After the riot of incoming trends thrown at us during the iconic New York, pharm London and Milan Fashion Weeks, tadalafil it’s time to digest Autumn/Winter 2013’s stand-out accessory trends. Broadly speaking, the coming months in the fashion world are going to feature an eclectic mix of the opulent, the futuristic, the minimalist, the classic and the intricate. From crowns to brooches, sunglasses, handbags and shoes, we’ve singled out the most striking and wearable new accessories for A/W 2013. Some new trends might seem a little daring initially, but keep an eye on magazines, blogs and fashion websites to learn how fashion’s most educated pull off these striking pieces with ease and grace.
Perhaps one of the most eye-catching trends seen for A/W was Dolce & Gabbana’s intricate golden crowns. Encrusted with jewels and beautifully detailed, they were reminiscent of regal Elizabethan crown jewels with a touch of Gothic romance. The crowns were paired with black lace, rich mosaic-patterned dresses and stunning Byzantine crucifix earrings. The look was offset by pale matte complexions, ruby lips and black winged eyes. These crowns are decadent, dramatic and utterly luxurious. A personal favourite trend of mine, these are the ultimate accessory in winter styling.
Inspired not only by Dolce & Gabbana, but also Oscar de la Renta and Matthew Williamson’s use of jewel tones, the high street has wholeheartedly embraced the costume jewellery trend. Asos features opulently jewelled neckpieces in Art Deco and Baroque styles, and their Orelia crown is a more delicate take on this catwalk trend. Zara gives us a feast of richly coloured necklaces, including one piece set with sumptuous tourmaline-hued gemstones. And our old faithful, Penneys, comes up trumps with colourfully ornate gold and silver neckpieces with matching chunky studs, giving a classic look a 1980’s twist.
Staying with the jewellery trend, this A/W, Emanuel Ungaro has revamped the brooch – an item that most of us would dismiss as old-fashioned. But Ungaro might just change your mind. Generally, the collection is a powerful fusion of masculine and feminine; bold shoulders, cinched waists, opulent furs, with dashes of animal print, yellow and cobalt. His brooches are richly golden with clear gemstone flourishes, shaped into dragonflies and flowers. They are piled high with black belted dresses and leopard print coats. Bold, daring and sexy, the entire look screams 80s power dressing in a 21st century way.
Moving on to handbags; Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel has brought monochrome to A/W 2013, softened by tweeds and wools. And his new 2.55 bar handle bags are his standout accessory. Like a small satchel, these bags have short handles in both leather and chain, and they are designed to be slung nonchalantly at the hip. Cylindrical styles also featured on the catwalk. In black, dove grey or a gorgeous inky-blue, these bags were paired with textured wool coats, pleated skirts and black patent boots adorned with even more chains. This is a tough, no-nonsense look broken up by the soft, supple leather of the bags.
Turning to footwear, Christian Dior has revolutionised the humble court shoe for A/W 2013. It hasn’t been too long since we last saw oddly-shaped heels, but Dior has brought a whole new level to this look. Spiky and multi-strapped, these shoes also feature delicately curved arches, metallic plates, snakeskin and an array of colours from black to candyfloss-pink to lime green. These are versatile and surprisingly wearable, and frankly an utter joy to look at, with interesting juxtapositions of colours and textures. Dior has achieved ladylike and futuristic in one creative swoop, and it’s only a matter of time before the high street picks up on this key trend.
Finally, even though we’ve only just started to put ours away for the winter, the players of the fashion world are already looking ahead to the sunglasses of summer 2014. As always, there were some wonderfully classic designs to be seen, including Carolina Herrera’s Jackie O-inspired cat-eye tortoiseshells, Diane von Furstenburg’s delicate gold frames and Kate Spade’s clear-framed Wayfare style, cutely adorned with tiny monochrome flowers. Some more modernistic sunglasses were also to be seen on the catwalk; Philip Lim had a modern take on the ubiquitous Wayfarer, DKNY’s chunky white frames had a distinctly futuristic feel, and Honor showcased some rather pretty cat-eye shades with mosaic-printed frames. Lastly, we had the weird and wonderful; Anna Sui’s sunglasses were decidedly wacky with brown butterfly-shaped frames, Desigual presented large, round lenses in red frames with an artdeco feel, and Karen Walker’s blue lenses in chunky white frames were truly a sight to behold. Whatever your sunglasses style, there was certainly an abundance of inspiration to be taken from the catwalks this A/W.
London, Milan and New York Fashion Weeks have already assaulted our senses with an array of accessory trends for A/W 2013. Design powerhouses such as Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel and Christian Dior never fail to impress, and the sunglasses styles featured by the likes of Carolina Herrera, Philip Lim and Anna Sui were just a taster of the kind of accessory trends we can expect to see in magazines, online and on the street in the coming months. With Paris still to go, there can only be more exciting accessory trends for us to feast our eyes on. And as always, we can count on the high street to deliver us the hottest trends at pocket-friendly prices.
