runway trends

Rock and Roll for Fall 2010

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged fall 2010 / rocker chic / runway trends / winter 2011 by

There was small hint of rock and roll hidden within the runways for Fall 2010. As models donning 1990s Minimalism and 1950s nostalgia strutted down the catwalk, one or two outfits per show hinted at a little bit of rock and roll for the club scene and nights out on the town. The bad girl hint was hidden among prim and proper full skirts, full skirted dresses and somber, black outfits with a small pop of red. For Fashionistas who are not interested in looking like a Stepford wife or funeral attendee, the rock and roll trend is a breath of fresh air.

The rock and roll look has been on trend for the past several seasons, but for Fall 2010 it no longer blends into the background of other, more prominent trends. The rock and roll trend stands apart from the majority of the looks coming off the runway and into reality. The trend rebels against the vintage, 1950s trend with torn fabric on dresses, heavy eye make-up and larger-than-life shoes.

The pants are tight, leather and black. In lieu of skirts, designers such as Giorgio Armani showed hot pants in glittering black. Versace dared to show a torn, black dress that did not leave much to the imagination. The reality version of the dress will be hitting stores under the Versus label for Fall. Less expensive stores such as Forever 21 and H M are showing the rock and roll look in more somber colors, reflective of the overall color pallette from the Fall runways. Hot pants are already popping up on teenagers and college students throughout the Bay Area. The popular form of hot pants among students is denim. Unlike Daisy Dukes from yesteryear, the hems are sewn and all seams are in place.

Eye make-up was shown in two versions on the Fall runways. There were some designers who chose to show a natural eye, making onlookers wonder if any make-up was present on the models eyes at all. Other designers showed a heavy eye with light lipstick. The two make-up looks were not consistent with the stand-outs trends for Fall, giving Fashionistas a choice when it comes to eye design. The rock and roll eye has heavy black eyeliner, false eyelashes and brown eye shadow above and below the eye. The application method harkens back to the smoky, grey eyes from earlier in the decade.

Lastly, as the soles of shoes are coming back down to Earth, the rock and roll look continues the sky high trend of platform and high heels. Balenciaga and Christian Dior are giving Fashionistas chunky black platforms with metallic accents while Fendi shows the platform in more somber, neutral colors adding a little bit of rock and roll to the full skirt. . .hmmmm. . .trend fusion for Fall!

The rock and roll trend has been around, so this is the perfect opportunity for you to shop your closet! But please, let’s keep the hot pants stored, or better yet, sell those things on eBay. Hot pants is one trend that needs to stay on the runway and NOT hit reality. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

Fall 2010 Fashion: Channeling the Stepford Skirt

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged fall 2010 / runway / runway trends / skirts / vintage styles / winter 2011 by

The Fall 2010 runways in Paris, Milan and New York were a mix of 1990s minimalism, 1950s Stepford Wife apparel, military nods and rock and roll flair. The skirt and dress silhouette that stood out on the runways was the 1950s, Stepford Wife full skirt. The full skirt is meeting the leg half-way between the knee and the ankle giving the skirt a more modest place in fashion for Fall 2010.

Louis Vuitton showed a fabulous, full skirt in a light tan leather topped off with a 1950s style short sleeve sweater in baby yellow. The colors were a nod to Spring 2010 giving the look a soft transfer from Spring into Fall. Prada and Dries Van Noten both showed quiet colors on full skirted dresses and ballet flats. Ralph Lauren gave the full skirt a 1990s minimalism color palette and a 1980s fabric twist. Lauren’s take on the Stepford Wife suit is black taffeta. This suit is calling for a red handbag! By the way, red handbags will be all the rage in Fall, but we can discuss this in another post.

Fashionistas in the San Francisco Bay Area may shy away from wearing the full skirt on an everyday basis. The formal look of the silhouette lends itself well to special events such as weddings, showers, charity lunches and daytime holiday parties. The full skirt is not practical for running errands, strolling at the mall or sitting behind a  computer all day at work. The trend is definitely a breath of fresh air for fashionistas everywhere who are tired of the poor taste in skirts that many women have chosen to wear over the past few years.

Recession Tip: Interested in wearing the Stepford Wife silhouette this Fall? Look inside your closet. When the movie came out earlier in the decade there were full skirts on the market as well as full skirts with an asymmetrical hemline. You can pair your full skirt from a past season with a short sleeve sweater from this season or a wrap around sweater from one of the past two seasons. Tres chic! If you found a full skirt with an asymmetrical hemline, you can even out the hemline and re-hem it! If you do not have a sewing machine at home, your local tailor can do the job for you. Fabulous!

Whether you purchase a full skirt or dress, or you got lucky and found one in the back of your closet, this is definitely a trend to follow. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.