Which looks will you commit to? Mary Jane Fashion decodes this season’s style successes

Now that October has rolled around, we can really start thinking about the new season and which pieces to invest in. 

This is an exciting time, allowing you to overhaul your look, experiment, try something new and add new pieces to your wardrobe. 

Going through all the best fashion magazines, you can see that there are literally hundreds of looks from all the collective fashion weeks that you could try and emulate. 

We’re guessing you don’t have the time (or the funds) to invest in all the trends that have been made available to us; so, luckily for you, we’ve whittled the biggest and most popular trends of this season down to these four key areas.

Make a statement… literally

Fashion is very often at its best when it is tongue-in-cheek and self-conscious. Most famously in recent years, we saw Henry Holland’s slogan T-shirts parading down the runway poking fun in a loving and friendly way at some of Holland’s best model friends. This season, designers have returned to this novelty trend, making statements of everyday objects and commodities. Moschino led the charge with a padlock handbag and fabulous T-shirts stamped with ‘I don’t speak Italian but I do speak Moschino’ which sent the fashionable folds into a tizz. Similarly, Anya Hindmarch was inspired by roadworks in her collection, using signage seen on the motorways as stickers and plasters all over her collection.   

(Picture from Anya Hindmarch's official Instagram)

Shimmer and shake

We are heading towards party season after all, so there really is no better time to invest in sequins and sparkles. Many of the top designers electrified their collections with shimmering fabrics and glistening centrepieces, giving high-fashion a glittering aspect. Our favourite designers included whizz-kid Christopher Kane who contrasted his prim and proper cuts with shimmering jewel-toned fabrics. Alexander Wang at Balenciaga on the other hand took his sparkles three dimensional, with clusters of sequins and decorations jumping forth, emphasised further by the dark, luxurious fabric. Finally, we can always expect something theatrical and dramatic from Rodarte, and this season proved no exception. They contrasted the hardness of a fully sequined dress with airy feathers that fluttered gently from the skirt. Sequins can often seem childish, but this season, all the designers saw shimmery sparkles turn to full-on heavy metal.  

(Picture from Christopher Kane's official Instagram) 

Proportion play

We mostly only see long hemlines on the red carpet; however this season, they were prominent in the ready-to-wear collections of many of the world’s top designers. These can be quite intimidating, normally associated with formal occasions, yet there are number of ways in which to ensure that long lines are wearable. Large proportions help to elongate and flatter your figure; we shouldn’t be too scared to embrace them! Primarily, Erdem styled his long and languid skirts and dresses with fitted jumpers. To enhance length even more, he opted for turtlenecks, which help to off-set the drama created by the skirt. Additionally, Chloe and Lanvin styled their long dresses with hardy textures like suede, faux-fur and shearling, creating looks that are rich and multi-dimensional. Shop similar, long-proportioned styles here.

(Picture from Chloé's official Instagram)

Modern Glamour

One of the most polished and wearable collections came from Milan in the form of MaxMara’s A/W 2015 collection. The design house looked to the figure-flattering styles of the 1940s but translated them into modern and covetable pieces. Their pencil skirts, jumpers- both chunky and light-knit- and their oversized trenches and cocoons hug and caress the female figure in a way only the old-school styles know how. Joseph and Tom Ford also nodded to vintage glamour, using elegant necklines, lush velvets and waist-defining cinching to create wholesome feminine looks, harking from ‘back in the day’, but ensuring their contemporaneity in 2015.    

(Picture from MaxMara's official Instagram) 

Guest Post curated by Elizabeth Harper, content writer for Mary Jane Fashion

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