Autumn Winter 2008/9 will be remembered as the STATEMENT
SEASON. Watch out for statement coats and statement fabrics.
You will also see statement heels, statement shoulders,
statement jeweller and statement hair, together they define
the next fashion era as one of classy grown-up clothing! Investment
dressing is back.
To sum up the new fashion trends for autumn 2008/9, look out
for garments with an architectural silhouette. Coats in
particular are shapely and sculptured, with stand away collars,
bell sleeves and skirts. You can wear these new shapes loose and
easy, or add
a belt to create your own silhouette.
Far right - Statement heels from Dior - Autumn 2008.
Tomato red is a major colour for this coming winter 2009.
Key colour fashion trends for Autumn 2008 and Winter 2009 are of grown up
rich colours of autumn leaves, inky midnight and sky blues,
burnt earth tones, or the depth of crushed red fruit berries.
Autumn 2008/9 is about new colour, about deep hues with the warmth of the renaissance palette.
If you would like to check the Autumn/Winter 2008/9 colour palette
then here are the dominant colours: tomato red,
plus burnt ochre, cork, putty, sepia, bisque, honey, rich amber,
cinnamon and brandy. There is also mushroom, earthy terracotta, auburn
bronze, sienna, warm chocolate, crushed damson. Other
colours include dusty pink, rose
petal, claret, maroon, rich aubergine, blackberry, olive,
pistachio, midnight sapphire, gunmetal grey, slate blue and
deepest kingfisher teal.
In contrast to the autumnal hues, are the winter white
and ice cream colour palettes favoured by some designers.
The good news is there is a fashion hue to suit every woman in the 2008/9
autumn fashion palette - enjoy your colour quest.
The strongest colours trends in the high street for autumn 2008/Winter 2009
are tomato red, purple, teal blue, gold and puce orchid.
There is also a lot of grey,
blue and olive. Another interesting combination is orange and crushed cherry,
frequently teamed with the more sombre neutral midnight inky
blues.
Above left - Dior tomato red suit.
Above centre left - River Island Clothing - Red belted trench
coat Mac £39.99 following a very similar line as the Dior suit.
Right - Red patent shoe boot £74.99 - Autumn Winter 2008/9
also River Island Clothing Co. Ltd -Stockist for both River
Island items - 0208 991 4759.
Whilst blatant OTT bling is fading, this is the season where fashionable excess
is acceptable, when it relates to a statement making well cut
silhouette and beautiful materials. For Autumn 2008 think slow fashion.
Think statement fashion
rather than fast fashion.
This maybe the first time that younger consumers
have faced a recession. Even experienced shoppers are having to
take stock with cost of essentials rising faster than their pay.
Consequently the state of the
economy is effecting their own spending power, especially when it comes
to pursuing the latest fashion trends.
Fashion ecommerce sales online may be rapidly advancing,
but the
high street mall is feeling the pinch. These pecuniary decisions mean
female shoppers resisting shopping too far in advance. The
cannot afford a hot-off-the-press fashion trend that is way ahead of a season or an event.
When
shopping in late July or August women were faced with racks of heavier clothing far better suited
to a cooler October and November.
The whole fashion season distribution system has lost its way.
Too many of us find it is now almost operating in the wrong
climatic season.
Fuelling all of this 'less is more' attitude is
the current recession. The reduced footfall in fashion
outlets hinges on many factors. It does include a new consumer
love affair with thrift plus an eco awareness born out of sheer
boredom with possession of too many consumables. To that,
add a deep underlying nagging fear we all have - the fear of
some maltreated low paid worker of the third world, or even
nearer home, who has slaved for hours on a hand crafted
dress.
Whilst two or three of the strongest trends always emerge as
mainstream key fashion looks, the mini trends should not be dismissed.
We don't have just 3 or 4 fashion trends going on at any one
time, we have lots of mini fashion fads too.
The choice and
variety of styles and sizing for women is so much greater than
ever before, so no one need feel there isn't a fashionable look
for them. But this too has dangers, and means that so much
choice has left many of us with bulging wardrobes of once
'trendy' clothes, which are hardly worn. We find our hands still reach for the more exclusive
and fashionable items in our closets that make us feel expensive.
Remember that items that boost our
self esteem and make us look and feel 10 years younger get the
most wear. So choose wisely from the trends on offer
below, and start to think in terms of investment dressing as the
next decade approaches. Make the next decade the fashion era you buy
quality garments and accessories which help make you feel and look
good, time and again.
The new silhouette shape for Autumn 2008 shows an architectural
leaning. This is a fashion trend to seriously follow.
These new architectural silhouettes create striking new shapes
which often have the appearance of moulded forms.
The SHAPE of things to come.
Left - Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga,
moulded silhouette look.
Centre - Louis Vuitton - Geometric tailoring and biker zipper
features on this winter white coat.
Above
far right -
Statement making shapely curved cartoon blue, cotton and silk boucle coat, by
Aquascutum - £2500.
Coats, and in particular jackets, have a sculpted feel.
This effect
is made more noticeable by the blank canvas effect of strong
rich solid colours, such as teal, purple and orange.
Three main coat styles are vying for attention as the hottest
fashion trend this winter.
Coats frequently have looseness with easy shoulder lines and capacious
sleeves. This loose style is also perfect for fur
materials. Trends in collars suggest high funnel stands, shawl collars,
large flat collars, geometric cowls, or fur trims which give
this
style its precision. Here is a classic opportunity for
buying a statement fashion coat.
Another trend for autumn 2008 is pyramid coats with a sixties/seventies swing feel.
These swing coats flow like
an A-line pyramid from the shoulders and they have matching A-line sleeves. Many dresses follow similar silhouette lines.
This trend has been gaining momentum for some time and along
with cropped jackets will leave a notable fashion history
silhouette for the latter decade.
Above left - Dior navy pyramid line coat.
Centre right - Dior Purple coat, accessories and bag.
Above right - Episode at House of Fraser - Greyed taupe coat £299/€478 and
roll neck knit £69/€110.
The looser coats above, and the loose straight Marni fur coat
right, can also be enhanced with a belt. These fashion coats really are
perfect for wearing with flared dresses or prom style fuller skirts.
Left - Marni golden fur coat. This is a statement-making shape,
in a bold
look-at-me colour.
Statement making coats dominated the catwalks
in Autumn
2008. Luxury materials such as cashmere and satin help
create opulent effects. Look out for plenty of pastel coats in
soft ice cream colours. The fashion trend for rich damask glossy metallic finishes
continues and look out too for fur trims on hems and cuffs.
Blues are a strong colour trend for this Autumn
2008.
The Bottega Veneta coat near right with its origami like
folds of fabric makes an equally bold statement, as does the
Celine coat centre.
On the far right we have the high street
version of the Celine coat and which is from Marks and Spencer
Autumn 2008 Womenswear Collection.
The more intricate the catwalk construction, the slower the
design is to reach the high street. Something has to give,
and its usually the quality of finish, yet this high
street coat really does bring fashion to the masses. It is
shorter than the Celine version, and the skirt has less fullness,
but it's hot on trend with light teal blue as one of
the strongest fashion colours of Autumn 2008.
These
coats above are very influenced by late 60's above waist mini
coats and military pea coats. They are youthful and fun,
and also have an everyday feel.
On the left above the blue
single breasted coat and the scarlet red double breasted coats
are both from designer Karen Walker.
The mustard coat is
the River Island high street version, but with a military
influenced majorette high collar. The navy blue coat, far
right is from Burberry and is tune with all the inky midnight
blue shades around for this autumn 2008.
There are countless high
street versions of this coat style, chose your statement fashion
piece in either above or below knee length.
Above:
Far left - Blue coat - Karen Walker.
Centre left - Red coat - Karen Walker.
Far right - Burberry coat by Christopher Kane - £795.
Above
right - River Island mustard coat, Autumn/Winter 2008/9 - Mustard
tulip military coat £64.99, argyle fishnet tights £7.99, leopard
cocktail hat £24.99.
The
grey striped coat right is from Freemans and like the River
Island mustard coat clearly has been influenced by catwalk
trends.
The next stage forward with this silhouette is the development
of more fullness from the waist. You can see ahead already to
another trend with this gorgeous maroon prom
line coat from Kati Stern for Venexiana.
Left - Maroon prom line coat by Kati Stern for Venexiana.
The biker look is sure to be one of the key trends for Autumn 2008/ Winter
2009. Buy into this look now and reap the reward of investment
dressing and getting the full benefit of owning a fashionable
leather jacket.
One of the most inspired biker jackets was from the House of Balenciaga.
Zips are not just functional, but used for eye catching
decorative effect. I also like the biker version from
McQueen and Oscar de la Renta shown
below.
Far right - Balenciaga biker jacket at about £1400+.
Note the
designer edge and those extra long sleeves that could be cuffed
or worn so nonchalantly overhand. Perfect for Biker Goth looks.
Almost
all the main brands and high street shops have their version of
a leather biker bomber jacket and many have half a dozen styles. Whilst
black is favourite, grey, navy tan, brown and animal print biker
bombers are all on the
racks too.
The collar on biker jackets is frequently fur or faux fur, or
the whole jacket can be made up as fur bomber jackets. For a low cost
fur, try this fake fur jacket
from the BHS Autumn 2008 range.
Far right - Fake fur bomber biker jacket from BHS Autumn 2008 range - £59.
Leather is of course the obvious choice for the body of any
biker jacket, but don't forget denim for biker jackets.
ASOS have this great little
denim biker jacket, perfect for good weather days beyond summer.
Their denim zip detail biker jacket is just £35.
Right - ASOS Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2008
Near left - River Island sparkle biker jacket Autumn/Winter
2008/9.
Shimmer
effects and glistening metallic leather, snakeskin and croc
effects all keep shimmer and glimmer in mainstream fashion. Fabrics that sparkle
and shine in biker looks give a new edginess to this favourite retro fashion.
Following this autumn's fashion trend for tartan plaids and checks, ASOS also have
a black and white hounds-tooth biker jacket at £45.
But if you prefer a plain biker jacket to hit all the right
trend notes add a tartan skirt to your biker jacket
Henry Holland, of House of Holland, put celebrity model of the
moment Agyness Deyn, in this chirpy cornflower blue tartan jacket
and mini skirt see picture to the left.
The punkiness of this outfit makes it appear innovative and puts it in
autumn's must-have category.
The high street has picked up quickly on
this trend, and you can find plenty of plaid, check mini, prom
and longer skirts at major retailers such as New Look.
COUNTRY heritage was also a theme at D&G shown far right.
For a lower cost alternative try out those at Marks and Spencer,
but take care to keep the overall tartan look cute with a sharp
jacket or knit.
Above left - Agyness Deyn modelling a blue tartan suit from House
of Holland.
Right - Tartan skirt at Marks & Spencer NO. T62 2782E
Price: £70.00 -sizes: 8-20 Short, regular and long.
Available: September.
This year the
country heritage tartan, and ladylike look, is well supported by
an exciting range of interesting innovative knitwear.
Several knit textures and styles stand out. You can see
the look of armour in this
spectacular metallic cable knit jumper embedded with sequins. The sweater is from Christopher Kane, and
it achieves breathtaking designer mastery. Don't expect to see many
versions yet, but everyday heavy chunky cable knits in
grey, black, natural, ink, olive, berry and taupe, abound in the
high street autumn collections.
By
way of contrast, there are spider's web
mohair cobweb knits like this wispy knit geometric pattern tunic
left from Alexander McQueen. Other cobwebby knits in brighter
random colours were shown at Rodarte.
Collars are a feature that designers played with, and their
efforts have led to a revival of innovative ways with old
fashion trends such as extra high cowl collars. Some of the
cowls are quite sculptured and in line with trends in other
areas.
Plenty of cardigans have shawl fur collars, fur trims or
ties. Fur trimmed cardigans in natural honey tones, or
greys, look wonderful with short prom skirts like this photo
right from the Oscar de la Renta catwalk fashion show.
The high street version of the fur collar natural cardigan
centre is from Wallis Autumn Winter 2008/9 collection. Cream fur
trim cardigan £35/€55. This is investment dressing at it's
best, this is a trend that turns up time and again. That collar
probably detaches too, so you could transfer it to other items.
Wallis say they, "Promise a glamorous play on winter furs.
Textured knits and tweeds are teamed together to create a
luxurious weekend feel. Faux fur dominates wardrobes this season
- sheepskin, mink and mongolian appear as outerwear or luxe
eye-catching trims. Prints echo the natural world with
references to bark etchings and animal skin. Earthy tones keep
the collection warm with highlights of rust worn with chocolate,
ivory and camel."
Dresses
continue to be one of the trends that women like the best. Girls and
women alike have rediscovered the ease of one piece dressing and
love the way a dress shows off their feminine curves.
Sequin
and embellished dresses, lace and leopard prints, red, teal and
purple garments are all on the dress agenda for Autumn 2008.
The dress can be
short and tunic like, knee or below knee, ankle or maxi. There
is a dress for everyone, whatever their age and figure.
Dresses fall into many styles, but the most popular for Autumn
2008
are likely to be the slim drapery dress shown left,
the 60s A-line shift dress, the embellished shift, and
the prom fairy full skirt dress.
Centre - Black and white Prince of Wales fine check
dress by Phase Eight, Autumn winter 2008/9 womenswear.
Above right - Sea green satin dress Late Autumn 2008 womenswear by
Marks and Spencer. For Autumn 2008, Marks and Spencer also sell a
classic V neckline black dress with a similar side swept
feature.
Note how these dresses for Autumn/Winter 2008/9 all show
drapery focusing on the waist or side waist. Look out for
Grecian drapery variations.
Right - 100% silk black dress by Phillip Lim from
matchesfashion.com
about £400+.
What has generated a fresh look in dresses and long tunics is
intense rich paisley patterns and geometric prints, brocades,
tartan, satin, lace and sheers and ice cream colours
Celebrity
Kate Moss, favoured a shimmering spangle
shift tunic dress for the Swarovski Fashion Rocks event earlier
this year. Of course
wannabes hunted for one just like it. Needless to say,
every fashion collection seemed
to manage to slip in a heavily embellished dress and this
gorgeous dress right, in flesh tone is from Blumarine.
All the major retailers have
sparkling sequin, bead, spangle or Pailette dresses in the
Autumn 2008/Winter 2009 ranges. But for this look to be on-trend
keep at the knee or higher, and keep the accessories simple and
plain in contrast. The brave can buy sequin trousers, while the not
so brave can stick to simple sequin additions such as sequin
shoes.
Cleavage exposure has taken a dive, but in the other direction! Necklines are more modest and provide interest with key holes,
peek-a-boo sheers and lace effects. Glamour no longer means
show-it-all exposure, but understanding the subtle nuances of
statement with style.
The stunning lace dress on the far left is from designer Eli Saab.
He is a master of sophisticated womanly styling.
Clearly the high street rates this style too, and here is a lovely black lace dress
near left from
Wallis. Wallis Autumn/Winter 2008 - Black lace dress £60/€95.
Lace is a sure winner this autumn and was much favoured
in Prada's catwalk show. Prada pulled out all the stops
with her use of Swiss lace, in fact it's so crusty that was also
used to
make lace handbags. In my mind there is no doubt that the lace
trend will slowly grow and become a huge fashion statement. But
Prada's version is not the itsy-bitty pieces of lace trim on the
edge of a ruffle. This is lace used to make whole garments
in the style of covetable whole lace garments of 50 years ago,
along the lines of work by Irish designer Sybil Connolly.
Real lace is back in the high street, even though manufacturers won't be able to
make the Swiss lace so beloved by Prada. The thickness of it
puts it in the passementerie category. But, they will be able to
produce jolly good substitutes for the mass market. Watch this
lace fashion trend rise and rise in the next 2 years.
This decade has been one in which women have openly embraced
ethnic folkloric styling in their dress. No sooner is Boho
thought to be on the wane, when it resurfaces on the catwalk
with even more authority than before. Women loved the vibrancy
of gypsy skirts of a few years ago and the oh so easy to achieve
styling possibilities of eclectic ethnic folkloric dressing.
The Gucci
collection ensured we all became reacquainted with the richest
of Boho Folk patterns and fringe.
Folksy Boho alternatives
were provided by DKNY too as 70s hippy dresses with peasant appeal in browns, gold, orange, rusts;
all are a highlight of the DKNY collection.
This is such an easy look for both the high street and the
average female consumer to translate from the catwalk, so expect
to see plenty of Boho Folk items this forthcoming winter.
Key pieces of the Boho Folk look include the paisley/folk print
dress, the coat with embroidery, the richly printed/embroidered
scarf, the wild fur or print bag, and fringed boots.
This folkloric dress left is from Warehouse and is styled to
give you are real feel for autumn looks. This image shows two
key trends to watch out for in autumn 2008 - the gilet and the
folkloric print dress.
There has been a growing trend for the full prom skirt.
It's been gaining strength for a couple of years in the form of casual slouch skirts. Now the
prom puffball is a shape to note in both skirt separates and
dress styles. By next year I'm sure many coats will have prom
style full skirts.
As the trend for coats has been toward
looser shapes, and A-line fullness in the lower half, so it has become easier to wear a
wider or fuller skirt in
winter. Short jackets like the biker styles also make it an easy
choice for more voluminous skirt styles.
Ruched net tutu petticoats that lift and enhance the skirt
roundness are now more easily available from retailers. But if
you are having trouble locating a 50s style net petticoat, try
browsing fancy dress websites with a Google search for 'tutu net
petticoat'. Or look for Goth clothing sites and try searching for
Goth
petticoats.
Stiffer fabrics like the brocades used in these two photos left,
will of course hold out better from the body than limper fabrics
like satin. satin prom dresses will need support of a net
petticoat if you want that flower fairy puffball effect.
This is an autumn rich with sophisticated black lace and
dangerous drama. There were numerous soft feminine Goth
catwalk looks shown for Autumn 2008.
Designers used rich black velvet,
brocade, sheers or satin to create Goth/Punk effects that were
mysterious, enticing even elegant.
Far Right - Givenchy skinny trousers, severe jacket and
lots of metal hardware, crucifixes and chains.
Carefully selected footwear with impressive hardware - zips
and studs and fringe, or pile 'em high neck chains all add a
Gothic styling touch, that can be reworked to cover several
other looks such as Boho Folk. Try Plumo online for a great
multi-chain necklace to achieve a similar styling effect.
Frills, ruffles, Mongolian long fur, buckles, bows, waist
belts, together all combine to add strange off the wall, edgy
and weird elements. The look is
easy to achieve with prom styles, bustier dresses, patterned
tights plus a bit of
peek-a-boo sheers.
Whilst the look is predominantly black plus metallic steel or
silver. When a splash of colour is needed it hinges on small
amounts of starkly contrasting mixes of purple, pink or henna
red with black.
Left - Zac Posen - Dressing with sheers.
The Gothic fashion look is a trend that can be worn as dramatic, mysterious, vampish or
as soft as you prefer. For the more cautious, simple dark lips
and nails, lace black tights and a black based ensemble will
soon take you there.
One of the best purchases you could make for Autumn 2008,
Winter 2009 would be of a boot similar to these shown right.
Move into several of the season's trends with just a pair like
this. These boots are a take on some of the styles currently on
offer at Gucci.com. Fringe, tassels, 2 types of hardware
studs, deep platform and a high heel all hit the right fashion
trend note.
Right - Black fringe stud boot £120.00 from River Island
Clothing Co. Ltd - Stockist - 0208 991 4759 -
www.riverisland.com
Despite
the resurgence in dresses, many women prefer trousers for everyday
wear. Pants are
practical for the working woman and mannish looks always veer
toward classic territory.
The two emerging autumn styles are the easy high waisted flared
pants from boot cut to the widest 1970s flares.
But the style getting attention is a slim line version of the
peg-top trouser line, which was a popular 1980s fashion.
These peg-top trousers sometimes now called carrot-top trousers taper to the ankle, and usually have
tuck pleat fullness at the waistband. This style can be very
flattering if you have a tummy. Note that too much fullness can
make a woman look frumpy. YSL as the centre image shows, did it
best. This was sharp and sophisticated designing.
Far right - Sequin trousers from YSL
Near right - Stefano Pilati at
YSL
Left -
Michael
Kors
Finally the skinny leather pant is a catwalk fashion coming to a
shop near you this autumn.
These are the key new fashion trends for Fashion
Trends Autumn 2008, Winter 2009. So think sculptured, folksy, animal, biker,
opulence, lace, fur, tartan, bold tights, black or inky toned gothic and make your
fashion statement count.
This page has been about the key trends that will be in the
shops this Autumn 2008, Winter 2009.
Copyright of fur images courtesy of IFTF.
Special thanks to prshots
with images courtesy of Swarovski, Oasis, New Look, Wallis,
River Island, Freemans, Warehouse, Marks &spencer, BHS, ASOS,
Dior, and IFTF.
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You are reading an
original Autumn Fashion Trends 2008 article by Pauline Weston
Thomas at 
The new silhouette shape for Autumn 2008 shows an architectural
leaning. This is a fashion trend to seriously follow.
These swing coats flow like
an A-line pyramid from the shoulders and they have matching A-line sleeves. Many dresses follow similar silhouette lines.
This trend has been gaining momentum for some time and along
with cropped jackets will leave a notable fashion history
silhouette for the latter decade. 
Statement making coats dominated the catwalks
in Autumn
2008. Luxury materials such as cashmere and satin help
create opulent effects. Look out for plenty of pastel coats in
soft ice cream colours. The fashion trend for rich damask glossy metallic finishes
continues and look out too for fur trims on hems and cuffs. 
These
coats above are very influenced by late 60's above waist mini
coats and military pea coats. They are youthful and fun,
and also have an everyday feel.
Above
right - River Island mustard coat, Autumn/Winter 2008/9 - Mustard
tulip military coat £64.99, argyle fishnet tights £7.99, leopard
cocktail hat £24.99.
The
grey striped coat right is from Freemans and like the River
Island mustard coat clearly has been influenced by catwalk
trends.
The biker look is sure to be one of the key trends for Autumn 2008/ Winter
2009. Buy into this look now and reap the reward of investment
dressing and getting the full benefit of owning a fashionable
leather jacket.
Whilst
black is favourite, grey, navy tan, brown and animal print biker
bombers are all on the
racks too.
Henry Holland, of House of Holland, put celebrity model of the
moment Agyness Deyn, in this chirpy cornflower blue tartan jacket
and mini skirt see picture to the left.
By
way of contrast, there are spider's web
mohair cobweb knits like this wispy knit geometric pattern tunic
left from Alexander McQueen. Other cobwebby knits in brighter
random colours were shown at Rodarte.
Dresses
continue to be one of the trends that women like the best. Girls and
women alike have rediscovered the ease of one piece dressing and
love the way a dress shows off their feminine curves.
Folksy Boho alternatives
were provided by DKNY too as 70s hippy dresses with peasant appeal in browns, gold, orange, rusts;
all are a highlight of the DKNY collection. 
Frills, ruffles, Mongolian long fur, buckles, bows, waist
belts, together all combine to add strange off the wall, edgy
and weird elements. The look is
easy to achieve with prom styles, bustier dresses, patterned
tights plus a bit of
peek-a-boo sheers. 
Despite
the resurgence in dresses, many women prefer trousers for everyday
wear. Pants are
practical for the working woman and mannish looks always veer
toward classic territory.
