The Fourteen Biggest Trends From the Fall 2012 Runways
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Imaxtree
While this past fashion month seemed dominated by a game of high-stakes haute musical chairs (Raf Simons out at Jil Sander! Stefano Pilati out at YSL! Hedi Slimane in at YSL!), designers still managed to deliver a knockout season of clothes, sure to make glossy September issues and overstuffed closets even fatter. The words opulence and baroque were uttered repeatedly in reference to the heavily beaded pieces shown by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, and Lanvin. Oxblood red was the breakout color in New York, while winter white was popular across many cities. Patterned and sharply cut suits popped up in Europe, extending the head-to-toe-pattern trend seen during pre-fall. Tying it all together were quirky hats perhaps more suited for the runway than reality (but never say never). Click ahead to see all of these looks and more in our comprehensive trends slideshow.
Put a Hat on It! Statement hats made lots of, well, statements this season, ranging from "Miss Havisham is an unsung hero of fashion icons&q...
Put a Hat on It! Statement hats made lots of, well, statements this season, ranging from "Miss Havisham is an unsung hero of fashion icons" at Louis Vuitton to "the Qing dynasty is so hot right now" at Jason Wu. There were also pimp-meets-Dr. Seuss toppers at Marc Jacobs, and Zoolander-small fedoras at Donna Karan. Whether or not this trend will have legs beyond the street-style set remains to be seen, but there's certainly no lack of fashion establishment push behind it.
Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Put a Hat on It! Donna Karan
Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Put a Hat on It! Marc Jacobs
Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Put a Hat on It! Prabal Gurung
Photo: MATTEO VOLTA
Put a Hat on It! Louis Vuitton
Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Put a Hat on It! Jason Wu
Photo: MATTEO VOLTA
Furry Bits Whatever your personal feelings toward fur, it's still going strong — only this season, designers were more sparing in its use and, at...
Furry Bits Whatever your personal feelings toward fur, it's still going strong — only this season, designers were more sparing in its use and, at the same time, more willy-nilly about its application. Why not fashion a bib out of the stuff and affix it to a coat or sweater? And who's to say you can't trim a trench coat with fluff? Or, what about taking things to the next level and crafting a peplum out of it? Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Furry Bits Céline
Furry Bits DSquared
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Furry Bits Honor
Photo: ?DAN AND CORINA LECCA/?DAN AND CORINA LECCA
Furry Bits Preen
The Furry Bits Viktor & Rolf
Leather Goes Glossy Whether you call it lacquered, patent, or just simply shiny — high-sheen leather was this season's all-star fabric. Alexander...
Leather Goes Glossy Whether you call it lacquered, patent, or just simply shiny — high-sheen leather was this season's all-star fabric. Alexander Wang set the tone by opening his show with stiff, glossed-over pieces, while J.W. Anderson embraced a monochromatic head-to-toe look. Perhaps most fittingly, Marni introduced a yellow coat that passes as a charming yet grown-up take on a classic rain slicker. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Leather Goes Glossy Blumarine
Leather Goes Glossy C'N'C Costume National Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Leather Goes Glossy J.W. Anderson
Leather Goes Glossy Marni
Leather Goes Glossy Alexander Wang
Sheaths Fit for a Duchess The Kate Middleton effect continues on the runways, this time — instead of spring's hyper-ladylike vibe — in the f...
Sheaths Fit for a Duchess The Kate Middleton effect continues on the runways, this time — instead of spring's hyper-ladylike vibe — in the form of understatedly elegant sheath dresses. Curve-hugging yet demure, these would make smashing companions to a pair of pantyhose and L.K. Bennett pumps. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Sheaths Fit for a Duchess Erdem
Sheaths Fit for a Duchess Michael Kors
Sheaths Fit for a Duchess Lanvin
Sheaths Fit for a Duchess Lela Rose
Photo: ANDREA ADRIANI/ANDREA ADRIANI
Sheaths Fit for a Duchess Luisa Beccaria
All That Glitters Is Not (Always) Gold In a season filled with over-the-top embellishment, looks rendered in sparkly fabric — often in sumptuous,...
All That Glitters Is Not (Always) Gold In a season filled with over-the-top embellishment, looks rendered in sparkly fabric — often in sumptuous, saturated colors — are an obvious bedfellow. Marc Jacobs embraced shine at both his namesake label and Louis Vuitton, while other designers toyed with neo-disco lurex separates, and even a jumpsuit. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
All That Glitters Is Not (Always) Gold Barbara Bui
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
All That Glitters Is Not (Always) Gold Marc Jacobs
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
All That Glitters Is Not (Always) Gold Prabal Gurung
All That Glitters Is Not (Always) Gold Tibi
All That Glitters Is Not (Always) Gold Louis Vuitton
Marching Orders While military gets trotted out every once in a while as a key trend, this season it provides a much-needed masculine counterpoin...
Marching Orders While military gets trotted out every once in a while as a key trend, this season it provides a much-needed masculine counterpoint to all the over-the-top glitz and flash. Olive greens, gold buttons, structured silhouettes, an epaulet thrown in for good measure -- all make for an urban-friendly, sophisticated approach to day dressing. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Marching Orders Barbara Bui
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Marching Orders Jason Wu
Marching Orders Moschino Cheap & Chic
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Marching Orders Topshop Unique
Photo: MATTEO VOLTA
Marching Orders Victoria Beckham
All Mixed Up After seasons of color-blocking and print-mixing, the look has evolved into a mish-mash of the two. Designers are taking disparate f...
All Mixed Up After seasons of color-blocking and print-mixing, the look has evolved into a mish-mash of the two. Designers are taking disparate fabrics like brocade, neoprene, and leather, and piecing them together to create an almost patchworklike effect on everything from dresses to blouses to skirts. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
All Mixed Up Balenciaga
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
All Mixed Up Creatures of the Wind
All Mixed Up Dries van Noten
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
All Mixed Up Preen
All Mixed Up Giambattista Valli
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Dresses Get Undressed Evening dressing took a turn for the sexy, with sheer gowns that offered just the tiniest bit of coverage, courtesy of stra...
Dresses Get Undressed Evening dressing took a turn for the sexy, with sheer gowns that offered just the tiniest bit of coverage, courtesy of strategically placed embellishments (how very Austin Powers in concept), such as flowers, sparkly triangles, or fur. Starlets on the hunt for a future red carpet dress be warned: wearing some of these could result in a Twitter account devoted to your specific body parts.
Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Dresses Get Undressed Blumarine
Dresses Get Undressed Marchesa
Photo: MATTEO VOLTA
Dresses Get Undressed Marios Schwab
Dresses Get Undressed Emilio Pucci
Dresses Get Undressed Viktor & Rolf
Witty Knits Judging by the popularity of those snarling dog sweaters from Balenciaga and Givenchy, novelty sweaters have moved far beyond the hip...
Witty Knits Judging by the popularity of those snarling dog sweaters from Balenciaga and Givenchy, novelty sweaters have moved far beyond the hipster realm. Creative knits bearing a menagerie of animals, a landscape scene, and even a Roy Lichtenstein–inspired cartoon woman sprung up as fun ways to layer up. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Witty Knits Altuzarra
Witty Knits Burberry Prorsum
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Witty Knits Diesel Black Gold
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Witty Knits Kenzo
Witty Knits Suno
Let Them Eat Cake The use of elaborate beading, brocade, and embroidered details had everyone raving about old-world techniques applied to thorou...
Let Them Eat Cake The use of elaborate beading, brocade, and embroidered details had everyone raving about old-world techniques applied to thoroughly modern pieces. While opulence comes at a heavy price (both monetarily and in literal weight), it’s easy to imagine a modern-day Marie Antoinette greedily placing a personal order for each of these looks. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Let Them Eat Cake Aquilano e Rimondi
Let Them Eat Cake Balmain
Photo: MATTEO VOLTA
Let Them Eat Cake Dolce & Gabbana
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni
Let Them Eat Cake Jason Wu
Let Them Eat Cake Lanvin
Size Matters As the popularity of Isabel Marant's outerwear can attest, slouchy, oversize coats are a cool-girl staple. But designers are now tak...
Size Matters As the popularity of Isabel Marant's outerwear can attest, slouchy, oversize coats are a cool-girl staple. But designers are now taking roomy proportions to a new level. The latest silhouette manages to dwarf even the tallest of models, making them look like diminutive little girls playing dress-up in their mom’s clothes.
Size Matters Comme des Garçons
Size Matters Céline
Size Matters Daks
Size Matters Jil Sander
Size Matters Veronique Leroy
Photo: Carlo Scarpato/Carlo Scarpato 2011
Out For Oxblood Navy, dark gray, and forest green are just a few ways that designers tiptoe around using seasonally appropriate colors that aren’...
Out For Oxblood Navy, dark gray, and forest green are just a few ways that designers tiptoe around using seasonally appropriate colors that aren’t black in their fall collections. But this season saw the emergence of a new addition to the fall palette: oxblood red. While the name sounds a bit off-putting, the deep wine-ish hue is a fresh way to inject some subtle color into a somber wardrobe. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Out For Oxblood Alexander Wang
Out For Oxblood DKNY
Out For Oxblood Helmut Lang
Out For Oxblood Nina Ricci
Out For Oxblood Organic by John Patrick
Leisure Suits Look Legit Boldly patterned and sharply tailored suits surfaced as a wittier, slightly retro spin on the perennial menswear trend.&...
Leisure Suits Look Legit Boldly patterned and sharply tailored suits surfaced as a wittier, slightly retro spin on the perennial menswear trend. A bit jolie laide at times, the ensembles can be broken up into smart separates for the print-wary and worn head-to-toe for the daring. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Leisure Suits Look Legit Miu Miu
Leisure Suits Look Legit Prada
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Leisure Suits Look Legit Rochas
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Leisure Suits Look Legit Stella McCartney
Leisure Suits Look Legit Yves Saint Laurent
Clear Your Palette Color-phobes rejoice! From minimalist to frou-frou, stark, all-white ensembles are set to become this fall's counter-intuitive...
Clear Your Palette Color-phobes rejoice! From minimalist to frou-frou, stark, all-white ensembles are set to become this fall's counter-intuitive sleeper hit. Just remember to steer clear of red wine, coffee, tomato sauce, etc. Photo: ARMANDO GRILLO/Armando Grillo
Clear Your Palette Chanel
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Clear Your Palette Alexander McQueen
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Clear Your Palette Proenza Schouler
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Clear Your Palette Reed Krakoff
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Clear Your Palette Sportmax
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
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