So their collections look like something that we’ve all seen before, which doesn’t capture the attention and push the buyer to make a purchase.

As for Milan fashion week, where the most famous Italian brands presented their collections, we have carefully looked at every single style proposed and we have certainly noticed a deeper attention to detail, even the smallest, combined with the desire to involve the senses and capture the attention of the viewer. The use of gold and silver tonalities, both for evening dresses and for the many accessories, seduces the eye, conquers the heart and entices the viewer to fall in love with all these masterpieces. However, the use of shiny accessories and the attention to detail, while appreciated, are not enough to make these proposals involving and sensational. Italian fashion houses are also perhaps too caught up in the past at the  moment, not leaving enough room for innovation, and the surprise effect. They have just re-proposed the old styles of the 50’s, 70’s and 80’s with the return of leather leggings,  thigh- length boots and gloves, using lamè shining fabrics for the evening look, but nothing is left to creativity. We  certainly can’t say that the Italian proposals are ugly or lacking in style, but, in our opinion, they are not as original and fresh, as a new high fashion collection should be.

What we have particularly appreciated this season are the styles proposed at Paris fashion week, where we  noticed a perfect mix of elegance, return to the past and creativity. French designers have also re-introduced some fashionable elements of the past years into their collections, such as shoes with high heels and wedges, or the use of genuine natural leather for luxury coats and mini dresses but, unlike their Italian colleagues, the French creations have a touch of originality, something new and extremely gorgeous which transforms even the most classic look into a seductive, involving style. The classicality of the past is expressed here through a modern vision of fashion, old stylish cuts are revisited and modified into a more current style, but always preserving that refinement and superb elegance of old times. Paris fashion week has really been an enjoyable voyage of discovery this season for us: here we have found what we consider  to be the essence of a high fashion collection: harmony of form, perfect color combinations and that undisputed touch of elegant creativity which is essential for a successful collection!

What we have expressed here above, is just our personal point of view, our own feelings and opinions. What do you think about this theme? Do you agree with us or do you think we are wrong?

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