With the NY, London, Milan and soon Paris shows, I figured I should get a list of must-haves going. Okay maybe not so much as must-haves but must-wants for now =)
Living in LA, I tend to dress more New York than any of the European shows... I tend to accessorize more Milan than Paris... But I love the Paris shows more than any other... does that make sense? I dress casual, acessorize boldly, but I wish I were as soft and feminine as the Paris lines tend to be.
So let's start with dress, using New York Fashion Week as our visual cues.
- Exaggerated pant lines.
- A palette of nudes mixed in with whites and very soft colors.
- Away from boho and on to soho... feminine cuts, nice, neat and sophisticated.
So for me personally, here are my Spring plans... some are "goals", actually:
- Wear more collared shirts/oxfords. Crisp white shirts, exaggerated collars or lapels, fitted around the waist but boxy enough to lengthen my torso and I'll probably stick to 3/4 length sleeves.
- Start wearing dresses! Not just for the occasional Friday night but I will attempt day dresses, full skirts, bold prints and other girly things I normally avoid.
- Stay away from my slim bermuda shorts and find some loose-fit, flowy shorts in bermuda length.
- No more T-shirts, I'm going to start wearing knits! Yes, knits. Maybe even cutie "vests" a la Carolina Herrera.
And now on to accessories!
Okay not so much accessories as a handbag report.
There is one major emerging super important theme in the Milan shows when it comes to handbags. Okay, two. First of all we are going upscale and sophisticated, almost office-y. Of course the first clue was with Luella's tan leather flap tote. The shapes this season are very long, wide and flat. Which means at restaurants we will be tucking our bags behind us on our chairs rather than setting them on the ground.
And trend #2 seems to be canvas (or any other fabric) trimmed in leather, whether it be smooth napa, funky patent or exotic croc leather. Also we see a return of the bamboo at Gucci. [clockwise from the top: Gucci, Fendi, Gucci, Prada]
Also, F/W's "It" bags will be getting Spring makeovers, like the Fendi Spy Bag. The one in the middle is my new lust bag.
Even Bottega Veneta's infamous woven leather bags get an update this season after countless failed attempts this past S/S and F/W. Woven snakeskin on the left, and leather appliques on woven leather on the right. Very cutie but too mature for me.
I like Dior's turn from the ultra-feminine overly-sassed up logos and flowers to a more comfortably shabby chic. A nice twist to the been-there, done-that sadde bag! Probably the only dior bag I would ever get if I was forced to buy one. Heh.
Gucci takes the handbag a little too literally with these ultra-mini clutches. Nice embellishments, cutie fabrics, but come on! Some practicality please! Girls will have to convert to lipsticks in lieu of glosses to fit into these things.
And last but not least a shoe trend carried over from the New York shows, I absolutely love these Balenciaga versions. Missing the tongue but the same thick-trimmed look. I really like the one on the right but I have to think about those stones first. Don't want to look like Wilma Flinstone.
Now I shall wait patiently until October 9th for Louis Vuitton's Spring Show. My bit of anxiety is stemming from whether or not that bag from Bazaar will show up. Or maybe that's a Resort bag? Oh the suspense!!! I really hope it isn't available until January because I am not supposed to purchase any more bags this year.
