1. Monochrome head-to-toe
Whether you channel the darkness and unnerving mood of Paul Helber’s collection for Louis Vuitton, or Bottega Veneta’s relaxed but raw approach, the message is that it’s time to go monochrome. Of course, when there’s not much color, it’s the details that count. At Vuitton, for example, quilted vests came built in jackets or layered over coats.
2. Relaxed tailoring
2011 will be about mixing up fabrics like velvet and wool or sportswear quilted coats and tailoring. It’s about doing something unexpected and playing with convention. Dolce & Gabbana relaxed the cut of their trousers, adopting drop-crotch and pleated styles among others.
3. The ‘70s
The women’s collections must have still lingered in the designers’ minds, because the men got the same 1970s treatment. Dries Van Noten introduced David Bowiesque orange hair, fur and white contrast lapels, while Miuccia Prada went kitsch. Colors to look out for are burgundy, teal, caramel and brown.
4. Pops of color
Flashes of color played a part in many of the shows already mentioned but it broke the norm at Burberry, Jil Sander and Ann Demeulemeester. Some of the colors at Jil Sander almost had a fluoro twist.
