winter 2011

Fall 2010 Fashion Trends: Leopard Print

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged fall 2010 / leopard / prints / winter 2011 by

Leopard print always seems to make an appearance in Fall fashion. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, leopard print, and animal prints, are shied away from by Fashionistas. Leopard print always seems to be on the flashier side of fashion which, here in the understated Bay Area, can be frowned upon. This Fall, leopard is coming back with a vengeance, which could signal a softening here in the Bay Area, where Fashionistas may ponder the thought of adding a touch of animalistic va-voom to their Fall ensembles.

This year leopard print has taken on a whole new life. There are traditional leopard print designs on everything from Christian Louboutons to Tory Burch Booties to Dolce and Gabbana handbags to full and fabulous cheetah print dresses. Dries Van Noten is showing a beautiful jacket in full leopard print and of course Roberto Cavalli is showing everything animal print; cheetah and leopard. Ralph Lauren, who traditionally shows conservative styles has a bold cheetah print clutch for Fall in his collection.

There are some designers who have taken the animal print to new levels. Dolce and Gabbana has a fabulous blue leopard print handbag and Yves Saint Laurent has an amazing traditional leopard print hobo. Blumarine has opted to go Zebra with a fabulous pair of booties for Fall. Philip Lim has combined Minimalism with leopard print by creating a mini, crossbody handbag in grey leopard print.

This Fall, the animal print trend, which is heavy on the leopard, is a great way to liven up a neutral, 70’s silhouette or for adding pop to a Minimalism outfit. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, it is a good idea to shy away from the head-to-toe leopard look; although it works if you are going to Vegas for the weekend. Bay Area Fashionista would like to recommend sticking to an accessory such as leopard shoes, a leopard handbag or leopard print scarf. If you feel that is not animal enough for you, a leopard print jacket will suffice with a solid, neutral outfit. This is a great trend which will add the right amount of va-voom to any outfit. So if you have shopped your closet and there are no wild animals to be found, it is time to hit the mall. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

Fall 2010 Fashion Trends: The Return of 1970’s Fashion

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged 1970s / fall 2010 / vintage styles / winter 2011 by

Fall 2010 fashion trends are giving Fashionistas in the Bay Area a variety of choices to compliment ones’ personal style. In addition to 90s Minimalism  and the 50s full skirt silhouette , designers such as Gucci have given fashion savvy fashionistas, the option of channeling the 1970s. There could not be a better time for Fashionistas in the Bay Area to relive the styles and trends from the 1970s. After all, there is a chance we could re-elect Jerry Brown, aka Governor Moonbeam! If we do, California will experience a vivid deja-vu!

Frida Giannini designed amazing A-line jackets, boot-cut trousers and 70′ style handbags for Gucci’s Fall 2010 collection. Prada designed chunky cardigan sweaters reminiscent of the 70’s for the Fall 2010 collection. Salvatore Ferragamo reinvented the sweater vest, giving it a slight sparkle weave throughout the stitches. Ferregamo’s sweater vest can also be worn with the 90s Minimalism  look, adding a bit of sass to an otherwise all-black outfit. Calvin Klein’s thin, column dresses blurred the lines between 90s Minimalism color palettes and 70’s silhouettes. Gucci is also re-introducing the 1973 shoulder bag that was a huge hit for the fashion house int he mid-seventies.

The 1970’s styles that are being shown for Fall can easily be mixed with the 1990’s Minimalism  also prominent in Fall fashion. The colors are very similar with shades of brown, black and white. The 1973 Gucci shoulder bag can easily be paired with an all-black 90s Minimalism outfit comprised of black boot-cut trousers, black turtleneck and the Ferragamo, black with sparkles sweater vest. Top off the outfit with a red coat and Fall 2010 is born!

The flashback fashion trends for Fall 2010 are screaming for vintage finds. This is a great season to scour the vintage stores across the Bay Area and also check inside Mom’s closet or even Grandma’s closet. You never know what you could find! Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

HOT Shoe Trend for Fall 2010

 in General Fashion / Shoes / Trends  tagged fall 2010 / winter 2011 by

The hot shoe trend for Fall 2010 is the return of the dainty bow. Bows have been adoring the sides of Valentino pumps and Valentino handbags for the past several seasons, but the dainty bow was prominent in Fall fashion back in 2003. As designers return to proper dressing from the 1950s, the dainty bow bears an important part of completing the look. The full skirt paired with a short sleeved seater and vintage handbag make kitten heeled, pointed toe pumps with a bow, the perfect shoe to complete the feminine look.

Prada had the best show of bows for Fall 2010 with two tone leather high heels in varying heights, pointed toes and a sweet bow on top. The Prada bow is thin and reminiscent of the 2003 version that topped round toe pumps everywhere. Louis Vuitton showed a thicker version of the bow in a more formal, satin on velvet pump.Louis Vuittons’s high heels have a thick, covered stacked heel and sharply pointed toe. Miu Miu is showing a bold, two-tone platform with a small bow on top of the toes tied with a half inch thick leather. Christian Dior is topping off the Dior classic pump with a small bow, adding a bit of sass to the classic shoe. Of course, the holy grail of shoes designers, Christian Louboutin is giving Fashionistas a fabulous, kitten heel pump with a rounded pointy toe and a dainty bow over the toes in suede. Manolo Blahnik, the artist of shoe design, is giving shoe lovers everywhere a bow, of course Blahnik never does what all of the other designers are doing, so his bow is appearing on the back of his slingback high heels. So fabulous!

The bow is here for Fall 2010 and it is definitely the highlight for Fall shoe trends. Many Fashionistas in the Bay Area may already have a pair of high heels or kitten heels in the back of their closet from earlier in the decade, while others may need to make a trip to the mall! This is definitely a trend worth investing in. If you are concerned about the longevity of the bow, or if you may get tired of the bow, make sure the shoes you purchase have a bow that can easily be removed by a shoe repair. This can give new life to a pair of shoes that may otherwise end up in the back of your closet by 2012. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.