Fall Fashion 2012

I am probably the wrong girl to be writing this post because I have no formal training in fashion or design (unlike Wild Kat).  But I just received my September Vogue magazine *squee!* and consequently you have to suffer through my interpretation of the Fall 2012 Fashion Trends.

Let's just start with the one that first caught my eye...Louis Vuitton.  It's like Downton Abbey had a love child with Tim Burton.  Those crazy over-sized hats! 

But I love the long, dress coats with the 1920s styling - large lapels on a deep neckline, minimal shaping at the waist, fabulous tapestry prints embellished with over-the-top bling.

Not digging on the furry, yak-hair bags though.

Could this style be incorporated into real-life streetwear?  Is she wearing welding goggles?  Could a plaid (?) pants suit make it down the canned soup isle without the stock boy clicking off a few pics on his camera phone?

Continuing in the fantastical is Marc Jacobs fall line.  Perhaps a bit more Pilgrim-inspired if you judge solely on those buckled shoes, but again the hats harken to the 1910s.  And notice the fitted waist and emphasis on the hips.  I read somewhere that peplums are big this year (no pun intended). Also, the Twilight series is still wielding a significant hold over fashion, continuing to make the whole Victorian vampire look popular.  Which means porcelain complexions and full red lips won't be going away anytime soon.

Michael Kors' line is definitely more ready-to-wear.  This has more of a 1940s vibe - longer hemlines with square, straight cuts through the shoulders.  Notice the shoes are all ankle strap, T-strap or peeptoes.  And that plaid coat with the fur collar just calls to me!  Nothing says 'Fall' like plaid and being the wool-freak that I am, I have an ample supply of wool plaid yardage.

Michael Kors eveningwear reaches back to both the 1920s with the gold, flapper dress and then the 1930s with that silver, floor length dress.  While both of these are gorgeous, I do not have neither the courage to sew with such whack-a-do bias cut pieces nor the balls to wear said garment in the event that I actually finish putting it together.  I will gaze from afar.


But let's get back to that plaid coat...

...I've had a piece of wool set aside for a couple years now, destined to become a full-skirted coat.  Last summer I picked up a wide, faux-fur collar that will pair with it beautifully.  Burberry's fall collection above confirms that this is the winter I sew up that coat.  Princess seams and bows on the belts are just too fun to pass up!

And to top off my 916-page Vogue magazine, I found my 1940s sunglasses in the Michael Kors Collection!

This post doesn't do justice or even scratch the surface of the Fall 2012 fashion trends.  But flipping through the pages of Vogue or scrolling down the Google image search, you'll see many classic elements from the last century.  It makes me want to throw a little Tim Burton at my Grandma's 1950s patterns and see what comes out!