fashion trends take their style.

This season’s hottest fashion trends take their style cues from vintage silhouettes.

BY

AYA MCMILLAN

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Photography by Jean-Claude Lussier; IMAXTREE.com (runway).

Talk about a time warp! This season, being fashion forward is all about reinterpreting iconic looks from decades past. From 1920s flappers to 1960s Carnaby Street queens, designers mined almost every era to fabulous effect. 

Fashion trends: The 1920s

Anna Sui f/w 2012

Perhaps in anticipation of Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming adaption of The Great Gatsby, designers like Ralph Lauren, Aquilano.Rimondi and Anna Sui all gave in to the charms of the flapper for fall. Peppering their collections with 1920s references - seen in drop-waist dresses lavished with audacious sequins and finished with Art Deco-inspired jewellery. The look was one of the most unapologetically glamorous of the season but what’s even better is that it’s an even bigger trend for next spring.

Style tips: If graphic deco prints or dresses are too costume-like for you, opt instead for a few accessories. A jade-embellished belt, glittery vintage brooch or felt bucket hat are roaring pieces that could outshine any flapper. 

Fashion trends: The 1940s

Marc by Marc Jacobs f/w 2012

Adrian lives! The costume designer who made an icon of Joan Crawford and a virtue of out-to-there shoulder pads would have approved of this season’s productions. Miu Miu, Etro, and Marc by Marc Jacobs whipped up 1940s tailleurs to do an MGM star proud, while Roland Mouret, Prabal Gurung, and Victoria Beckham focused on long, languorous looks for impossibly glamorous evenings.

Style tips: Bring the vintage vibe into the 21st century by pairing a sharp-shouldered crepe dress with morecontemporary statement heels. As seen at Miu Miu, glittery trompe l’oeil booties add a big dose of modern glamour.

Fashion trends: The 1950s

Rag & Bone f/w 2012

As Marc Jacobs, Jason Wu and Monique L’huillier demonstrated, the real real housewives wore curve hugging, hourglass silhouettes. The ladylike blouses, below-the-knee pencil skirt and pretty lace party frocks were front and centre on the catwalks while hallmarks of the era like those Sonia Rykiel and Rag & Bone varsity jackets added a more relaxed take on the trend. 

Style tips: Forego the transparent peekaboo skirts like those at Louis Vuitton and Givenchy and try the always-flattering pencil skirt instead. It’s a style that is beyond sexy and works for every body type.

H&M's Versace collaboration

Versace's collaboration with H&M has taken inspiration from the archives of the Italian fashion house, according to Donatella Versace.

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Versace's collaboration with H&M has taken inspiration from the archives of the Italian fashion house, according to Donatella Versace.

(BANG)

Versace's collaboration with H&M has taken inspiration from past collections by the Italian fashion house.

The luxurious label - headed up by Donatella Versace - has teamed up with the Swedish high street brand to create a collection, which will include menswear, womenswear and homeware and Donatella promised it will show the "essence of Versace".

She said: "The collection for H&M is the essence of Versace. For the collaboration we've brought back from the archives, as well as from more recent collections, some of the icons of Versace, such as the bright prints, the Greek key and daring cuts. I can't wait to see how H&M's wide audience will make these pieces their own."

Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor at H&M - who has masterminded collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Comme des Garcons and Jimmy Choo in the past - has previously promised the collection would be "glamorous and flamboyant - everything Versace stands for".

She said: "Versace is one of the most important brands of recent times and their collection for H&M will be glamorous and flamboyant - everything Versace stands for. Donatella Versace is sharing with us iconic designs from the archives. This is such a celebratory collaboration and is perfect for the party season."

The collection will go on sale on November 17 and will be followed by a pre-spring collection that will be available online from January 19.

London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012

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Sep 16th, 2011 to Sep 21st, 2011Comments (0) 

City: London
London Fashion Weeks, Spring Summer Collection

London Fashion Week S/S 2012 kicked off on 16th September to unite fashion and digital innovation, and encouraging engagement with London Fashion Week through social media, live streaming and pioneering new technologies.

London Fashion Week S/S 2012 kicked off on 16th September to unite fashion and digital innovation, and encouraging engagement with London Fashion Weekthrough social media, live streaming and pioneering new technologies.

London Fashion Week was welcomed by a glamorous party, to celebrate the collaboration of London make-up brand Rimmel and the ultimate London girl, Kate Moss. Other guests, which was attended by Amber Le Bon, Sadie Frost, Jasmine Guinness, Jade Parfitt, Donna Air, Marina Diamandis and The Vaccines among many others.

London Fashion Week consisted of 100 catwalk shows and 200 exhibitions, showcasing women’s and men’s wear collections for spring summer 2012. London based Irishman Paul Costelloe kicked off the grand fashion extravaganza with his voluminous, baby doll dresses and cropped jackets in A-line silhouettes. Filled with neutral hues and dazzled with brighter coral and lime green shades in luxurious, textured fabrics, the collection was like a playful chic.

Caroline Charles’ collection was like an Ode to French Rivieria, with chiffon dress in classic navy with dropped waistline. Her black and white eveningwear, meanwhile, sparkles with jewels and sequins for pure glamour.

Other well-known names on the line-up included Dame Vivienne Westwood, Julien Macdonald and Issa, one of the Duchess of Cambridge's favored designers, Mulberry, Nicole Farhi and Matthew Williamson.

Real Deal: Colour Block Your Way Through Fall

Still believe the antiquated notion that brights should only be worn in the spring and summer months whilst greys and browns are the only wardrobe colours of choice once the leaves start to change?  The times they are a-changin’ so get that thought out of your head!  Just because the nights are getting darker a little earlier and your toes now suffer from goose bumps when exposed to the crisp fall air (i.e. sandal season is officially over!), doesn’t mean you need to store the mass of brightly coloured garments you purchased this summer.  Vibrant shades should be carried through to your autumn wardrobe – see DKNY, Diane von Furstenberg and Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2011 runway for proof – and worn regardless of the season.  The key to pulling off the look? Anchor your brights with a neutral like camel or grey and keep summer’s love of colour blocking alive!

Shopping News & Sales! September 28, 2011 @ 7:40 am

Best Buys: Amazing Yet Affordable Coats for Fall

We never know the right time to buy a new coat for fall but we do know the wrong time.  Every year without fail we wait until the mercury drops to buy a new topper for the season and every year without fail the selection of coats left on store floors is subpar.  That’s why this month we’re getting our hands on something warm yet stylish before we actually need it.  And what exactly will we be looking for in terms of trends?  Something plaid (at Joe Fresh!) or furry (at Topshop), minimal or moto, vested (at American Eagle) or wild (at Old Navy) – basically so long as it’s cute and $200 or less, we want to wrap it around our body.  So even though the thermometer still reads 20°C you can bet you’ll spot us shopping for a new coat this week because rumour has it we’ll need it sooner than we think!