vintage styles

Fall 2010 Fashion: Channeling the Stepford Skirt

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged fall 2010 / runway / runway trends / skirts / vintage styles / winter 2011 by

The Fall 2010 runways in Paris, Milan and New York were a mix of 1990s minimalism, 1950s Stepford Wife apparel, military nods and rock and roll flair. The skirt and dress silhouette that stood out on the runways was the 1950s, Stepford Wife full skirt. The full skirt is meeting the leg half-way between the knee and the ankle giving the skirt a more modest place in fashion for Fall 2010.

Louis Vuitton showed a fabulous, full skirt in a light tan leather topped off with a 1950s style short sleeve sweater in baby yellow. The colors were a nod to Spring 2010 giving the look a soft transfer from Spring into Fall. Prada and Dries Van Noten both showed quiet colors on full skirted dresses and ballet flats. Ralph Lauren gave the full skirt a 1990s minimalism color palette and a 1980s fabric twist. Lauren’s take on the Stepford Wife suit is black taffeta. This suit is calling for a red handbag! By the way, red handbags will be all the rage in Fall, but we can discuss this in another post.

Fashionistas in the San Francisco Bay Area may shy away from wearing the full skirt on an everyday basis. The formal look of the silhouette lends itself well to special events such as weddings, showers, charity lunches and daytime holiday parties. The full skirt is not practical for running errands, strolling at the mall or sitting behind a  computer all day at work. The trend is definitely a breath of fresh air for fashionistas everywhere who are tired of the poor taste in skirts that many women have chosen to wear over the past few years.

Recession Tip: Interested in wearing the Stepford Wife silhouette this Fall? Look inside your closet. When the movie came out earlier in the decade there were full skirts on the market as well as full skirts with an asymmetrical hemline. You can pair your full skirt from a past season with a short sleeve sweater from this season or a wrap around sweater from one of the past two seasons. Tres chic! If you found a full skirt with an asymmetrical hemline, you can even out the hemline and re-hem it! If you do not have a sewing machine at home, your local tailor can do the job for you. Fabulous!

Whether you purchase a full skirt or dress, or you got lucky and found one in the back of your closet, this is definitely a trend to follow. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

Chanel Fall 2010 RTW Collection

 in General Fashion / Handbags  tagged 1990s / chanel / fall 2010 / minimalism / paris fashion week / runway / vintage styles by

Chanel has long been considered the benchmark of fashion for haute couture and ready to wear. Designers and clothing companies around the globe are inspired by the collections that Chanel puts on the runway every season. It may be no surprise that the upcoming fall season will be a reflection of what Chanel showed on the runway. As we know, 90’s minimalism was all over the runways in Paris, Milan and New York. This theme has been reflected in the ready to wear collections hitting the stores for Fall 2010.

The Chanel ready-to-wear collection for Fall 2010 will give any fashionista in the bay area a sense of deja-vu. Chanel’s collection is a sharp nod to the minimalism of the 1990’s. Black was the dominant color for suits, jackets and dresses. Asides from black, there was a large amount of charcoal and grey with a splash of red thrown into the mix. Chanel’s shoe line is almost completely black with one small hint of white trim. The signature camellia garnishes the toe box of Chanel’s flats for Fall. The handbag collection is clearly classic with a full line of 2.55 handbags and classic flap’s in mini, small, medium and jumbo. The classic collection is arriving in black, white, plum and a darker red. The red is actually quite stunning. It has more of a blue undertone as opposed to the brighter reds we have seen in the past few seasons. The contemporary handbags are classic in theme with clean lines and basic colors such as black, white and grey. Chanel is showing varying sizes of totes and shoulder bags that are variations of the classic collection. Anyone interested in a Chanel bag that is considered contemporary cannot go wrong this season. The handbags in this collection will not go out of style. They are true investment pieces. There is also a good mix of lambskin, caviar leather and sparkling patent leather. The patent plum is to die for!

The wonderful part about this upcoming Fall’s collections will be the classic lines and colors that allow bay area fashionistas to buy key wardrobe pieces that will never go out of style. Every fashionista can use a classic black Chanel tweed suit paired with a fabulous red patent leather classic flap handbag. This is the ultimate go-to outfit for any event; especially when the event is short notice! Happy shopping and stay fabulous!!

90’s Minimalism is Back!

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged 1990s / fall 2010 / historical fashion / minimalism / vintage styles by

The minimalist 1990’s were all over the Fall 2010 runways! After the decadent 1980’s where hair, earrings and shoulders were larger than life, there was a need for a break. In the 1990’s designers focused on subtle colors, softer patterns, clean lines and barely there jewelry. The Fall 2010 runways in Milan, Paris and New York looked strangely familiar. Models strutted down the runway in garments free of fuss. Hair was either neatly pulled back or smooth with waves dangling below the shoulder. Shoes showed cleaner lines with both flat soles and platforms. Handbags were boxy with less hardware than designers have shown in recent years. The one shock on the runway was the noticeable lack of jewelry!

In the 1990’s fashionistas in the bay area wore small hoops, tiny dangles and small post earrings. Necklaces were simple with a small pendant. The only jewelry that took on any life during the decade was the bracelet. There were beaded bracelets in the mid-1990’s and stacked gold bangles as we neared Y2K. The cuff made a few appearances throughout the decade as well as beaded mineral bracelets with healing powers.

There were a few glimpses of jewelry on the runway for Fall 2010. Marni showed a sixteen inch silver and gemstone chocker worn over a camel coat. Marni also previewed an intricate layered necklace look with mixture of gemstones in varying shapes and sizes worn with a simple deep-V frock. Oscar de la Renta put a large, red and bronze medieval necklace over white fur paired with a red leather and crocodile belt. Dolce & Gabbana had a model donning a simple gold heart on a thin eighteen inch chain worn with a simple black blazer and lace camisole.

Since the minimalism of the 90’s has returned for Fall 2010, fashionistas in the bay area have the perfect opportunity to stock up on classic items such as camel coats, black blazers and classic handbags with clean lines. This is also the perfect season to shop your closet! We know there is a little bit of the 90’s in there somewhere  So pull out your little black dress, black pumps and camel coat; because that is all you really need to get started for Fall. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.