We may have had a little glimpse of bonus summertime, but I’m ready to get planning on my autumn/winter wardrobe. Who’s with me?!
Let’s have a look at what the runways are saying for this season (and plan how we can hack our own versions!)…
Glitz a Wonderful Life
Fans of glitter and early bedtimes, rejoice! Now’s the time to wear all the sparkles, sequins and glitter as daywear, hooray!
For a subtle way to get in on this trend there are some beautiful sparkly fabrics out there like this jersey from Sew Me Sunshine and this sparkly spottiness from Material Girl Laura.
For the Alexa Chung glittery flowers (pictured above), try Happy Fabric iron-on vinyl to add your own flowers to a plain top. Here’s one I made earlier, which also perfectly leads on to the next trend…
Shoulder and wiser
The 80s-inspired power dressing that we’ve seen in different forms over the last couple of years has worked its way in to our autumn wardrobes in the shape of big, voluminous shoulders. The Cologne Blouse from Bella Loves Patterns is perfect for this! The runway looks are really extreme, so this is a look to take with a pinch of salt to make it wearable!
Quill and Ted
Feathers, plumes, quills… they were everywhere. Not for the shrinking violets, these create big, bold shapes and will definitely inject some fun in to your wardrobe. I’m jumping in head first with an orange fluffy coat (the fabric from Minerva has been given to me in exchange for a blog post) inspired by this from Loewe:
For something a bit more ‘wearable’, a feathery trim (like the Prabal Gurung dress pictured above in the shoulder edit) gives a good nod to the trend without feeling like Big Bird. However, for more of a statement, black fur like this from Minerva would make an amazing Sew Over It Cocoon Coat.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes
Go bold or go home. The runways were popping with the brightest shades from head to toe. Not for the minimalists out there, this is full on colour to make a statement. I think the easiest way to achieve this when sewing your own is to go for a top and a skirt or trousers that can be made from exactly the same fabric; colour matching e.g. a jersey and a cotton lawn would be such a faff, especially if buying online, so I’d say try a woven top pattern and a woven trousers pattern in bright, solid colours.
(Flor)all you can eat
Flowers were all over the shop, and luckily, floral fabric is something we probably all have in our stash so if you’re sewing on a budget this is the one for you! This is a trend you can interpret widely, whether you prefer a bit of a gothic look with bold flowers on dark backgrounds like at Dries Van Noten, or you could go really delicate like Preen by Thornton Bregazzi (if you don’t know them already, go check them out, they’re amazing).
I’ve seen such gorgeous floral fabrics on dark backgrounds like this viscose twill and this viscose crepe from Fabric Godmother, and for a more delicate look this pink viscose from Sewalicious is lush.
These are just some of the trends for autumn/winter, but I hope they’ve inspired you with your planning! I find it interesting this season that there’s a lot of crossover between trends. I think this is the perfect opportunity to take on elements that inspire you; whether it’s a glittery floral big-shoulder top, a bright colourful dress with a feathery trim, or a bold floral ensemble finished off with a big fluffy coat. Bring it on, Big Bird.
aliceirvine.com 