It’s that time of year again when most of the tribe are back from their holidays and it’s the beginning of a new academic year. It was first starting nursery, then school, then university and now for this year’s graduates, hopefully, it’s starting work. September is also the fashion show season. London’s Fashion Week has just finished on Tuesday, New York was the week before and those interested will continue to watch as Milan and then finally Paris present their style innovations.
It is different this year as instead of showing a spring collection for buyers to order now with stock arriving in their stores next March/April, some brands were showing ‘see now, buy now’ or ‘runway to retail’ collections. Either way, in reality this doesn’t directly affect me as I only paint one-offs, but I do keep an eye on the changing trends. Mostly I’m interested in trends for colours and the feel of the overall palette that is on offer. This September I’ve noticed the odd glimpse of orange amongst all the very patterned designs from brands still showing designs for next spring. However, it appears theĀ ‘see now, buy now’ presentations as shown by Burberry have logically chosen colours that feel more seasonally now, more autumnal, with hints of old gold, muted pink and dark plum amongst the black and grey.
As you can see above there’s plenty of black and grey generally popular for northern winters. I’m not holding my breath that there is going to be a sudden shift away to more colourful clothing to brighten our grey winter days. Wearing high fashion can be akin to a high-wire act, and for women over 40 it can be downright treacherous and inevitably blacks and greys remain the tried and tested favourites for mortals. And, you can always add colourful accessories to otherwise understated combinations to refresh and update your look.
Blacks and greys are fine, but, I guess at heart I am traditional as when I think of autumn I think of warm browns, old gold and burnt orange.
Anyway, after all that, here are two little black crows flying off into their futures . . . . .
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Agnes Ashe 
I took a number of my usual bright colours with me to that writing course I did in Paris a couple of autumns back. I quickly discovered that marked me as lacking culture from the Parisienne woman’s perspective, and marked me as a tourist from the street scammers perspective . By week 3 I had toned it down to the black/grey palette, stopped feeling like I a tourist, and could stride past those petty crims. Another example of the chameleon š In our part of the world, the big demarcation is white pants in summer, black in winter, any colour you like on top.
Beautifully summed up!! I don’t get the fashion world’s obsession with black. Even when the models are strolling the catwalks in bright colours the front row audience/fashion pack ‘mediating’ taste are decked out in black.
I wore black to a ball recently and hated it. I can’t even stand to look at the photos. I have another ball coming up :(- Have you ever bought from the Chinese on-line sellers of prom/party dresses? Would you have a recommendation please? I know you have had mixed experiences with the silk for your scarves . . .
The biggest problem with buying from the Chinese online sellers is the colours are often wildly wrong for garments – don’t know why. Several of the youngsters we know bought their prom dresses that way with mixed results. I think it does depend on how much you are spending and whether you are buying a dress made from natural or synthetic fibres. I have bought some rose pink lining silk to go under painted chiffon from a Hong Kong based company and it was a very good price and when it arrived it was a reasonable match to the online sample photo. Still as you know computer photo/colours are notoriously unreliable. Usually when I check my scarf product photos between PC, iPad and iPhone screens they are all different to each other and to the real life scarf.
Two options, doubly check the terms and conditions regarding returning goods and then order several different dresses and send back the ones you don’t like. Or, have you thought of hiring a dress – not sure what’s available, but you can try on and get the fit and see the real colour. Hope this helps.
Thanks Agnes. I am hesitating over the Chinese purchase, so I will probably leave it too late anyway. I checked out hiring options, but they are very expensive, and no possibility of trying on first. All this fuss over one night out! Phew!
‘No trying on first’ OUTRAGEOUS – fit is so important – what kind of service is the customer paying for? This simply beggars belief. Sometimes the ‘fashion industry’ drives me mad. Precisely what are we paying for? Privately I am in agreement with my late mother who thought a lot of life is more like the old fairytale ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.
Oh gosh. That took me back. Long time since I read that story! I was on the iPad this morning, so kept it short – no telling what that keypad will do. What I meant to convey is that the hiring place is mail order, so you have to estimate your size to their standard offering. And they don’t offer every dress in every size. You can order a “back up dress” but that is extra price. I know I will be at least one size larger on the lower half than the upper, so have to be careful with style selection e.g. empire line . . . but now, there are those ‘tuck shops’ arms to contend with as well. Not sure if that expression translates. In Australian schools, since we don’t provide school lunches, there is a canteen where students can buy food – colloquially called a ‘tuck shop’, manned by volunteers who are women of a certain age and flabbiness . . . and when you grow up, all you can remember is those wobbly arms pushing the food across the counter. Suddenly I find myself sharing the same attributes :(-
Fascinating post Agnes, I see the makings of a haiku with Anyway, after all that, here are two little black crows flying off into their futures . . …….
Thank you – I have to report it’s many years since I attempted a haiku. I’m definitely more visual than verbal.
I remember a particular fall outfit from about 1970 – I was about 11. A short orange, brown, and cream wool skirt with pleats all the way around. An orange blouse. A fake-leather brown vest. Brown or cream knee socks. I can’t believe I wore this, but I did. And I still think orange, cream, and brown are for fall (just no fake leather vest, please…)
Orange, I seem to remember was even popular with the furniture designers during the 1970s perhaps also without the fake leather!!
Yes. We had a sofa in a color called “burnt orange”, a tweedy nubby fabric that wore like iron and was the fourth cover on this particular sofa that I remember (the poor thing started out green in about 1960, got a floral slipcover, then a red one, then reupholstered in the orange, and it left our house to follow my sister to college, and then I think to the trash in about 1985, still in orange.) Oh dear.
They don’t make long-lasting furniture and fabric like that any more! You’re lucky to get a solid 15 years these days. I guess it’s the fashion for frequent redecorating – all a little too wasteful for me, and, of course our planet. š
Yes. Although I think in the orange sofa’s case, it had truly worn out its welcome long before it wore out. !!!