Recently, I attended a wonderful event hosted by Diet Coke and Darren Kennedy with Maven46 founder Tanya Grimson. Darren Kennedy is easily one of my favourite Irish fashionistos, and his delivery during this event just showed his love for fashion, while his banter with Tanya had us cracking up throughout. Inspired by the discussions on this season’s trends, today’s post is all about my favourite pieces that are available in stores now to get yourself ahead of the fashion game.
Leather
Leather is easily one of my favourite textures, from the classic to the patent and the more textured styles like saffiano and faux crocodile. This Autumn/Winter, expect leather to be an all-over trend on the streets of Dublin (and elsewhere) as many designers sent their models down the runway in head to toe leather. Look to Saint Laurent, Isabel Marant and Balmain for inspiration as the high street stores offer up a selection of trendy leathers. Black leather was the dominant trend, but of course a splash of colour will help spice up any outfit.
Check out stores River Island, & Other Stories, Reiss, Oasis, Next, Vero Moda and H&M for great leather trends.
Leopard Print
No doubt you’ve already seen this trend on every girl or guy walking down the street or at parties, the leopard animal print trend is surely very popular in Dublin. From tops and dresses to outerwear and accessories, the high street stores have really upped their game keeping up with this trend. During Fashion Week Calvin Klein, Victoria Beckham and Tom Ford showed off their feline side with big coats and mixed textures. Team yours with the above leather trend for an edgy look, or soft neutrals to let the animal in (and on) you really stand out. And if you’re looking for something with even more oomph, why not opt for the colourful variations like red or green.
Check out stores & Other Stories, Dunnes Stores, Next, Marks & Spencer, Topshop and H&M, or online at Missguided and PrettyLittleThing for plenty of animal print trends.
Return of the 80s
When I think of 1980s fashion, I think of exaggerated shoulders, neon colours, ruffles and masculine cuts, as well as metallic and of course, big hair! The Carrie Diaries gave us great inspiration a few years ago with its prequel to Sex and The City set in the mid 80s, and on the runway this season Saint Laurent, Balmain and Chanel all reintroduced us to the 80s era. The high street stores have taken these on board, with a lot of metallic nods, double-breasted blazers and plenty of colour too. Mix with leopard print and colourful biker jackets to really nail this trend.
Check out stores Next, Topshop, River Island, New Look, Stradivarius and Ted Baker for this 80s trend.
Check
No longer associated with workwear only, checks are a big trend for the Autumn/Winter season this year. Taking inspiration from designers Fendi, Emilia Wickstead and Christian Dior, look to the many different versions of checks, from the classic Prince of Wales to the lumberjack style, that are available on the high street. If you want to channel your inner Cher à la Clueless, there’s yellow check; while the tartan red is a great nod to the punk era too; and nude hues can be an ode to the classy styles of Burberry.
Check out stores Oasis, Marks & Spencer, Dunnes Stores, Monsoon, Jack Wills, Stradivarius, Next and Magee 1866 for all your check trends.
Fringe and Western
One trend that I was surprised about seeing for this season is the Fringe and Western trend, evident on runways at Isabel Marant and Chloé, as well as within the Zuhair Murad Autumn/Winter collection. From fringed suede to western details, lace and pussy bows, there was plenty of designer styles to be inspired by. And the high street has caught on with studded detail, mixing cowprint and a lot of fringe too. What’s more, the colour palette isn’t restricted to the tan hues, as red and pink prove popular. Don’t forget your cowgirl boots & buckles!
Check out stores Dunnes Stores, Next, Mango, Glamorous, Ted Baker, and online at Boohoo and ASOS for Western trends.
Mix and Match
If you are a fan of patterns and prints clashing, you’ll be delighted that so were a handful of designers this season. Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg and Tom Ford all sent down looks that were quite the mish-mash of prints or textures. High street stores do have a selection of this too on one piece, but it’s best to nab a few of the above and mix them altogether.
Check out stores River Island, & Other Stories and Glamorous for this mix and match trend.
Many thanks to Diet Coke, Darren Kennedy and Tanya Grimson for a wonderful and very inspiring event, and to Edelman Ireland for the invite. Now ladies, get shopping!
Photo: Anthony Woods
Nirina xx
Images © respective owners, courtesy of Vogue Runway, Getty Images
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