the fundamentals of fashion: Autumn 07 Fashion

Finally! The autumn clothes have come in and boy! am i excited. So much so that even while doing my readings, I sometimes think about what I want to get. Reason being that while summer is mainly about casual dressing, autumn has always been more about understated elegance, which probably best describes, at least for most of the time, my kind of asthetic. In other words, to me, autumn's shopping options tend to be much more appealing, hence the reason for my excitement. Teeheehee.

First up: Tops (we must be systematic no?)

There are plenty of nice pants and jeans out in the market now---skinny, wide-leg, high-waisted etc and these call for pretty tops to match with. Among my favourites are these two monochrome tops by Tibi and Derek Lam respectively (both from http://www.net-a-porter.com/).

They are just the perfect mix of classy yet girly and oh so chic. I can totally see myself wearing these with skinny black pants (preferably long, rather than cropped, for a more streamlined look), or with dark wash jeans. I am rather fond of the recent crop of Asian designers---3.1 Philip Lim, Derek Lam, Peter Som and Thakoon---as I like their asthetic: elegant but not stuffy, highly wear-able and quietly cool. Derek Lam is currently the creative director of Tods, one of my favourite brands, and I hope to see his, as well as the other aforementioned designers, stature rise in a fashion scene mainly dominated by Westerners. Not that I am biased against Westerners of course. I love my Miu Miu and Chanel very much. But it'll be nice to see the big fashion houses, and by that I mean Gucci, Louis and Chanel etc having Asian creative directors some time in the future.

Next is this lovely jewel toned Miu Miu piece (from http://www.net-a-porter.com/). Did I not mention I love my Miu Miu? Heh.

The rich colour and the and beautiful pleats makes this a lovely not-so-basic take on a simple top. Again, I would pair this with skinny pants, or skinny or bootcut jeans for a nice movie/dinner date out. Or if I'm just doing errands around town, perhaps with a pair of white shorts and one of those beautiful patent ballet flats that I featured in a previous post. Either that or embellished sandals---it is hot here in Singapore, though the weather is starting to get cooler. For a more affordable take on the jewel-toned top, check out Banana Republic (http://www.bananarepublic.com/). There is a good selection of silk tops in rich colours that are versatile enough for work or for cocktails.

This pair of J brand jeans (from http://www.revolveclothing.com/) would go very nicely with the tops featured above. The inky wash and the streamline fit match well with the paired down elegance theme of the tops.

Another top that caught my fancy was this long-sleeved collared sweater by Robert Rodriguez (http://www.revolveclothing.com/).

While it is probably meant to be worn over a top, I think this would look great just by itself, especially for school where the classrooms are often really chilly. And because the collar is attached to the sweater, it removes unnecessary bulk which might occur when this look is achieved by pairing a long sleeved collared shirt underneath a sweater.

Then there is this tee from 2k by Gingham (http://www.revolveclothing.com/) that I found quite cute.

It seems quite out of place given the relative dressy-ness of the other tops featured, but I haven't bought a tee for quite some time and this looks pretty nice. It doesn't have like angsty motifs or sexually-themed slogans, and it isn't cloyingly cute either. Which suits me just fine.

Moving right along, we have the dresses.

This is from Richard Ruiz (http://www.activeendeavors.com/) and it looks very easy to wear. The voluminous shape is good for those bloated days (girls you know what I mean) where everything else doesn't seem to fit right. Just throw it on, pair with pointy-toed kitten heels and you're good to go. I also like the fact that it has pockets, which somehow, always make dresses a wee bit cooler.

Another nice black dress is this one by Ella Moss (http://www.revolveclothing.com/).

The first picture isn't very clear so I added the close-up shot. Like the Richard Ruiz piece, it's again one of those slouchy, easy to wear dresses. I like the kimono-esque vibe of this piece: the deep-v neck and the oversized sleeves are sure to flatter, while the short hemline gives this a casual feel.

Also sold at http://www.revolveclothing.com/is this H Fredriksson piece.

The black and brown combintaion give the floral prints a cool noir-ish vibe. I can imagine myself pairing this with ballet flats and wearing it to school. It's just so fuss-free without compromising on the chic factor.

But for the times I want to dress up, maybe because there is some event or something, there is this oh-so-pretty Jill Stuart dress (http://www.net-a-porter.com/).

Most formal dresses tend to come across as being for a much older set, but this one is refreshingly young and sweet---not over the top sweet, but of a more tasteful variety. I guess it's cos while the short hemline and the bow give the dress the nice girly touch, the pale colour and the overall simplicity ensures that the sweetness is nicely balanced out. To be paired with peep-toe or patent (or maybe both) pumps.

And when I want to look demure (bats eyelids) , there is this tea-dress with floral prints from Urban Outfitters.

The silhouette is very 1930s. Just add a bonnet or cloche hat and a jacket like this:

From Milly (http://www.shopbop.com/).

The jacket is more 1950s-ish though. Still, paired together, the dress and the jacket, with the addition of a nice pair of pumps, would be a beautiful projection of glamour.

But back to the jacket.

I LOVE these kind of structured jackets. They are just up the elegance factor of whatever you are wearing, even if it just a tee and jeans (please pair with appropriate footwear though), and also because they harken back to an era of glamour. Such as this: