Fanglong Fashion

The fall and winter fashion showings began modestly in London, picked up steam in Milan, sizzled during the first few days of the French shows and then fizzled out by the end of last week. Everything went limp. Visitors to the shows were stunned by too much — or too little — fashion. Divergent trends seemed to cancel each other out.

without compromise

At 67 years old, with 44 years’ experience in the fashion industry, Giorgio christian louboutinis immune to the nostalgia that periodically infects fashion.

While the rest of Milan fashion week is awash with 70s-style muslin peasant blouses, the designer described his catwalk show yesterday as “a collection that does not look back to the past uncompromisingly modern”.

Not that is about to strike out in a new direction. This collection had every signature, from elegantly unstructured jackets and drawstring trousers to pure, balletic evening dresses and quietly chic, flat.

Much of the show had typicallyesque boyish overtones. Models wore boxy jackets and wide, cropped trousers in navy, black and white, their hair tucked under baseball caps which were twisted at the back.

Much sexier, though, were the fitted, low-necked, one-button trouser suits in grey and cream houndstooth and, for evening, backless black or white taffeta tuxedo suits. Evening dresses showed off the craftmanship of thestudio. A flesh-coloured sheath was embroidered from shoulder to toe with leaves and climbing flowers made of blue crystal beads; plunging camisoles were encrusted with jet spiderwebs.

For the finale, the muted tones turned to fiery red, with sequinned handkerchief tops teamed with sheer circle skirts heavily embellished with scarlet beaded flowers.

This was the inaugural show for theTeatro, the designer’s 682-seat theatre, which is the centrepiece of the label’s headquarters – a former factory turned into a concrete and glass palace.

Tadao Ando, the Japanese architect of the conversion, which is in Milan’s once downtrodden but now increasingly fashionable Porta Genova canal district, was chosen by Christian Louboutin for his “beautiful, functional, not too luxurious” style. christian louboutin shoes described the theatre, which accommodates a conventional stage as well as the fashion catwalk, as “a small present” to Milan.

For three weeks, myriad pretty dresses were paraded by myriad ravishing models. At the end, even the most professional fashion watchers could not state definitively that hemlines would descend almost to the floor next fall or that legs would be back on view. For a while in the beginning, it seemed that really long skirts were generally accepted by designers with aspirations to style leadership. By the end of the showing season, the situation was fuzzy.

Karl Lagerfeld had put legs back in the limelight with his authoritative collection for Chanel. He was so persuasive that short skirts no longer seemed the exclusive province of the middle-aged and those reluctant to accept change.

Despite the fashion diffusion, some trends turned up repeatedly, from collection to collection as well as from country to country. Here are some that will influence the styles that stores will be offering next fall.

Knitted clothes have returned to fashion’s center stage. Of course, sweaters have never disappeared — they’re far too useful. But it’s not sweaters alone that are coming back. The roster includes knitted jackets, dresses, coats and even crocheted vests that carry echoes of the 1970′s.

Black is the best color for evening, said Oscar de la Renta, who designed the Pierre Balmain collection. There was hardly a designer, with the exception of a few on the fringe of the avant-garde, who would disagree with him. There are literally thousands of dresses in thin fabrics like chiffon waiting to beckon seductively from store racks and windows next fall. These sheer dresses offering peekaboo glimpses of legs, midriffs and bodices will be supplemented by suits in wool, leather and velvet.

Velvet deserves separate mention, for it is not limited to evening. For daytime trousers, velvet is almost as ubiquitous as denim and tweed. These rich-looking pants are often paired with bright or solemn tweed or flannel jackets. For evening, velvet pants and leather jackets are an important duo. Add a white shirt for a most contemporary look.

The white shirt is more than a fashion footnote. It is an important key to fall dressing. Mr. Lagerfeld let shirttails float over his short Chanel skirts. Gianfranco Ferre tucked them into the waistbands of his long leather skirts at Dior. It is a crisp, clean, useful style, more practical than many more exotic entries in the fall fashion race.

Among the exotic styles are the many ethnic fashions. The time, place and precise culture these clothes are supposed to suggest doesn’t seem to matter. The shapes aren’t particularly exotic, but the patterns and colors introduce brightness into the mostly sober collections.

Among the general movements discernible in the collections is that fashion is moving away from strictly tailored suits, and a feeling for softness is taking over. It is better, for instance, to mix the patterns of a jacket and a skirt and pants than to have them match. (It is even desirable to mix a few patterns in the jacket itself, like having the sleeves in a different plaid than the body.)

All of this implies a good deal of freedom in choosing clothes next fall.

One of the cheerful and practical bits of news is that designers everywhere have taken care to develop good-looking winter coats. The princess coat with a great flaring skirt (long enough to graze the shoe tops) is a knockout at many collections. Designers who in the past were content to throw a shawl over a suit or offer a raincoat or two have now taken pains with the design of coats. The most arresting are in bright red.

Delicate ankle-high laced and chunky boots with corrugated rubber soles are the footwear of choice day or night. Sneakers are acceptable (especially those with the Chanel logo), but plain good-taste pumps are not. That’s the way designers see it.

It was obviously not the best fashion season in Europe. No young Lacroix emerged with a pouf skirt that would sweep the world and invigorate other designers. In Paris, especially, it was not the moment for a great creative breakthrough. Relying on superb fabrics and prestigious workmanship, the Italian designers suffered less of a setback. But they did not aspire too high. And they had Giorgio on the one hand to take care of good practical, classic daytime fashion, and Gianni Versace on the other to cast the die for sexy clothes.

Perhaps it is time for fashion designers to take a cool, clear look at how women are living. It might give their clothes more relevance. American designers, who will introduce their collections next week, might do just that.

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The days are getting shorter and cooler and the kids are back at school — fall is in full swing. With each new fall comes an exciting array of new clothing styles and fashions that are ideal for crisp temperatures. Before you add to your autumn wardrobe, take a look at these fall fashion tips for 2009.

Two materials expected to be popular this fall are leather and velvet. Leather can be used for just about anything — jackets, pants, skirts, even dresses — although good quality leather can be expensive. And velvet, once considered rather prim and old-fashioned, is expected to be a popular choice this fall, especially in the form of short and eye-catching dresses. Velvet has been featured in the collections of many top designers on runways around the world.

Black and white designs are traditionally more popular during the warmer weather, but this fall should see an increase in the use of the two striking colors. If you are wearing black and white, remember to wear white over the parts of the body you want to show off and black over the parts that you want to de-emphasize.

And in striking contrast, colorful print styles are also making something of a comeback in fall 2009, particularly on slim pants, leggings and skirts. Two popular designers, Boutique Chic and Pamela McCoy both offer some reasonably priced print designs.

One of the most popular and daring trends this fall is the return of shoulder baring tops and dresses by many designers. Not only is this look bold, but it’s also versatile and allows for several different looks. It can be worn just as effectively to the office or to a special occasion. Some of the blouses and tops that feature the bare shoulder look have a halter or a single strap, while some are just slightly off the shoulder. This style also looks particularly attractive when accompanied by a basic up sweep hairstyle.

If you are looking for a new pair of shoes to complement that new outfit, you may see fewer choices this fall. Most designers have also concentrated on practicality and simplicity, rather than elaborate and fancy designs. Darker colors will be in vogue, like black, dark blue, dark green and violet, and details will be kept minimal. Two significant trends for fall 2009 will be over the knee boots and ankle lacing boots. Inspired by the military, these boots can be worn discreetly under a long skirt or pants. Platforms are another hot footwear item this fall.

For some women, an outfit isn’t complete without the right handbag. This fall there are plenty of exciting new styles and looks to choose from. Embellishments and details are in this year, like sequins, gemstones and studs, as are chain handles and straps. The new Guess collection of handbags features plenty of chains, whereas Gucci is safely concentrating on the classics with simple and stylish designs featuring various textures, materials and fabrics.

Fall fashion isn’t just for the ladies. Men can enjoy some new styles and trends too. Fashion experts also predict that in general, men’s clothing will be cut slightly shorter and trimmer this fall. Plaid and denim clothing and thickly knitted sweaters and cardigans are said to be very popular this year. Belted coats, long scarves and deep V-necked cardigans will all be fashionable, as well as wearing work clothes as casual wear, like chic jeans and heavy style work boots, for example.

A good suit is never out of fashion and fall 2009 sees the return of a style that was popular around 40 years ago — the classic three piece suit. If you are striving to be fashionable, choose a waistcoat that matches the other two pieces, rather than something mismatched. Double-breasted suits are also fashionable this fall, particularly those with a slim waist and longer lapels.

And if you are getting married during the next few months, there are several fall trends in wedding dresses that you’ll want to take note of. There is truly something for every bride. Hemline gowns that are shorter in the back, rather than the front, and high neckline dresses with bold accents, particularly in green and blue, are anticipated to be tremendously fashionable. For the ultimate in wedding versatility and style this fall, several designers have introduced a wedding and party dress in one combination, so there’s no need to change after the ceremony!

Fall is all about change. Take a cue from the changing leaves and beautiful landscape. This fall, why not embrace some stylish fashion forward trends and update your wardrobe for the cooler weather?

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Fall, the time of harvest is really a favorite season of mine. It evokes a sense of freshness and cheerfulness. How to choose color to perfectly reflect the cheerfulness of the season? Well, the Pantone has just released its color forecast of the Fall 2009 fashion trend.

Actually, it doesn’t mean that we should choose great pop bright colors to create unique or distinctive looks for the great fall season. Instead, now the color palette tends to become gentler. The colors themselves reflect the tough economic times with a selection of an appealing pastel palette devoid of any of the overpowering statement tones we have seen in the past few years. The move away from the statement colors will provide a safer purchase to allow a little more wear from your wardrobe during these times of economic instability.

The selection stays true to form of the past few years with a definite nature inspired overtones, but take a definite downshift from spring’s richer resort holiday inspired colors. Noted in the report is even though the palette is diverse with a broad spectrum of colors, they should still hold up to create a cohesive combination, which we guess is up to the designer.

Top 1: Inspired by Nature

The fall season does have a strong relationship with fragrancy of fruit and soil. I am just the person who always cry for nature, without any affectation. Thus, inspried by nature, here comes the grass green, sweet orange and classic brown colors. absolutely a warm line that would widely popular all over the world.

Top 2: Life Sea

What kind of colors can live harmonious with the modern high-rise? It must be the natural neutral ones. No matter the clear blue gray or the clean sky blue, both of them look so gorgeous, elegant and gentle. Even it is the best color line being used in the office.

Top 3: Unique Personality

It is no doubt that shiny bright colors including eye-catching green and chic fuchsia appear enough stylish, lively and modern to soften the season, making it just like in the vigorous spring days. You see, the current released Louis Vuitton handbags of Monogram Vernis Roses just perfectly proved the saying. So just let these fresh colors to decorate our life.

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It’s time to put away the gladiator sandals and floral prints of summer.  Fall fashion is here and rocking runways across the country.  But there’s no need to worry, you don’t have to break the bank to keep with these saucy trends, it’s all about looking good for less.

In times of economic distress it is a must to pinch pennies and splurge only on the key items.  Peter Howe, assistant Professor of economics states, “The economic downturn is concerning and will induce budget minded people.”  A necessary splurge for budget minded people would be a  great bag and fabulous pair of pumps, which will make any cheap-chic ensemble look like a million bucks.  Fall fashion is all about mixing inexpensive vintage pieces with pricier pieces. “It’s all about the layered, just threw it together look”, adds sophmore and Fashion Design major, Isaac Schweitzer. If you are going to go cheap on the clothes it is worth it to spend the extra money on a bag and shoes, these essential pieces can make or break your fall look.

Fringe is all the rage this fall, you can’t go wrong with a fringed bag or fringed boots.  Michael Kor’s Michael collection offers a wide variety of boots and bags all in fringe.  Steve Madden also offers a less expensive variety.  Kyrstin Himes, a sophmore and Fashion Merchandising major claims, “Cute jackets and fringy moccasins or boots” are definitely worth splurging on.  Platforms and pumps in bold outrageous hues are also this seasons must haves.  Green, purple, blue, you name it, colorful and geometric shoes are super spicy for the fall season.  Not everyone can afford to pay thousands for a pair by Yves Saint Laurent or Christian Louboutin, no worry!  Retail stores such as Target and H&M offer cheaper versions of these hot trends.

When it comes to clothes, it’s all about layering and vintage.  Associate professor of Fashion Studies, Karen Steen states that her favorite trends include “Lots of prints and embellishments on everything from accessories to t-shirts to dresses.”  Details such as these don’t stop at clothes.  Caitlin Schulman, Junior and Fashion Design major, states, “Trends for this fall are fur, gloves with buttons and plaids, also hats I think will def be a big ?trend.  I think also turtlenecks or big collars on coats, sweaters, and knits.”  Big collars and fur are a great way to make any look really “pop.”  Deep earth tones and rich colors are the classics for fall.  Schulman adds, “browns, reds, and greens, even navy blues!!” Target has a phenomenal collection of inexpensive scarves and gloves in various colors and fun patterns.  They are also known to have featured collections by certain designers at a low price.

With the darker shades for fall makeup and clothes you want to brighten up the look with chunky gold accessories.  Bangles, charm bracelets, hoop or stud earrings, and big gem rings are a great way to add some glitz to any look.  Forever 21 carries an abundance of great fall accessories as well as fall trends.

With radiant fall trends splashing the pages of Vogue and Elle every girl wants to be a part of the ever-changing fashion forward trends.  Whether you have thousands to spend or just a few hundred, emulating great fall fashion is simple at any cost.  Once you know the dos and don’ts of fall all you have to do is begin the hunt for cheap and chic finds in discount stores.

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