Trendspotter's autumn/winter guide
And so to autumn. Like it or not, if you don't get ready this very moment for what is to come, you'll be left in last year's finery. Yes, there is a gap between reality and retail but you have to mind that gap. We understand it's difficult to decide on sweater dresses before September - not to mention fur before February - so we asked the experts. Following are the thoughts of five leading international retailers on the season: what you need, what you might want to consider, and what is absolutely unnecessary but also absolutely fabulous.
Know this from the beginning, however: certain themes are prominent; certain decades and styles ubiquitous, and they are vastly disparate; as a result, it's hard to imagine a personality who won't be able to find something to drag them gorgeously into the future. Simone Heift, for example, of Berlin's trend-setting department store Quartier 206, sees the revival of the 1960s and 1970s as the biggest statement for the winter; Olivia Richardson by contrast, head buyer at Liberty in London, thinks masculine tailoring will be the most important look, with trousers a key item. Linda Fargo, fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman (NY) and Ikram Goldman, owner of Ikram in Chicago, meanwhile, both believe a change in proportion and silhouette is crucial: "Sculptural tops and tunics over very narrow pants or leggings, or voluminous waisted pants paired with ultra shaped blouses and jackets" will be the purchases with the most impact on a wardrobe, says Fargo. And yet, for David Cheung of Villa Moda in Kuwait, military is still the answer to the battle of what-to-wear.
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The trousers
Trousers are the key piece of the season according to the panelists, and they are all about extremes, whether ultra-skinny leggings or billowy wide turn-ups. So choose either (and it depends on body type) but definitely choose one. Richardson likes the wider cuts of Hussein Chalayan, which include a turn-up at the bottom, while Fargo was drawn to both skinny and flared styles, and suggested YSL for the first, Chanel and Marni for the second. Heift loved the three-quarter-length Dolce & Gabbana versions. In Kuwait, Cheung opted for YSL, as he felt they were classic with a twist, and in Chicago, Goldman thought "it was more about leggings than a pant", and that meant Rick Owens' high-waisted trousers, "skinny, but not 1980s tight, and not voluminously wide".
www.chanel.comwww.marni-international.comwww.ysl.com www.dolcegabbana.itHussein Chalayan - available at Harrods, Liberty and Selfridges
The jacket
If you have a yen to push your own style boundaries for autumn/winter, do it with a jacket, as pretty much anything goes. For Heift, Dolce & Gabbana's uniform double-breasted look, either in the shorter or longer version, made the biggest statement; Fargo nominated Oscar de la Renta's short-sleeve cropped jacket with rosette and Richardson went with Alexander McQueen's grey flannel. "I think he always does amazing jackets but this one, with an unconventional tie at the front, was incredibly fitted and very nice," she said. Goldman, however, chose new designer Elise Overland's shrunken crocodile with "hand-made silver-studded buttons. Inside, it had a flower silk print; exquisite."
www.alexandermcqueen.comThe coat
You may always need a coat in cold weather but this winter you also need to make a statement with your coat according to Cheung, who felt the strongest example was Prada's fur with double pockets. Fargo opted for the Akris textured, double faced, wool cinch-waisted style, while Goldman was drawn to Lanvin's full-length option with three-quarter-length sleeves: "It was big, voluminous, multi-layered and made of pony with a long- haired goat collar. The three-quarter- length sleeve meant you can wear a great glove - beautiful!" According to Richardson, "Preen did this lovely herringbone wrap-collar coat in a bubble shape. A lot of people had done that shaped coat but it was only there that I saw it in herringbone" - a plus because it picks up on the trend for masculine touches. For a casual look, Heift also suggested Prada but instead of a fur she chose the olive grey duffle with pocket embroidery and a fur hood. "The fabric was very rich but the cut was sporty and I loved that combination," she said.
www.prada.comwww.akris.chwww.lanvin.comPreen, tel: +44 (0)20-7704 8866
The dress
Dresses make a nice counterpart to all the masculine tailoring going around this winter and the panelists suggest playing up their femininity. Goldman, thus, chose a red number by Lanvin with "elbow sleeves: voluminous but it had a lot of shape and was just a very modern romantic way to look". Heift liked a flowy dress by PHI - "It was very Ossie Clark, with wild floral patterns" - and Cheung the much more formal beaded pearl Dolce & Gabbana empire-waist gown: "There were only three produced and we've taken two of those," he boasted. In London, Richardson went for the Gharani Strock, which "I think was inspired by the Roland Mouret galaxy dress. It's wool with long sleeves and has a camel neck but it has corseting detail so it holds you in and is more structured." Finally, Fargo selected a Tuleh "utterly feminine drawn floral silk sheath with a dramatic oversized rosette perched on the shoulder."
www.Phicollection.comwww.gharanistrok.co.ukThe skirt
Though Richardson felt there had been a definite lack of skirts on the catwalk, Heift still extolled the virtues of Jil Sander's perfect pencil - "The simpler the look, the more difficult it becomes, and they clearly made a statement here," she said - while Goldman liked the more surprising and idiosyncratic hand-painted minis by Miu Miu. "They were high waisted, cut on the bias and came in different colours," she said. "Nobody else did a skirt like that." Cheung agreed with Goldman but Fargo went in another direction and selected the Calvin Klein herringbone slit pencil skirt because it transformed a traditional men's wear pattern in a "fresh, inventive" way.
www.jilsander.comwww.miumiu.comwww.calvinklein.comThe shoes
The perfect shoes are actually boots according to almost all the panelists, with Goldman choosing Devi Kroell's flat, above-the-knee, snake-skin style as "the perfect boot of the season because you could wear those oversized sweaters and little leggings". Heift liked Lanvin's suede boot, which is "very elegant and works perfectly with the whole 1960s and 70s theme", or for another look, Dolce & Gabbana's riding boots, while Fargo favoured the Pedro Garcia Booties. However, for Cheung the shoe to choose was the Miu Miu wooden wedge with the siren on the heel. "It's such a difficult piece but our clients are very inquisitive about it," he says. "There's a lot of interest and demand, and it's not even in the shops yet". And for Richardson, it was a patent leather peep toe, with a little bow on the front by Marc Jacobs.
www.devikroell.comwww.marcjacobs.comThe bag
Bags are big, this season, metaphorically as always but also literally, so think a Balenciaga Lariat or a Burberry quilted shopper. "I loved the collection by Miu Miu, which was smoked-looking with a gold buckle and comes in suede and leather, but Marc Jacobs does amazing big bags, which are also great," says Heift. The oversized Prada ruched bag was the one for Fargo; Cheung chose the 85th anniversary Gucci, tartan and horsebit print hobo, as Villa Moda had a waiting list for it almost the moment it appeared. "It's luxurious but still has the brand image, and hobo is our number one selling shape," he says. In London, Richardson chose the Mulberry Emmy because of the Kate Moss endorsement. For a dressier look, Goldman suggests "The VBH oval egg-shaped alligator clutch, with a silver trim."
www.burberry.comwww.mulberry.comEvening
Evening sees a return to elegance. "Martin Grant did a beautiful black evening dress made of taffeta, very fitted through the body and then went into a fuller knee-length skirt with a black appliquéd flower," says Richardson of her optimal piece. "Lanvin do amazing cocktail dresses but if it's a big evening, then I would say Rochas," says Heift, especially now that the brand has been closed and designer Olivier Theysken's last collection might become collectors' items. For Goldman, the must-have dress was by Givenchy: long, belted and in black shredded chiffon. "It was all sheer tulle on top, so almost looked strapless, was backless, sleeveless and incredibly sexy," she says. Cheung, meanwhile, chose Gucci's gold liquid slither, and Fargo selected Channel's fitted ribbon jacket over its wide-leg trouser (even for evening, trousers rule).
www.martingrantparis.comwww.rochas.comwww.givenchy.com www.gucci.comWeekend
No rules, no consensus seems to be the conclusion, though most experts shied away from big brands and went for more unique, independent labels. "We just added Tory Burch to our portfolio, the price point is great and she does great basics," says Heift. For Goldman, there was still nothing like the Duro Olowu multi-print empire-waist dress that caused such a stir last year: "It's the easiest throw-on dress, it's short- sleeved and it's perfect for every occasion." Fargo decided on the Libertine sweatshirt with Sass and Bide skinny jean but Richardson chose a label new to Liberty called Metalicus, which specialises in making tops out of woven fabric using the same technique that's employed for tights. "It comes in all these mad colours which you layer up in different ways, which is a really strong look," she said.
www.duroolowu.comwww.toryburch.comwww.sassandbide.com www.metalicus.comThe splurge
"Leather is back," says Heift. "Everyone should have one great leather piece for fall. Haider Ackermann did amazing stretch leather pants that were almost leggings." More traditionally, Richardson opted for the Biba bags: "They retail for about ￡1,000 so are quite extravagant but they're just exquisite, really structured and the total investment is definitely worth it." Goldman similarly felt no compunction about suggesting a $10,000 necklace by Alexandra Rivera. "It's made of hammered gold disks with dispersed diamond brio lays all along the edge. It's very dainty and elegant," she says. Finally, Cheung liked the Bottega Veneta woven Cavat bag and Fargo Chado Ralph Rucci's show-stopping hand-painted, one-shouldered, jet beaded gown.
秋冬怎么穿？
不
知不觉又到了秋天。不管喜欢与否，如果此刻还不开始为即将到来的秋冬季节做准备，就只能穿去年那些过时服饰了。的确，现实穿着和零售华服之间存在差距，但你得留意这种差距。我们知道，在9月来临之前很难选定针织衫外套，更别提在2月之前选购皮草了，因此我们请教了几位专家。以下是五位顶级国际零售商对本季服饰的看法：什么是你需要的，什么是你可能考虑的，以及什么是绝对不必要但又绝对惊艳夺目的。
但一开始你就需要明白一点：某些主题突出醒目；某些年代的时尚和款式无处不在，但风格迥异；因此，很难想象时尚名人们无法从中发掘亮点，将这些主题和风格华美绝伦地融入未来潮流之中。比如，引领风尚的柏林百货商店206号客栈(Quartier 206)的西蒙娜?海夫特(Simone Heift)，就将20世纪60年代和70年代风格复兴视为今冬最亮丽的时尚宣言；相比之下，伦敦自由百货公司(Liberty)的采购主管奥莉维亚?理查森(Olivia Richardson)则认为，具有男性气息的剪裁将是最主流的样式，其中长裤是关键。精品百货伯格多夫?古德曼(Bergdorf Goodman)纽约店的时尚总监琳达?法戈(Linda Fargo)，以及芝加哥伊克拉姆(Ikram)的拥有者伊克拉姆?戈德曼(Ikram Goldman)认为，剪裁比例和轮廓的变化都至关重要：“线条流畅的上装和束腰外衣搭配窄脚裤或紧身裤，亦或宽松的及腰长裤搭配特别有型的宽松上衣和夹克”将是对衣橱最具冲击力的购买之选，法戈如是说。然而，科威特高档品零售商Villa Moda的戴维?陈(David Cheung)则认为，军装风格仍然是穿衣之争的答案。
长裤
据这几位专家称，长裤是本季的关键服饰，而且他们都各走极端，要么是超级贴身的紧身裤，要么就是宽松肥大的翻边裤。因此你可以选择其中任意一款（这取决于体型），但一定要选一款。理查森喜欢侯赛因?差拉扬(Hussein Chalayan)较宽松的剪裁，裤脚处有翻边，而法戈则同时青睐紧身和宽松两种风格，她首推圣罗兰(YSL)，其次为夏奈尔(Chanel)和玛尼(Marni)。海夫特喜欢杜嘉班纳(Dolce & Gabbana)的七分裤样式。科威特的陈推荐圣罗兰，因为他觉得这个品牌既具经典气质，又有变奏风情。而芝加哥的戈德曼认为，“紧身裤将比宽松裤更加流行”，这意味着里克?欧文斯(Rick Owens)的“紧身（但没有20世纪80年代那么紧）但并不过分宽松的”高腰裤将成为人们的首选。
www.chanel.com www.marni-international.com www.ysl.com www.dolcegabbana.it 侯赛因?差拉扬设计的时装在哈洛斯(Harrods)、 自由和赛尔夫瑞至(Selfridges)有售
夹克
如果你渴望拓展自己的秋冬时尚服饰，那就买一件夹克，它能达到任何其它服饰的效果。对海夫特来说，杜嘉班纳统一的双排扣样式（无论是短款还是长款）最能体现流行趋势；法戈则提名奥斯卡?德拉伦塔(Oscar de la Renta)圆形花饰短袖夹克，而理查森推荐了亚历山大?麦奎恩(Alexander McQueen)的灰色法兰绒夹克。“我认为他设计的夹克总是令人惊叹，但这款夹克胸前配了一条毫不俗气的领带，与夹克搭配得天衣无缝，非常漂亮，”她说道。然而，戈德曼则选择了设计师新贵伊莉思?奥弗兰(Elise Overland)的缩水鳄鱼皮夹克，这款夹克配有“手工镶银钮扣，在内衬上还有丝绸印花，非常精致高雅。”
www.alexandermcqueen.com 外套
在天气寒冷的季节里，你可能经常需要一件外套，但根据陈的观点，今冬你还需要利用外套来彰显时尚。他觉得，最具代表性的就是普拉达(Prada)的双兜皮草外套。法戈选择了阿克里斯(Akris)带羊毛腰带的双面织纹外套，而戈德曼则被朗万(Lanvin)七分袖的全长外套所吸引：“这款外套肥大、宽松，采用多层次设计，由马驹毛制成，而领子是长毛山羊毛。七分袖意味着，你可以戴一副亮眼的手套――漂亮极了！”在理查森的眼中，“普瑞恩(Preen)这件包领泡泡状外套十分可爱，采用了人字形织物。很多人都设计过这种外形的外套，但这是我见过的唯一一款采用人字形织物的外套”――这是一个额外的优点，因为它符合本季流行的男性格调。如果想穿得休闲点，海夫特建议还是选择普拉达，但这回可不是皮草外套，而是带皮帽和刺绣口袋的橄榄灰短大衣。“这款外套的布料质地非常紧密，但剪裁清爽利落，我喜欢这种组合，”她说道。
www.prada.com www.akris.ch www.lanvin.com 普瑞恩，电话: +44 (0)20-7704 886
礼服
礼服与今冬流行的所有男性气息剪裁相得益彰，这几位专家建议发挥其女性温柔的特质。因此，戈德曼挑选了朗万出品的红色“短袖款式：宽松但富于变化，在观感上采取了一种非常现代的罗曼蒂克手法”。海夫特喜欢PHI的一款飘逸女装――“具有浓重的奥西?克拉克(Ossie Clark)风格，带有大胆花型图案”。而陈偏爱杜嘉班纳高腰礼服，它的风格正式得多，并且饰以珍珠：这款礼服“只生产了三件，而我们买下了两件，”他夸耀说。伦敦的理查森青睐加拉尼?斯特洛克(Gharani Strock)，“我认为它的灵感来自罗兰德?毛利特(Roland Mouret)银河系列女装。其质地为羊毛，长袖、驼色领子，带有紧身胸衣细节设计，因此它能起到束身作用，而且更加富有立体层次。”最后，法戈选择的是Tuleh一款“富有女性气息的花饰图案丝绸紧身衣，肩部饰有夸张的玫瑰花结。”
www.Phicollection.com www.gharanistrok.co.uk 裙装
尽管理查森感觉时装走秀中的裙装明显偏少，海夫特仍然推崇吉尔?桑德(Jil Sander)完美紧身窄裙的优点，她说：“外观越简约，设计难度就越大，而此处它们显然体现了时尚的魅力。”而戈德曼喜欢Miu Miu更为出人意料的个人化手绘迷你裙系列。“它们是高腰斜裁款式，颜色多变，”她说。“没有其他人这样设计裙子。”陈同意戈德曼的看法，但法戈的观点却有所不同，他选择的是卡尔文?克莱(Calvin Klein)下摆人字开叉的紧身窄裙，因为它以一种“新鲜的创造性”方式，对传统的男装样式进行了改造。
www.jilsander.comwww.miumiu.com www.calvinklein.com美鞋
这些专家几乎全都认为，最理想的鞋子是靴子，戈德曼选择了Devi Kroell的过膝平跟蛇皮长靴，将之作为“当季最完美的靴子，因为你可以穿上那些宽大的针织衫和小巧的紧身裤”。海夫特喜欢朗万的小山羊皮靴，它“非常雅致，成为60年代和70年代所有复古主题的完美搭配”，而就其它风格而言，他对杜嘉班纳的马靴也颇为青睐。法戈偏爱佩德罗?加西亚(Pedro Garcia)短靴。陈选的鞋子则是Miu Miu的木质坡跟鞋，鞋跟装有发声器。“这双鞋如此难穿，但我们的客户对它很好奇，”他说。“很多人对它感兴趣，想要买，但它连商店都还没进呢。”理查森的选择是漆皮露趾皮鞋，前端有个小蝴蝶结，这款鞋出自马克?雅各布斯(Marc Jacobs)之手。
www.devikroell.com www.marcjacobs.com 坤包
本季流行的坤包都是大号的，通常这样说来有些夸张，但并不与现实相违背，巴黎世家?拉里亚特(Balenciaga Lariat)或者巴宝莉(Burberry)软衬包的买家也是这么想的。“我喜爱Miu Miu系列，看上去仿佛烟熏过的样子，带有金色搭扣，用料是小山羊皮和皮革，而马克?雅各布斯设计了令人惊叹的大包，非常棒，”海夫特说。法戈选的是普拉达一款超大款褶饰包。陈选择了古姿(Gucci)85周年纪念款――格子与马衔炼图案hobo手提袋，几乎在它面世的那一刻，Villa Moda就有了一张订购名单。“它奢华但不失品牌形象，hobo是我们卖得最好的款式，”他表示。伦敦的理查森选择了穆宝莉?艾美(Mulberry Emmy)，因为它得到了超模凯特?莫斯(Kate Moss)的青睐。想要更考究的样式，戈德曼建议购买“VBH椭圆形美洲鳄皮系列，上面饰有银边。”
www.burberry.com www.mulberry.com晚礼服
晚礼服正在回归高雅。“马丁?格兰特(Martin Grant)设计了一款雅致的黑色塔夫绸晚礼服，贴合上身，然后过渡到稍稍过膝的黑色贴花短裙，”理查森这样评价她的理想之选。“朗万设计的正式短裙令人炫目，但如果是盛大晚会，我推荐罗莎(Rochas)，”海夫特说，尤其是这个品牌现已停产，设计师奥利维耶?泰斯肯(Olivier Theysken)的最后系列或许会成为收藏家的囊中物。对戈德曼来说，必须拥有的礼服是纪梵希(Givenchy)的作品：修长、带腰带，质地是黑色碎花雪纺绸。“上身是纯粹的薄纱，看上去好像没有吊带，露背、无袖，性感得令人难以置信，”她说。陈选择了古姿面料柔滑的金色礼服，法戈选中夏奈尔的定制礼服，缎带上衣，下身是宽松裤（即便晚会也能胜任）。
www.martingrantparis.com www.rochas.com www.givenchy.com www.gucci.com周末休闲装
结论似乎是没有规则、没有共识，但大多数专家都避开了大品牌，专门挑选更多独特且独立的品牌。“我们只是在品牌组合中增加了托里?伯奇(Tory Burch)，定价很合理，基本元素做得很不错，”海夫特表示。戈德曼仍没有像杜罗?奥罗武(Duro Olowu)多色印染高腰裙装这样的产品，去年这种裙装引起了巨大轰动：“这种裙子穿起来最简单，短袖，完全适合各种场合。”法戈决定选取利伯蒂娜(Libertine)的运动衫，并与萨思与百德(Sass and Bide)紧身牛仔裤搭配。而理查森却选择了新入驻自由百货的品牌梅塔莉瑟斯(Metalicus)，该品牌专门用机织面料制作上装，制作工艺与紧身衣一样。“这个品牌色彩齐全大胆，可以用不同方法将色彩层层叠起，看上去真是抢眼，”她说。
www.duroolowu.comwww.toryburch.com www.sassandbide.com www.metalicus.com 奢华款式
“皮革又流行起来了，”海夫特说。“秋季，人人都应该有一件皮革服装。海德?阿克曼(Haider Ackermann)制作的弹性皮裤十分出色，几乎像紧身裤。”理查森更传统，因而选择了Biba手袋：“手袋零售价1000英镑左右，相当昂贵，但十分精致，构造的确不错，整个投资物有所值。”戈德曼建议购买标价1万英镑的亚历山大拉?里维拉(Alexandra Rivera)项链，她对这样做同样也不感到难为情。“项链用手工敲成的小金盘制成，外沿饰满椭圆形钻石，十分讲究、十分优雅。”她说。最后，陈钟情于维琴察工坊(Bottega Veneta)手工编织的Cavat皮包，法戈则青睐沙杜?拉尔夫?鲁奇(Chado Ralph Rucci)长裙，这款手绘单肩裙子饰有黑曜石珠子，令人叹为观止。
www.bibaexperience.com www.bottegaveneta.com Chado Ralph
