Instant Goddess gives us a sneak peek of the AW 2013 front row

Spring Forward… Fall back

Instant Goddess is currently holed up inside, watching the wind and rain lashing against the window while the very dull, grey skies move in and out. Although it’s still a very acceptable 26 degrees outside, it looks like a winter’s day, which turned my mind to wondering what A/W 2013 has in store for us once again. Last week we had a peek at Giordano and Massimo Dutti’s thoughts on the subject… but from my own research, did they get it wrong?!

Here are the major trends that you will be looking out for when making those imminent A/W purchases.

Tweed, fur & 1940s glamour

If you can nail these three trends in one go then you will have made a serious fashion inroad to A/W 2013. Louis Vuitton – one of my favourite collections – showed us how it’s done.

Above: Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear A/W ‘13

To get the 1940s look, you want nipped waists, lace slips, tailored pieces and a good dose of old-school GLAMOUR. It’s goodbye to the digitised prints we’ve seen of late, and a return to classic menswear-inspired pinstripe, plaid and houndstooth (my standout favourite). If you go wild for animal prints, then the leopard was still showing its spots on the runway.

From left to right: Dolce & Gabbana; Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren

Winter White

Being the mother of a toddler with normally very sticky, fast hands, I have to be feeling brave (not to mention agile) to pull off a head to toe winter white look BUT it does look so elegant… are you game?! 

Left to right: Carolina Herrera (again, note the nod to 1940’s glamour); Christian Dior

Above: Celine

Cerulean blue… “You think this has nothing to do with you?”

Cerulean blue always reminds me of the legendary dressing-down of Anne Hathaway’s character Andy Sachs, by Meryl Streep’s fabulous Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. In the scene in question, Andy is left in no doubt about the history and provenance of her “lumpy blue sweater” which in fact is cerulean blue. Pure movie gold, goddesses! As you’ll see this season, cerulean blue will once again be front and centre.

Top left: Valentino; Top right: Michael Kors; Bottom left: Valentino; Bottom right: Reed Krakoff

International Velvet

Soft, plush, rich, opulent… velvet! The ultimate winter fabric worked its way through the collections, with purple and red being the most noteworthy colours. Rather than structured and stiff, it was fluid and draping with Louis Vuitton stealing the show for me.

Top left: Louis Vuitton; Top right: Alberta Ferretti; Bottom left: Ralph Lauren; Bottom right: Christopher Kane

Razzle-dazzle ‘em

A/W wouldn’t be A/W without some good old fashioned, tried and tested, give us as much sequin and sparkle as you can, for the upcoming party season! Tom Ford’s sequin starburst frocks caught my eye, together with classic but très sexy gold sequin midi dresses at Marc Jacobs. And then there was that far-from-lumpy cerulean blue again at Gucci.

Top left: Tom Ford; Top right: Balmain; Bottom left: Gucci; Bottom right: Marc Jacobs

Style notes

Rounded shoulders were everywhere – particularly in the statement coat arena… and there were a lot of statement coats! The question is, will it get cold enough for us Hong Kongers to be donning that statement coat this year?! We can wait and see, but in the meantime round shoulders in the form of jackets, tops and dresses are the way to go this season.

I was pleased to see over-the-knee boots are still in favour, together with the biker jacket that was so big last year; so if you bought one 12 months ago you can breathe a sigh of relief as you will be wearing it again and again. And if you’re one of my regular readers, you may recall that I have been banging on about slouchy pants for a while. These should be narrow at the ankle, sitting high on the waist, and it’ll often come with an elasticated waist to give a good dose of SLOUCH! My preference is to team with heels rather than flats (call it a polished slouch if you like), so I’m pleased to see these were heavily featured. Well done Giordano – you got that one right, and you also nailed the biker jacket too!

Left: Victoria Beckham, top right Louis Vuitton; Bottom right: The Row

Sweater and skirt combos were also a major 1940’s reference, from neatly waisted knits to big chunky, slouchy numbers. Winter florals are unsurprisingly set on a black background and are oh-so-elegant, and very grown up. Folk-inspired pieces with embroidery on a black background are also to be embraced this season and these reminded me of H&M’s special autumn collection that we featured a few weeks ago, that is all set to launch on 5 Sept… definitely folk-inspired!

Top left: Erdem; Top right: Lanvin; Bottom left: Vera Wang; Bottom right: Valentino

And finally, to fur… if it moves, chuck a fur stole or trim on it, pronto… faux of course, Goddesses!

(Ed: no animals were harmed in the making of Instant Goddess!).

Left: Marni; Top right: Donna Karan; Bottom right: Fendi

Midweek Meal Inspiration

Instant Goddess does love a one-pot wonder, and this week I give you Ratatouille Hotpot from James Martin at BBC Good Food. This dish is not only easy to make, but a good source of vitamin C and provides 4 of your 5-a-day! Of course, this was consumed on a non-fast day, weighing in 512 cals per serve, but on 5 days out of 7, it’s quite literally happy days! Fill me up, buttercup…

Yogi tea saying of the week: “Don’t let yourself down, anyone else down or participate in a let down”

Instant Goddess saying of the week: “Up, up and away!”

Until next week, Goddesses and remember you are always, always worth it! XX