Haute off the runway

Sujata Assomull
Fashion Writer
Last year, fashion's ultimate editor Anna Wintour said she thought trend was a dirty word. Yet you can believe that her magazine will, for the next few months, be all about what the new trends are for Fall 2016. The one constant in fashion is change, and what Wintour probably meant is that following a trend does not make you fashionable. The days of being able to sum up a season with one look, or one word are over, thankfully. Fashion is finally celebrating personal style so that grunge and glamour can co-exist in one season; what is stylish is adapting trends to suit you. Which is why now fashion celebrates many different trends each season, for instance, this season while there is a return to old style glamour, there is an embracing of 1980s punk.

CAPES RULE CATWALKS

There is a definite feel of being retrospective right now. Perhaps all the change in Europe, the uncertainty of elections in America and the feeling of general disorder has made fashion look back to times of prosperity and peace. From Elizabethan ruffles, Victorian lace to old style glamour of the 1950s and references to the decade of decadence, the 1980s; it is time to flick through those history books and get inspired.

The strong trends that come out of this mood are the caplets, the power suits and an emphasis on the waist. Capes have been doing the rounds for a while but they get a fresh update with the caplet-Tommy Hilfiger goes vintage with military detailing while Missoni's use of colour takes the caplet into a more playful space.

PANT SUITS ARE IN

What you wear under your caplet can vary from a long beaded gown (this season no one did these better than Alexander McQueen) to a power suit. For some, the 1980's were perhaps fashion's ugliest decade; for others it was the time of sheer indulgence. Think Alexis Colby meets Gwyneth Paltrow, as pinstripes and plaid trousers suits are the one addition every women of substance and style must make to her wardrobe this season. They key is tailoring, so look for fashion houses known for their sartorial savvy such as Max Mara and Jason Wu. When shopping for a power suit, think like a man, and look at fit and fabric before anything else. And as far as colour goes, opt for every well-dressed man's favourite colour: grey. It is a neutral for this season. There really are 50 shades of grey so choose the tone that looks best with your colouring.

VELVET IS TOP FABRIC

The Fall season may start in September but the season peaks in December; the month of festivity and so fall trends every year have a rather indulgent feel to them. And this year bringing that out is a heavy use of velvet. Always look for silk velvets, these have the most lustre and shine. You can update your little black dress by going velvet as Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy did in his Fall runway show. Be it Valentino or Vetements, velvet was the fabric of choice. And if you really want to take this trend seriously, combine it with the idea of the powersuit. From Bottega Veneta's easy elegant tuxedo in purple to Roberto Cavalli's full regal take on this in colour and style, why not pay a tribute to Prince this fall?

THE ONE-SHOULDER RULE
Another 1980's trends that goes through a "redux" is the one shoulder. For a while now, the shoulder has been fashion's new erogenous zone, with bare (or as we in fashion call "cold") shoulder as summer's most with-it trend. And this bare shoulder moves into a one shoulder for Fall. In fact, arms and shoulders receive a lot of attention as the statement sleeves flutter into fashion forefront this Fall.

TINSEL MAKES A COMEBACK
And while we are talking festive, this fall is all about Christmas as sparkly tinsel become fashion's new decorative add-on. It's not mere metallic fringes, Erdem's show-stopping piece for this season was a long sleeved sheath dripping in gold tinsel. Adam Selman and Oscar de la Renta went the glitter-galore way too. So deck up.

RISE OF THE GUCCI GIRL

Gucci deserves a special mention when it comes to Fall 2016. And if you are looking to add one designer piece this fall, than it must be Gucci. There was a time when it Paris was fashion's darling; the city of power brands Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel and Hermes or Lanvin's easy, elegant, take on fashion. But now Milan is once again firmly back on the fashion map thanks to Gucci's Alessandro Michele. His Gucci girl is romantic, poetic and unashamedly eccentric. His more whimsical style has made every high street brand re-examine its approach to fashion. While the Fall/Winter 2016 collection was more ladylike than his previous, it was still full of the magical mix and match that fashion editors love about Michele.