FASHION’S HOT TRENDS (Autumn 2008- Winter 2009)

The Runway Fasion Trends You Can Actually Wear

While some clothes and accessories like sheer pants, bondage dresses, cleavage revealing dresses, stomach baring crop tops, are better left to the red-carpet, there are plenty of in-vogue styles that anyone can pull-off.

Remember, that the job of celebrities is to look good and create fashion statements. For them buying clothes, shoes, bags, accessories are investment. This is not the case with every woman or for that matter even for every man. However it is important that we look good and in-vogue. We also need to update our wardrobe every now and then - with change in season, fashion and even because the clothes are worn-off. So whatever you buy, ensure that your shopping is in-line with the current fashion but at the same time the items are classy and can be worn even in times to come. Some indulgence now and then is needed. But you don't want to run in debt to keep in line with the current trend.

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Below are 7 Fashion's Hot Trends, but the items below are something which you can carry every season and will not look like borrowed from your mother.

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1. Biker Jackets
Pick up this hot new trend - The Biker Jacket. The biker jacket has been much updated in the past couple of years and makes a great fashion statement. They make for a tougher look that doesn’t lose out on femininity.

The most striking and inspiring jackets this season were seen from the House of Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Rick Owens and Alexander McQueen.

Kate Moss in a biker jacket, smartly teamed with a simple tee and jeans.

You don’t have to get your biker jacket in tired ol’ leather anymore (we love animals anyways). There are lot of other fabric options available on the racks – cotton, cotton blends, denim, faux denim. Fabrics that sparkle and shine in biker looks give a new edginess to this favourite retro fashion. So drop by and take a peek.


Love this patterned biker jacket

Keep your accessories and other fashion details to a minimum with the biker jacket. To make an interesting fashion statement, pair a biker jacket with floral, feminine prints for a contrast. Add some boots and you'll be ready for a casual evening out. Pair the same biker jacket and boots with leggings or skinny jeans, and a turtleneck sweater for an all day weekend look. This piece will serve you well. You can also layer it with simple tops and jeans and a smart bag to complete the ensemble.


2. Lace

One of the easiest and most fashionable looks to keep you right-on-trend this season is to wear a little lace. Gorgeous, feminine, sexy, yet sophisticated this season is all for lace.

(Balmain Lace Dress) ..................................................(Prada)

This year's fall runways were rich in lace, from Milan, Paris, London and New York. This season sees lace in all shapes and forms, from lace-covered purses and shoes, to lace dresses, skirts and even coats. Lace is a sure winner this season and was much favoured in Prada’s catwalk. Prada pulled out all the stops with her use of Swiss lace, in fact it's so crusty that was also used to make lace handbags.

A shot of colour is the alternative way to work this season’s lace obsession – as seen at Erdem and Prada.

How to Wear Lace
This season, lace has been shunned as only a fabric for evening wear and has moved on to being a daytime fashion staple.
- As lace provides the main fabric of an outfit rather than just edging or fringing, be careful not to kill the look with fussy accessories. Keep cuts simple and sophisticated. Wear sleek shoes (patent pumps?) and plain purses.
- Wear transparent lace dresses over high turtle-neck sweaters and big boy short-style knickers.
- To achieve this season's gothic undertones, wear black lace against alabster skin.

- For a dinner with friends wear a black lacy shirt blouse with a satin camisole with a skirt, skinny pants or jeans and accessorize with a pearl string. It looks lovely.

- For an ultra-modern twist, team lace outfits with brightly coloured opaques. - If you prefer your lace in moderation then choose a lace covered handbag (think Valentino’s lavender lace purse or Prada’s Piazzo S Lace Satchel) or a pair of sophisticated lacy pumps or lace ankle boots.

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To keep it simple and chic, accessorise with lacey bag, shoes or hairband. Both, shoes and bag, are from Karen Millen.

The lace looks await women and the elegant dressing will delight men...... (its not just for lingerie).


3. Embellishments

This is really the season to shine. This season every fashion collection seemed to manage to slip in a heavily embellished dress. The runway favourite was Balmain.

Oscar de la Renta Fall 2008 collection, lace embellishment dress. Just the right look.

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You don’t have to wait ’til Saturday night to get your sequins out…but neither do you want to get mistaken for a disco ball. Wear subtle smattering of sequins by day and heavy embellishments for night. Go with one sequinned item and combine with neutral, matte accessories, such as a sequinned mini-dress with woolly tights, or a skirt with a muted black jacket.

On the left is a sequinned dress, the colour gives it a subtle touch is sexy yet sophisticated. On right is a black sequinned jacket, can be teamed with a dress or worn as a shrug with a simple vest.

This skirt is from Vikaram Phadnis; love the colour and the way the top and skirt are teamed. An embellished skirt can make a very good style statement.

4. Satin

Satin is hot this season. It dominated the runway and added chic touch to even the most casual pieces.



The top fabric choice of designers this season, satin, was used for evening dresses, cocktail dresses, shorts, blouses, trench coats, clutches and the lining of hoods. Also on the ramp were seen satin trousers – satin trousers from Giorgio Armani were a hit this season. For gals on budget, you can pick a smart pair of satin trousers from high street shops; have seen some good pairs at Mango. Combined for evening with the season’s other must-have fabric, satin added a chic touch to even the most casual pieces.

Satin dress and satin shoes are a must-have this season. Satin shoes go very well with Indian sarees and salwar-kameez. We are bored of cheap crystal or sequin shoes that ladies team with their heavy Indian ensemble. Upgrade your wardrobe with smart satin heels. They add a zing to any outfit and look super sexy. And yes, the Satin Dress, they are a limelight of any party. But be sure of wearing the right colour. Black is the safest bet. You can also sport a nice colour that will flatter your skin tone and not look to 'loud'.

Twinkle Khanna in a Nicole Miller Satin Dress at HDIL Coutoure. The colour looks awesome. Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities are sporting lots of satin dresses, shirts and skirts this season, and it really looks glamourous,sexy and sophisticated.

How to wear it
- Wear a satin shirt inside a jacket. This look can be carried from boardroom to a dinner party or maybe even a formal lunch. Satin immedialtely brightens the look. For your office do's ensure the shirt is subtle, you don't want to look like a party girl.
- For a night party a Satin Dress can work wonders. Make sure it fits you well. Satin dresses are not very easy to carry off and does not suit all body types - the fabric clinges to the body and can show every bulge of your body. So be cautious in your pick.
- A satin band is very easy to carry and instantly adds zing to your face and can brighten your complete look.
- Don't overdo the satin trend, mix one or two pieces at a time.

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5. Purple

Purple has traditionally represented luxury, royalty, wealth and sophistication; this color of power also has a feminine and romantic appeal. And PURPLE is hot this season as seen in Alberta Ferretti, Ralph Lauren, Just Cavalli’s catwalk. Aubergine, magenta, plum, violet and other shades of purple were among the top shades on designer’s colour palettes.

I loved this Micheal Kors Purple Dress. The colour looks rich, the dress is very elegant and sophisticated and the belt clinched to the waist completes the look perfectly.

Purple is an easy colour to carry off on its own or mixed with other shades and goes beautifully with black, grey and denim. If you’re after a more subtle look, stack on the purple accessories.



Here are some tips for matching your mood or occasion with the perfect shade of purple:
- Let your passions shine through for a night out on the town - go glam by swathing yourself in deep, rich jewel tones paired with metallic details and accessories.
- Opt for less pungent shades such as lilac and lavender for a feminine daytime ensemble.
- Add just a dash of the purple trend to any outfit with a purple sash, bolero, tights, belt or shoe.
- Be bold with a deep purple coat, trousers, blouse, shift dress or evening gown.


6. Ruffles

Ruffles are everywhere at the moment from celebrities to fashion savvy women, all seem to be loving the ruffles.

Ruffled tops, skirts and dresses wed drama and elegance. They add the femininie sexy touch to your ensemble. The tops can be your essential element for an impossibly chic outfit, whether the form is basic or billowing.

Ruffled Skirt - House of Holland, its so feminine and chic, love it

How to wear it

- You can wear a ruffled cami top with a cardigan and layer it with necklaces,

- Team a simple shirt with a ruffled skirt (love the ruffled skirt and polka dot ensemble from House of Holland above).

- Tuck a nice ruffled shirt into slim fitting pants or jeans.

- If you want the focus to be on your ruffled blouse, pair tops with streamlined skirts.

- A ruffled dress looks chic, but keep everything else subtle else it may be a fashion faux pas.

- For a more casual look team a cotton ruffle blouse with jeans and cute pumps.




7. Tartan, Plaid and Tweed

A successor to the lumberjack trend that swept through the earlier part of the year, plaid as one of the big Autumn (Fall)/Winter 2008 / 2009 fasion trends is much more demure.

Plaid patterns on anything from jackets to skirts to blouses and tights. Rather than the traditional red tartans, 2009's plaid embraces a palette of muted greys, blues, greens and browns. British country styles are the underlying influence.

This powerful print is favored by designers like Ralph Lauren, D & G and Marc Jacobs in their latest collection.


Left Skirt is from Karen Millen and the bag is from French Connection
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How to wear it
Find interesting variations on check patterns and plaids; if you want to play it safe stick to a single plaid piece per outfit; if you're more daring try different pieces in mis-matching plaid and tartan patterns.
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One of the best ways to flaunt your taste for plaids/tartan is with accessories (but not too many!). If you want to take the trend to the next level, wear one tartan piece such as a dress, skirt or jacket and team with classic colours like black or grey.

There are several things to bear in mind when purchasing your tartan, plaid. You need to think carefully about the colour, the style of the item, the pattern size and your body shape.

The geometric "shape" of tartan is best suited to "Rectangular" or "Lean Column" body shapes. Curvy bodies do not suit this pattern quite so well, but never fear, a tartan scarf or handbag in complimentary colours is all you need to make a fashion statement. "Triangles" can build up their upper half with a nice tartan jacket or short coat. You may need to visit an image consultant and have a style consultation to ascertain your body shape.

There are a large number of tartan tights around, but these are really for the young with long slim legs. The pattern can give the appearance of width so probably best avoided by most.
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Although plaid clothing is trendy for fall, some of the larger patterns can sometimes look overwhelming on petites. If plaid clothing is too much pattern for your petite frame, try adding plaid to your wardrobe with accessories.

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Also wear lots of patterns this season. Here are the dominant trends:
- Monochrome: Black over black over black.
- Argyles
- Origami
- Geometric art prints in bold colors
- Mesh
- Floral prints in intense colors
- Mismatched tweeds: Metallic. Gold, Silver bronze, and mercury combined

Patterns were seen everywhere on the runways this season. The right is a floral dress from Michael Kors Spring 2009 collection and the left mettalic collection is by John Richmond (Spring 2009) both from Milan Fashion Week.

Related Links:

Purple Reigns on the Fall Runway

decals are so irresistible

My pure white set was begging for some butterflies, so I gave in...

dawn to dusk

Today was one of my New York City Days. On these days I get up at 4:30am and don't get home till 10pm. I take the train, and the views are fantastic if you sit on the ocean side.

This you will see going there...

And this you will see coming back...
If you are heading to NYC, catch the early train, and remember to claim an ocean-view seat.

transferware, the modern version

Many customers ask me how I get the images onto my pieces. It is a process I learned at RISD, thanks to Jacqueline Rice, one of my ceramics professors.

Here is my transfer process: There exists a laser printer cartridge containing a colorant that is commonly used in glaze recipes, and it fits into a regular laser printer. I feed special paper through the printer. Any image I want is printed on the surface.

When the paper gets wet, a film with the image floats off, similar to a fake tattoo. I apply this film to the surface of a glazed piece.

I then fire the piece one more time, a third firing (the previous two being a bisque and a glaze fire). During the firing the film burns off, the image melts into the glaze, and turns a sepia color, which works well with the glaze colors I use. Because the image has melted into the glaze, it is permanent and food safe. Voila!

It is not as easy as it sounds. It took me a while to find a glaze that would behave well in a third firing and not totally dissolve the transfer image. Still, I get glitches. Like mysterious bubbles on some items, while the rest in the same kiln are perfect. Still learning to let go...

Earrings - your fashion statement

, Just a pair of earrings can glam up any outfit. From jeans and basic tops to saree and salwar kameez to that little black dress – the right pair can make a difference to any outfit. Not only does a good pair of earrings draw attention to you, they give you a free spirited vibe which is so sexy. It can make a simple outfit of a T-shirt and jeans look put together and can turn simple evening frocks into showstopping ensembles. There's a pair out there for everyone. Go ahead and try some on.

There are earrings for all occasions - the boardroom, work, casual outings, your wedding, a night out, or a day at the beach. They can bring out your softer feminine side, the sexy goddess, or present simple charm, sophistication and elegance.

How to wear it?
The right pair of earrings can enhance any outfit, hairstyle, makeup and even other pieces of jewellery. But it requires a keen sense of shape, color and style to match the right earrings with the rest of your look.

One mistake people often make is, they over-accesorize. Its often the case that with heavy dress people tend to wear heavier jewellery and in-line with it heavy earrings. They assume that their earring has to be flashier than what they are wearing.

Generally simpler earrings look best with complex necklaces. If both the earrings and necklace are extravagant, it's possible to look overdone. Larger chandelier or big earrings can be worn alone without a necklace or possibly with a simple necklace or you will look overloaded.


(Sunita Gowarikar has teamed gold earrings with her heavy saree and kept her neck bare so as not to look overdone)

Show off your neck and bare your shoulders when you wear chandelier earrings, for the sexiest effect. There are subtle ways earrings enhance your looks, improving your sex appeal.

Earring color should complement your skin tone and the color and style of your outfit. Try to either balance bold colors with neutral or wear complementary colors throughout.

The shape of the earrings can also make you look better through optical illusions. A round face would look slimmer when you wear long earrings that emphasise a vertical line. Long rectangle earrings can be adjusted to make your face look slimmer. Dangling earrings slim the face too. However, you may want to rethink those round hoops, or button earrings. These will just accentuate the roundness. If you want to wear hoops, choose some that are slightly oval, elongated, or even square or triangular. This will add some length to your face. Flat features look sharper with angular earrings. The sharp lines of the earrings make your features look sharper. A too angular face looks softer with round earrings. Circles and ovals incorporated into the earring design gives the features a softer look.

Hairstyle plays an important part too. Long hair worn in an updo - This is the most versatile hairstyle in that any set of earrings will look fabulous! Long hair worn down - Long drop earrings or bold chandelier earrings go well with hair worn down. Short hair - The saying that those with short hair should generally choose short and dainty earrings is a passe. When you hair is short you can choose to wear all kinds of earrings studs, hoops, chandeliers, almost anything.

Wearing your diamond studs
The single beautifully cut diamond set in understated gold or silver proves to be a timeless, trendy piece of jewellery. You can wear diamond studs with both casual and dressy clothes. Whether you are wearing a jogging suit or a dress, these can work well. Find a size big enough to show up against your hair, but not so large that they are overpowering.

The sophistication of a diamond studs earring lies in its simplicity, and you should try to avoid over-complication or too much embellishment.

Some people have a habit of wearing such big solitaires that those earrings totally overpower their look. It looks like they want to scream to be seen and shout ‘hey I have loads of money so I bought big rocks’. You can afford big solitaires does not mean you really have to buy them. Too big size can immediately add a few years to your age. Instead of buying big solitaires, that does not suit your face, go for smaller size (and if you are wanting to splurge then buy good quality solitaires in terms of colour and clarity, maybe a D colour diamond).

If you still wish to wear big sized solitaire studs, and you feel it looks too big on your face, you can change the style of wearing. Instead of wearing them as stud, you can hang them in a small hoop with diamonds or in wire.



Always in fashion - Hoop Earrings
You never have to worry about whether or not hoop earrings are in style, because they're classic, something you can wear forever. My favourites are the diamond hoops in white gold, they never go out of fashion, you can wear them with almost everything and instantly brighten up the look (see the picture gallery below for a classic diamond hoop design).

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Creating the rage - Amrapali
Bored and tired of experiencing the same old gold and silver designs at your "family" jeweller? Is your fashion sense numbed each time you wear any of the pieces? Amrapali is your answer.

Amrapali is one of India's premiere fine jewellery houses who are renowned for their beautiful, modern interpretations of classical Indian fine jewellery. Their forte lies in extremely intricate crafting blended with beautiful mélange of different gems, in both ethnic as well as contemporary designs. Their creations are worn by many models the world over. Halle Berry is one of the many admirers of Amrapali and has been seen in their creations many-a-times.

You can add a touch of dazzle and style to your outfit with one of the Amrapali or Amrapali-like earrings. They look classy and will never date.


Good Designs
It is often difficult to find good pair of earrings or if you do then they may be exorbitantly expensive. You can always get a good pair of earrings custom made from your family jeweller or if you don't have one, find a good jeweller who can custom-make it for you but ensure that his workmanship is good and gives you certified diamonds.

I have provided some good designs below that you can get custom-made:

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(the above two designs are of de Grisgono. These earrings are made from black diamonds)




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You can get really nice pair of diamond earrings at great prices from Abazias. All their diamonds are thoroughly quality checked and certified. So you don't need to worry on the quality or the price. At the best part is, their designs are lovely.


Related Posts:
Wedding Jewelry
Earrings - your fashion statement .. cont
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