The style prominence of the shoulder next season (AW09) is indisputable. They are the body part that one should be flaunting come fall. No mistaking.

As a result, the bold shoulders that have sauntered down the catwalks, show after show, city after city, have been widely reported on in the media. Much has been made of their exaggerated appearances, geometric shapes and padded silhouettes.

One shoulder trend that seems to have slipped through the fashion net, however, is the embellished look.

Paul Smith draped shoulders in sparkly crystals and pearls that swung in tandem beautifully with the models strides, Holly Fulton (from Fashion East) and Roksanda Ilincic heavily encrusted their designs with jewels and sequins lending them an 80s TV soap feel. Jenny Packham took inspiration from the 1920s and from them hung fringes of beads that twinkled in the lights,while David Koma used metal adornment not unlike bullets to emphasize the natural curve of a bare shoulder. Embellishment huddled densely together by Peter Pilotto and Julien Macdonald had a feral feel, while Gemma Slack* cloaked shoulders with a stunning cage cape that appeared to be made out of a gold metal.

Embellishment, as many of the London Fashion Week designers have proven is an accessible way to tap into the pronounced shoulder trend this Autumn. It offers versatility, functionality and originality all in one tidy little package. Whereas it would be hard to imagine where or how one would wear a jacket that is akin to a Quarterbacker’s football kit in day to day life, a beaded shoulder will easily slot into any existing wardrobe. That’s not even the great news though! With an old garment, a trip to the local haberdasher and a little time, fashion has finally given us a wonderful trend that genuinely lends itself to an achievable DIY job. Let the sewing commence.

Edith

Top row, from left to right. Paul Smith, Holly Fulton, Roksanda Ilincic. Middle, Jenny Packham. Bottom row, from left to right: David Koma, Peter Pilotto, Julien Macdonald.

* Apologies, I couldn’t find a picture of this example.

Autumn heralds the new Body Con, Body Con(tour). The look has finally evolved away from its Herve Leger carnation. Its focus has shifted so that it is no longer fixated around figure hugging apparel alone. Garments are still form fitting, but they now incorporate  lines that trace the contours of the body, changing in thickness and direction so that they literally map the frame.

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Top row from left to right: Julien Macdonald, Ann-Sofie Back, Christopher Kane. Middle row from left to right: Vivienne Westwood, Topshop Unique, Giles. Bottom row from left to right: Richard Nicoll, Krystof Strozyna, Josh Goot.

Edith

Prints have been very prominent on the catwalks. Most London designers are taking their cues from nature or science fiction and the resulting patterns can be divided into two very clear trends. Winter florals and space Odyssey.

Winter Florals: Anything (or any flower) goes here. Large, small, soft, bold, bright or subtle.

Space Odyssey: Think sci-fi graphic designs predominantly in reds and greys.

Top row from left to right: Marios Schwab, Danielle Scutt, Giles. Bottom row from left to right: Richard Nicoll, William Tempest, Topshop Unique

Edith

Blues and buttery golds are spread all over the catwalks in London and New York. Soft, bright, printed, texturised, they work together in any combination.

London:

New York:

Edith

Body conscious has evolved. This trend is now much more than figure hugging apparel. The new Body Con (as shown below by Christopher Kane, Richard Nicoll and Krystof Strozyna) has lines that literally map the contours of the body.

Edith

It’s only day 3 but already we’ve been thrown some trend curve balls.

Merkin embellishment:

Fancy hoods:

Fat black:

Scorched prints:

But which of these micro movements do you think will continue their reign on the catwalks to become a fully fledged trend?

Edith

It’s easy to over think a fashion blog and mistakenly agonise over every post, wanting it to be a few hundred well written, witty, insightful, enjoyable and observational words. Then you realise that there are a lot of really shit blogs out there and that detailed descriptions in the web world are pretty defunct, just wasted. They (whoever ‘they’ are) are right when they say that a picture can say a thousand words.

So, after pondering for some days now on what I wanted to say about the NY shows it occurred to me that I didn’t really need to say anything. By my reckoning this post contains 4111 words already, highlighting beautifully the timely and industrial, rusty hues that will become a key colour in Autumn Winter 09/10.

Edith

You know what to do:

• 39thandbroadway – Ever wonder where fashion trends come from and how they develop, long before they hit the stores?
• A Few Goody GumDrops – A Few Goody Gumdrops asks…Who needs a Mink Coat when you can have a Mink Bag!
• Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy – Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy gushes over Freeman’s Replenishing Body Lotion – the effective, but stinky moisturizer
• Capitola Girl Jewelry Blog – I’m saying no to gift cards this holiday season, and looking to the indie sellers on Etsy for some great guy gifts.
• Clutch 22 – Tackling Black Friday and Cyber Monday this holiday season.
• Couture Allure – Couture Allure shows how to dress up your holiday hairdo with vintage accessories.
• dapper kid – Essay on the impact of the Industrial Revolution on Men’s Tailoring.
• Diary of a Style Addict – Diary of a Style Addict Reviews Paint Cosmetics fab mineral eyeshadows
• Dirty Laundry – 37 Things to Love: The Definitive List (And How I Have Way Too Much Time)
• Dogmom’s Dish – Five little luxuries for the holidays, ranging from Free to Sugardaddy Suggestible.
• dramatis personae – Why Dieting is a Dirty Word
• fashion fille – What is YOUR opinion on the trendy scarf? Fashion Fille debates keffieyahs.
• fashion in my eyes – Love of a lifetime,Coco Rocha and Roberto Bolle
• Fashion Pulse Daily – We’ve got the skinny on the upcoming Target accessory designer collaborations — including Felix Rey!
• Flights of Fab Fashion Fancy – Wearing fur, faux and real, is sooo trendy hot! Here are hot looks from all over the globe!
• Hello, Lover… Shoe Daydreams – Recognize the things that trip your relationship up and keep you from having the “real” fairy tale.
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – IFB announces the new newsletter!
• Iole in fashion – Inverno a colori / Colored Winter
• Mademoiselle Robot – Outfit ideas for Thanksgiving.
• Pencil – a look at Suphanut Suwansanya’s, a London Fashion Designer, Autumn/Winter 08 collection and his inspiration.
• Petite Bourgeoisie – Interview with Kristen Calavas of TheLookbook
• Retro Chick – Putting on the Glitz, working your sequins for Work, Rest & Play
• ShopDiary – ShopDiary invites you to access chanel-exclusives.com, the first ever online Chanel boutique, and discover a limited edition selection of Chanel accessories.
• Some Like It Fashion – The shape of things to come: have your say on what ‘look’ will come to define this recession.
• Style Discovery – Style Discovery goes burlesque.
• Sweety P Style FIles – Since I haven’t been shopping in three months, I find myself in a wardrobe recession.
• Tainted & Sweet… – Thank you Daddy Karl!!!
• The Bare Skinny – Eco Friendly and Fabulous…Fashion Goes Green
• THE COVETED – Feathers, Lashes, and Courtney Brooke Hall… vintage fashion photography
• The Sunday Best – Contest on TheSundayBest! Big fun! Big prizes! Big…pandas?
• Your Style Star – Shop on Black Friday like a pro

Edith

You’d have to be a hibernating bear (and indeed have been hibernating for quite some time) to be completely unaware of the current worldwide financial crisis. A consequence of this meltdown is that the style sections of newspapers and magazines are now devoted to churning out features on investment dressing. Hem lines! WHAT. DO. THEY. MEAN? Some say they rise, and some are adamant that they fall with the stock market.

Ddjhfjkhudsuuuuuut6y7ue eeeebdhjsssPU)cl;xz zzzzzzzzzz’. Oh, sorry! Seem to have dozed off there. Trying to keep track of what length my skirt should be and the cost per wear of any investment pieces I am thinking of purchasing has left me simply exhausted.

But, there is more to say on this subject then what’s currently being recycled in the media, which is “customers should look for investment pieces and value for money”. Well. Yes.

Jess Cartner-Morley, fashion editor at the Guardian explores this well excavated subject a little further in this article, lean times and hemlines. It’s a feature about how fashion will be affected by the credit crunch, in the aesthetic sense rather than a business one. She reflects upon the trends that emerged from the boom and bust times in recent history with a view of defining this economic crisis’ appearance. She draws no firm conclusions but she does highlight a couple of interesting theories including this one from Valerie Steele, internationally renowned Fashion Historian:

The hemlines theory was invented back in the 1920s. But it just doesn’t hold up. Take the 20s – hemlines actually began to fall in 1927, two years before the crash. They were falling by 1969, two years before the downturn of 1971

Contrary to popular belief it would seem that the ‘look’ of the great depression was actually a result of what was fashionable the two years prior to it.

Jess then goes on to quote Jo Hooper, Head of Womenswear at John Lewis. Hooper implies that the softer, sculpted, voluminous silhouette that is becoming popular will be the defining look of the recession. She identifies the current vogue for the round-shouldered look as:

cocooning, which is the feeling of wrapping up, of hunkering down. It’s a basic human instinct.

Both of these theories are very feasible. However never one to rest on my laurels, I decided to do some research of my own. Mystic Meg wouldn’t return my calls, so I settled for the next best thing: Mark Watson, the Womenswear Editor at trend forecasting agency WGSN. I asked him for his thoughts on what he felt the look of the credit crunch would be. This is the PG version of his email response:

The most obvious effect of ‘The credit crunch’ as we saw during Paris Fashion week is that most designers will march to their own tune, sticking to what they know best and satisfying customers who are loyal to their labels rather than putting their heads on the chopping block of fashion whimsies. What may be of interest is that prior to this financial crisis designers were focusing on the shoulder and the power dressing 80s particularly taking silhouettes from Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana. In times of a strong financial system there is a the ‘power’ look whilst we at WGSN are currently moving towards a more fantastical, ethereal feeling soft layers, a looser silhouette looking at Bill Gibb also Nina Ricci collection in Paris.

Reading these three very different responses from credible industry experts; it is obvious that defining what the aesthetic of the credit-crunch will be is no easy feat. Not least because there are no parallels to be drawn between ‘fashions’ from one recession to the next. Each financial crisis has been brought about by different economic factors, which therefore in turn mean consumer habits, circumstances and attitudes are unique to that period of time.

Nevertheless history will record that this recession had a ’style’ just as it has done for the 1930s and 1970s, regardless of whether it was actually the result of the downturn.

So, lets try and put this subject to bed once and for all! Vote! VOTE! VOTE LIKE YOU ARE SHAPING TOMORROW! Because you are.

Edith

All images are SS09 from Style.com. In order of appearance: Balmain, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci

It’s set to be freezing this weekend, people. So take my advice and stay home, wrap up warm in your finest knitwear and enjoy these great reads:

• 39thandbroadway – The truth behind your size label and your vanity!
• A Few Goody GumDrops – A Few Goody Gumdrops is drooling over the all diamond necklace from Mauboussin!
• Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy – How to capture classic 3.1 Phillip Lim style for less
• Capitola Girl Jewelry Blog – The Steampunk-stylings of two indie jewelry artists who take wire-wrapped rings to another dimension…
• Debutante Clothing – Debutante Clothing finds vintage inspiration from couture safety pins
• Diary of a Style Addict – is coveting Rihanna’s look on her new “Rehab” video
• Dogmom’s Dish – Tokidoki’s Simone Legno In San Francisco
• dreamecho – Weapon of Choice: Cultural Commentary, Trivialization and Personal Responsibility in Fashion
• fashion fille – A realization of the blogosphere’s current sequin obsession.
• fashion in my eyes – In Maglia E Meglio,Christian Louboutin for Rodarte
• Fashion Pulse Daily – Fashion Pulse can’t wait to get its hands on the Hayden-Harnett handbag collection for Target in December; get a sneak peak now!
• Flights of Fab Fashion Fancy – Flights of Fab Fashion Fancy is loving these young, easy, chic looks from Sandro-a trendy-chic Parisian brand!
• Hello, Lover… Shoe Daydreams – A special limited-edition collaboration between Pantone, the definitive guide to color and SeaVees, the purveyors of California casual
• In Life and In Fashion – Why I am inspired by the woman who invented the wrap dress.
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – Geek Chic: Best Tech for Fashion Bloggers
• Iole in fashion – Sex and The city…again!
• Little Black Book – Fashion Palette: a must for aspiring designers and persons hoping to make it in the fashion industry.
• Mademoiselle Robot – With Christmas approaching, it is useful to know how to wear sequins without looking like a Christmas tree!
• Or False Glitter – - Cherry Lip Lolita: youthful yet provocative beauty
• PONY RYDER – A story behind Laurel S. sign up with NY model management.
• Retro Chick – Baby it’s cold outside: A Guide to buying your perfect Winter Coat.
• Shopping and Info – Shopping and Info found some great clutches that look like Angelina Jolie’s from the Changeling Private Screening in London
• Some Like It Fashion – Going for Gold: The metallic look has evolved and given birth to a new trend. Some Like It Fashion discusses the merits of metal within clothing.
• Style Discovery – “Transformation: Fremantle High Street Collective 2008″. Local fashion delight brought to you by Style Discovery from Perth, Western Australia.
• Style Symmetry – Eyeliah calls cream and yellow a trend to watch!
• The Bare Skinny – Hitting the Trenches to Find the Perfect Coat
• THE COVETED – Faking Confessionals…and reasons why not to do it….
• The Ongoing Project – Developing your personal style, part 3
• The Subadult Years – A personal look at the effectiveness and limitations of the eco-friendly fashion trend in Toronto.
• Your Style Star – 5 Simple Tips For Surviving Holiday Parties

Edith