By Gretta Monahan
The dust has settled on New York Fashion Week for fall ’16, but now that all the looks have been shown, the runways swept clean, the lights have been dimmed, and all the fashionistas who filled the front rows have gone back to wearing jeans, it’s time for one thing: to look at which trends we’ll actually be wearing come September.
I loved Nicole Miller‘s easily adaptable take on Nordic-gone-sexy dresses. Colorful yet cold weather-ready, the collection took knits to a new attitude plain, without going overboard. Wear it to the office, wear it to a cocktail party. Either way, it’s a fresh and bold take on the winter wardrobe.
Classic romance was a huge theme throughout the shows, and I can’t wait to see Bostonians bringing in the floaty ruffles on sleeves and collars seen at Milly, along with the collection’s wealth of brocade and baby doll styles (the latter is better for a night out than the workplace, of course, but still versatile enough for plenty of different kinds of nights out).
Ditto Christian Siriano; the shows spotlight flowy wraps great over a pencil skirt for a luncheon or over trousers for a meeting, plus cinched-waist dresses in subtle patterns that can roll from the boardroom to after-work drinks with no problem.
Rachel Zoe hit high notes with beaded cozy white, almost angelic sweaters that will put a smile on any wearer’s face in chilly weather. I can easily imagine these with the white skirts she showed them with, or contrasting the casualness of denim–with a dressier high-heeled suede or leather boot.
On the evening front, Reem Acra scored big with lace, lace, and tons more lace. The underplays and overlays that dominated almost every semi-formal look is s terrific way to bring mystery and sensual dressing to your wardrobe without going overboard into the realm of too-sexy. And Carmen Marc Volvo is almost never a misstep for evening, and the full-length (but still understated) looks for this coming fall nail the fine line between elegance and effortlessness once again. With plenty of high-waisted, sequined and silk column dresses, the collection wove metallics and jewel tones into the mix seamlessly–perfect for either a gala or special occasion dinner out.
All in all, so many reasons to look forward to falling in love with fall again.
