She's in fashion: Autumn 11 Trends

Head first
Heads came in for more attention than ever on the autumn 11 catwalks, as designers experimented with differing means of adornment - bonnets and pillboxes at Marc Jacobs. Floppy, 1970s big-brims at Tommy Hilfiger. Velvet crowns at Vivienne Westwood. Wool felt, sequin, and fur chin-strap helmets at Prada. Flat caps and cow-print baker boy caps at Burberry. Little hats with panther ears at Givenchy. Helmets made of hundreds of silver pins at Alexander McQueen. Bellboy and mon colonel caps at Louis Vuitton. Hoods and snoods at Jil Sander and Hermès. A hat designed to look like a hen on Coco Rocha at Moschino. Feathered cloches at John Galliano.
And when it wasn’t headgear, it was wildly coloured hair, such as the rainbow-striped, walnut whip styles at Yohji Yamamoto, or the candy-pink wigs at Paul Costelloe. What does this say to us about jewellery? Expect fantasy floral head gear as at Lanvin, perhaps scattered with semi-precious jewels; bejewelled hatpins and brooches for all those caps and berets; and flower tiaras strewn with crystals as at Nina Ricci.

Work it in jewellery with:
“Always popular with the bridal market, tiaras are the ultimate in bejewelled headwear, and this silver tiara from Farah Qureshi is spot on. The tiara is inspired by fairytales and a branch structure, and has semi-precious stones scattered across the top. Brooches are also a great way to accessorise headwear,” says IJL Event Director Syreeta Tranfield.

Stick your neck out
The neck prompted a positive frenzy of ornamentation and exaggeration. Giles Deacon offered Elizabethan ruffs in his own collection, and buckled collars in his showing for Emanuel Ungaro. Christopher Kane added necklaces of gel-filled plastic to his sheer and opaque LBDs.

High and strong collars finished off dresses, shirts, jackets and coats at Balenciaga, Alexander Wang, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Jonathan Saunders, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu, and 3.1 Phillip Lim. Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton suggested white PVC maids’ collars and cuffs, and Antonio Marras added severe governess shirt-collars.
The androgyny mood, most keenly felt at Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and, to a lesser extent, at Diane Von Furstenberg (the gaucho) and Gucci (the dandy), suggested a need for fancy tiepins and brooches to sparkle up those cravats.

Donna Karan filled in her necklines with ropes of pastel pearls, Preen added beaded collars to the necks of dresses, and Giorgio Armani draped his models with breastplate jewellery in rock crystals and charms, which cascaded from neck to waist.

Work it in jewellery with
“Statement necklaces were seen at IJL last year and I think we will still see large, eye-catching necklaces in keeping with this trend, alongside smaller, delicate pieces, which is another current trend - there seems to be room for both. Babette Wasserman is using oversized crystals, described as catwalk-inspired pieces, and other
designers are using interesting materials, as well as creating tribal-themed collections,” says IJL Event Director Sam Willoughby.
Waisting away
Miuccia Prada may have dropped the waistline to the hip, in a post-modern nod to Courrèges, and the dropped waist was certainly a feature on many catwalks, including Acne, Betty Jackson, Yves Saint Laurent and Burberry, but the belt remained a key accessory.
It was cinched-in, corset-mode, at Louis Vuitton, Giles, and Emilio Pucci; sashed with a flower corsage at Antonio Marras, with a narrow strip of leather at YSL
and a leather peplum at Marios Schwab, or with
jewelled rope, at Anne Valerie Hash; and big-buckled
hip action was pioneered by Prada. Jewelled and prominent buckles will become a key focus.
Work it in jewellery with:
“As well as jewelled buckles, jewellery can feature
buckles - this Mark Milton bracelet for example.
The Moltissimo jewellery collection [by Henrich + Denzel] features buckle-style decoration, and the whole collection is interesting due to the combination of elegant platinum or 18ct rose gold with high-quality leather. I think the Venilia Time watch would also look great with the Anne Valerie Hash outfit,” says Tranfield.
Go for Baroque
Hemlines dropped to mid-calf or the ankle. Body-con stepped back into the spotlight at Versace and Stella McCartney, among others, while the new cocoon shape, particularly strong at Victoria Beckham and Jil Sander, provided the volume frame of reference.
Sleeves were bigger than ever, and the high, wide and handsome or sharply defined shoulder pinpointed the newest, tailored silhouette, particularly at Céline and Miu Miu.
But what drew the eye time and time again was the rich, textural contrasts in the clothes themselves: a blend of furs, tweed, cashmere, chiffon and leather at Fendi; a suede, mink, feather, and zigzag knit mix at Missoni; the bourgeois, kitsch-chic look of a brocade and mink après-ski ensemble with matching shopping trolley at Jean Paul Gaultier; and the hip-historical effect of an over-the-knee boot in
ruby or emerald velvet, encrusted
with Swarovski crystals and sequins,
as at Alberta Ferretti.
Then there were the patterns and prints: swirled into a patchwork potpourri at Dries Van Noten; slightly hallucinatory with lizards and iguanas at Balenciaga; dazzling, digitalised Renaissance florals at Erdem; inspired by Native American blankets at Proenza Schouler; and a masai-meets-highlander crossover at Thakoon.
This was eclectic eccentricity at its most elegant and extreme. It will inspire rich, real-looking jewels that could have stepped out of an Old Master, and multicoloured,
multi-stone necklaces and brooches worthy of a maharajah.
Work it in jewellery with:
“I think that bold, rich jewellery will suit this trend. The sumptuous yellow gold and the delicious richness of the fire opal in Andrew Geoghegan’s Satellite cocktail ring is certainly worthy of a Maharajah’s treasure trove. There will also be plenty of multi-stoned, multicoloured pieces at IJL this year,” says Willoughby.
The wild side
Snarling panthers at Givenchy, wolves and eagles at Emanuel Ungaro, a snake pit of serpentry at Chloé, a real falcon at Hermès, and a jungle of cheetah, tiger and zebra prints, mixed with body armour and feather and foxtail neck pieces at Roberto Cavalli.
There was a menagerie of inspiration, which will surely give rise to Navajo and Sioux pendants, big cat spot and stripe necklaces, snake armbands and tooth and claw charms. Even more raw was the fetish chic that came out of the shadows in the collections by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, Nicola Formichetti for Mugler, and Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy.
Think black as midnight PVC, latex, stretch and tulle; peekaboo cutaways, lace masks, dominatrix boots and bondage collars. And the jewellery? Mr Jacobs has already thought of that - 14ct gold handcuffs embellished with crystals and
semi-precious stones.
Work it in
jewellery with:
“Embellished gold cuffs, which suit this trend, will definitely be at IJL, and I have also noticed that designers are using animalistic designs and themes - animal prints and figurines will be seen by some of the more experimental designers in particular. This trend is exciting and fun, and there will be some interesting takes on it at the show,” says Tranfield.

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