TRENDS AW 2019

AW TRENDS 2019- WOMEN

1. UNAPOLOGETC FLORALS

This season, florals are more extra than ever- including face masks - considered entirely viable options. Make like these high-end labels, and opt for styles with a muted base colour and bright, decorative petals splashed across.

2. WAIST BELTS

While a cinched waist is a timeless trait, it’s one which has fallen off the radar somewhat in high fashion circles due to the ever-growing fondness for a loose, undefined silhouette. Next season, however, it’s all change, and we’ll be reaching for our belts to wrap around everything, from knits to coats and everything in-between.

3. BROWN OUTERWEAR

If you had even half an eye on fashion week this season, you likely noticed the influx of tonal camel hues adorning the outfits of the street style set. Jump forward to the end of the year, and that same base shade gets an upgrade via sweeping midi coats.

4. CHECKS ON CHECKS

Last season saw clashing prints - think polka dots *with* stripes - prove popular, but next season the bold trend has been pared down to something somewhat more manageable. Essentially one single print, by autumn we'll all be re-investing in checks - we'll just be mixing the colours around a bit.

5. POINTED TOES 

This season's footwear focus is all about the pointed toe.

6. THE NEW PUFFER

The puffer jackets is rarely off-the-menu right now, but just as it looked set to become a slightly stagnant market the off-duty look is entering new realms as next season it becomes a viable dressed-up option. Whether it's cropped and metallic, wrapped and tonal or mid-lenth and cinched, freezing temperatures will pose no problem on nights out next winter.

7. OTT FLUFF

If sequins aren't your thing, add a bit of zhush to your look with playful textures. I.e. extreme fluff. To go full-feather, you'll need to forgo any concerns for a sleek silhouette and embrace the bulk. Pair an OTT coat atop a chic slip for an impactful moment you can take off once inside, or go full-throttle with a feathered dress for drama all night long.

8. ARGYLE KNITS 

Once the uniform of middle-aged golfers, argyle knitwear has had its highs and lows in the fashion world. But, according to this season's most popular runways, it's officially back in favour. Strictly saved for jumpers and cardigans, pair them with chic skirts for cozy days in the office.

9. GIANT BAGS

After seasons spent cramming only our very essential items into the teeniest, tiniest totes our phones would fit in, come autumn/winter our handbag-lip-balm-count will return to seven (minimum) as some of the coolest brands on the schedule dub it time to revisit practicality.

10. SEASONAL SPARKLE

2019's party season will welcome a whole host more sparkle. But unlike last year's sexy, almost predictable takes on the trend, next season sequins undertake a slightly more thoughtful aesthetic. From draped dresses to fringing and portraiture, Christmas-party-dressing looks set to be a whole lot more interesting.

AW TRENDS 2019-MEN

1. DENIM SUITS

For Autumn Winter ‘19 suits are back, but not as you know it. On the first day of London Fashion Week Men’s there were countless two pieces which hit the runways, but the majority were cut from denim rather than flannel.

2. OVERSIZED TRENCH COATS

For AW’19 the best takes include an oversized leather trench at John Lawrence Sullivan, a series of classic gabardine trenches in drapey proportions at wood wood, E Tautz and Daniel Fletcher; and our personal favourite, a series of neon taped, inside out-looking trench coats, neatly belted at the waist to balance their voluminous proportions, at Pronounce - the AW’19 show from the latter being a Saturday at LFWM highlight. Kent & Curwen's oversized trenches had a particularly preppy-meets-One Fine Day appeal, which felt surprisingly fresh.

3. HARRY POTTER SCARVES

Ultra-thick and looking as though they’ve been knitted by nanas, the big accessory trend for Autumn Winter ‘19 is for massively oversized scarves a la Harry Potter.

4. SPLIT LEG TROUSERS

Wide leg trousers with popper bottoms, are all the range for Autumn Winter ‘19. Designed to create a cleaner break when wearing a trouser with a wider base, this style works particularly worn with western boots.

5. MAN SKIRTS

Instead of two tubes of fabric, one sheathing each leg, for AW’19 London’s menswear designers have opted for a singular cylinder of fabric, otherwise known as a skirt for men.

6. LONG LINE PUFFER JACKETS

7. FUNERAL SUITS

Less silver service trainee, more mafioso at a funeral, slim-cut black tailoring a la Hedi Slimane’s heyday at Dior Homme was everywhere - particularly in Milan - this season.

8. LEOPARD PRINTS

For AW’19 leopard print was everywhere - from bright day-glo takes on the style, shown in fleeces at MSGM, to shaggy leopard coats at Versace, Celine, Dior and Marni, to that leopard print tuxedo at Philipp Plein.

9. VELVET

There was velvet a-plenty in Milano, from the classic tuxedos shown at Dolce & Gabbana, to the velvet suits (teamed with velvet shirts and velvet ties) at Ralph - and not forgetting the incredibly beautiful velvet suit jackets at Norbert Stumfl’s new Brioni and the host of deliciously syrupy velvet bombers and wide legged trousers at Emporio Armani, the key to wearing the trend is, well, to wear it head to toe.

10. BLACK BOVVER BOOTS

Heavy duty black boots are the biggest news for AW19, shoe-wise, and the trend is incredibly easy to absorb into your wardrobe.

FAD AND CLASSIC

FAD FASHION

A fad is a design that lasts only one season, or sometimes even less than a season. Fads tend to be at the extreme end of a design. Below are some examples of fad fashion.

CLASSIC FASHION

A classic fashion is a style that lasts for several seasons, sometimes even years, and is accepted by a wide range of people. Classics are those styles that you don’t even have to think about. You just know they will be acceptable from one year to the next. Here are some examples of classic fashion.

STYLE NAMES BASED ON THEIR HISTORICAL PERIOD

Some styles are named after the period of history they originated..

GRECIAN ERA

Clothing in ancient Greece primarily consisted of the chiton, peplos, himation, and chlamys. Ancient Greek men and women typically wore two pieces of clothing draped about the body: an undergarment (chiton or peplos) and a cloak (himation or chlamys). Ancient Greek clothing was particularly based on necessity, function, materials, and protection rather than identity. Thus, clothes were very simple, draped, loose-fitting and free flowing. Customarily, clothing was homemade and cut to various lengths of rectangular linen or wool fabric with minimal cutting or sewing, and secured with ornamental clasps or pins, and a belt, or girdle (zone). Pieces were generally interchangeable between men and women. However, women usually wore their robes to their ankles whereas men generally wore theirs to their knees depending on the occasion and circumstance.

ROMAN ERA

Our impression of an ancient Roman, is either that of the soldier in his tunic and with an overlay of heavy metal armour, or of the Roman senator dressed in a toga. Men wore a leather belt over a tunica which was made from two pieces of cloth, to which separate short sleeves were added. As ever, Roman women's dresses were a little different from the men's tunics. For example, they were often pale rose, or aqua. The female equivalent of the male Subacula (under tunic), was the Intusium, a sleeveless under-tunic. Women also wore a bust bodice called strophium (much like a sari bodice). The stola was worn by married women. It was a full-length, tunic worn by the women from their wedding day onwards. This was not a fashionable garment, more an everyday dress, which signified that the woman was married. Being full in length, the stola covered the feet, and had a lower border called the instita. Fashion changes in female Roman dress came in the form of a change of coloured Stola, and many a stola had a fancy border on the hem. Even Roman women loved to ring the changes. There were also accessories such as brooches. Roman women also wore headdresses especially if they had an important position in society.

RENAISSANCE ERA

Clothing played a large role in Renaissance society, as clothing in the Renaissance was all about defining and showing off one's social status. The wealthy displayed their wealth by wearing expensive fabrics such as silk, brocade, velvet, and cotton. Furs were also popular among those who could afford them, and oftentimes furs were used by the wealthy as lining on the inside of their garments. Darker colors were the fashion as elaborate embroidery and jewels were often sewn into the fabrics, and dark colors were able to show those features off more.The lower classes wore much simpler garments than the wealthy, though often trying to imitate the style of the wealthy. Wide sleeved chemises and tight bodices were common. While many fashions stemmed from the upper class, one very popular and recognizable fashion, especially among commoners, was a fashion and technique called "slashing" and was created by the common class.Women's style was extravagant and multi-layered. A wealthy woman's attire would often have at least five layers (a skirt, underskirt, bodice, over-bodice or vest, hoop and collar are standard pieces to women's wear). While the early Renaissance period had women wearing fewer layers that consisted usually of kirtle (frock) and gown, by the mid 1500s the women's silhouette was stiff but puffed out and padded with layers. One reason for the layers was simply that layers was a status symbol. The more clothes you were wearing, the wealthier you probably were. One popular fashion was the "Spanish Farthingale" which was a long cone shaped hoop skirt that women would wear with a corset to complete the cone shape. The corset, or 'stay' as it was sometimes referred to, was a garment that was stiffened so that it cinched the waist in and flattened the breasts as part of the thin, cone shape. The era gave rise to the corset as fashion.

GIBSON GIRL ERA

The 1890s through 1905  is part of the Edwardian era, otherwise known as the Gibson Girl era. This was the time for the two piece skirt and blouse set to emerge with style. Dana Gibson created the iconic Gibson Girl look with extra wide puffy tops and blouses paired with a curved corseted waist, a-line skirts, voluminous Gibson hair topped with a large flower and feather hats. This look lasted 25 years but gradually slimmed down to a more manageable fashion. Thanks to special clothing for bicycle riding, hiking and and horseback riding, women’s clothes were a bit shorter, freer and more comfortable than the preceding Victorian years. Men’s style was still formal from the Victorian era but ever so slightly getting more relaxed.

FLAPPER ERA

Flappers were a generation of young Western women in the 1920s who wore skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. Flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking, smoking cigarettes, driving automobiles, treating sex in a casual manner, and otherwise flouting social and sexual norms. 

FASHION LEADERS AND THE STYLES THEY POPULARIZED

STYLES POPULARIZED BY SOME FASHION LEADERS

CINDY CRAWFORD

The denim shorts, tie-front white shirt and silver hoop earrings Cindy Crawford wore in her iconic Super Bowl Pepsi advert in 1992 is arguably her most iconic look. She continued to be one of the most influential fashion icons. Her signature looks included shoulder pads, hair spray and red lipstick.

LADY DIANA

Pie-crust blouses and pastel ruffles whom the press nicknamed “Shy Di,” to the sleek and regal woman whose confident stride in embellished gowns and body-con velvet made her one of the most-photographed women in the world.

MARLENE DIETRICH

Marlene Dietrich popularized trousers for women and began the androgynous style well known today.

THE BEATLES

The Beatles popularized bright colors, and wore paisley suits and shirts and trousers with floral patterns. The Beatles also made Indian-influenced fashions such as collarless shirts and sandals popular.

MADONNA

Whether she is wearing navel-baring miniskirts, cone bras, or Gap jeans, Madonna has been a fashion leader since she became famous in the mid-1980s. Her signature looks include strands of beads, crucifixes and pearls.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

His exposed collar, bandana, unbuttoned shirt and leather jacket are few of his most iconic looks.

NANCY REAGAN

Reagan brought chic and simple glamour to her first lady wardrobe. Her business looks were predominately Chanel-inspired suits with pussy-bow blouses and her casual wear encapsulated the All-American attitude of her husband's office (simple slacks, button downs, sweaters and the occasional pair of blue jeans).