Now
The decorated waist
Inhale and hold. The waist was a major focal point for the fall shows. Burberry Prorsum highlighted it with little bows, Etro played it up with horsey harnesses and peplums, while Fendi and Acne cinched it with wide, sculpting belts. This is probably the easiest idea to adopt now. Simply grab a ribbon and tie it around any one of spring’s trendy, ladylike dresses.
Clothes you can breathe in
Despite all the nipped and cinched waists we’ve seen all month, there was also an overall no-squeezing-required ease to a lot of the clothes designers showed for fall. Basically, you don’t have to have the perfect body to pull them off. Think relaxed and slouchy trousers (as seen at Balenciaga, Dries van Noten and Proenza Schouler, to name a few) and skirts that are forgivingly full and knee-length (Marc Jacobs, Rodarte and Rochas are good examples). So go ahead and eat the bun that came with that hamburger.
This fall
Dark and moody colors
The darker the color, the more on-trend you’ll be come fall. Burgundy, oxblood and purple were the colors of the season in New York and London, showing up everywhere from Diane von Furstenberg to Jason Wu to Christopher Kane. And black dominated Milan and Paris — just look at Gucci, Alberta Ferretti, Roberto Cavalli, Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent for proof. You get extra points if you go dark from head to toe a la Rooney Mara, the most referenced girl of the month. But we suggest holding off until September before you start rocking this look: The “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” goth thing can get a little hot and sweaty in spring.
Look-at-me outerwear
Technically, every autumn/winter show is an outerwear show. Coats and jackets are items that women rarely skimp on, so designers like to give plenty to choose from here. That said, the outerwear reached new heights when it comes to fabric innovation and embellishment — that’s a good thing when you consider that the winter coat is the only thing a person really sees on the street in winter. Our votes for season’s best goes to Prada (decorative and ornamental), Alexander Wang (slick, sleek and urban) and Jil Sander (soft, chic and romantic).
Never
2-D and 3-D?animal embellishments
Jeremy Scott attached a giant white unicorn to a black evening dress. And Jean-Charles de Castelbajac affixed life-size tucan heads to the shoulders of tweed suits. But unless your name is Lady Gaga, neither of these looks will go over well in the day-to-day.
