London Fashion Week A/W 2012

by Joy Elliott on 01.03.2012 at 15:39 Time

Now that the dust has settled and we’ve pored through the collections painstakingly (a time consuming but not ultimately unpleasant task!) we finally feel confident in our predictions for the trends of Autumn/Winter 2012 as seen on the catwalks last week. Please read on for our predictions for Autumn/Winter 2012 – and advice on how to make your fashion purchases for Spring last right through to the end of the year.

Colours - The most obvious recurrent themes were blues, purples and burgundy. Christopher Kane perfected these hues best with his grungy, gothic inspired collection but lavender was also a big hit at Erdem, Peter Jensen and Jonathan Saunders. Sky blue was also recurrent, most notably throughout Matthew Williamson’s collection – the designer even stepped out in a pair of Sky Blue chinos after his show to wave to his audience.

Tip: Lavender and sky blue are very worthwhile investments as they also fit into the pastel trend of Spring/Summer so pick these hues over lemons and peaches over the next few months if you want to be really fashion savvy.

Fabrics – Lace was a recurrent theme – especially for party dresses. Jacquard fabrics and flocked florals were also a big hit – basically the phrase ‘wearing your living room curtains’ will not be an insult come Autumn! Tweeds were colourful this year at Matthew Williamson and velvet was a frequent theme, most notably in the dark purple velvet quilted coat that was Burberry’s pièce de résistance (pictured left).

Tip: Those who invested in costly quilted jackets last year can breathe a sigh of relief as they are still on trend for Autumn/Winter 2012. If you don’t already have one – now might be the time to make a purchase as they are excellent festival-wear for when the Great British weather tries to ruin our fun come summertime – they really are a perfectly versatile year-round jacket.

Prints - Digital prints were on show at Erdem and Mary Katrantzou and winter florals were out in force – notably in mustards and browns for Burberry Prorsum and Orla Kiely. Geometrics were also a big hit most notably in the futuristic art deco designs at Holly Fulton and the bold symmetrical shapes in shades of red, grey and white at Pam Hogg.

Tip: Checks and ginghams are also back as seen at Mary Katrantzou and Clements Ribeiro which will also be perfect for 50s inspired summer dresses, but clashing prints against each other seems to be a must for Autumn/Winter so nothing printed that you can buy this Spring will be out of fashion for next season. And that’s what we like to hear!

Must-Have Items - Polo necks featured at too many shows to mention so these are a must-have come the cooler weather – great news for those who like to be fashionable but also keep warm! Oversized cable knits will do the rounds again but this time we should try to be experimental with colour – see the lavender polo neck cable jumper at Christopher Kane (pictured right) for an example of how to fit several huge trends in one easy item!

Tip: Dungarees were also a surprise hit on the catwalks – these were featured at Topshop Unique, Louise Grey and Acne alike. Not only are they easy to wear – throw them on with floral chiffon blouse and head straight out the door – they are also perfect for the coming months as they have an easy breezy summer feel.

Accessories - Colourful glitter clutches in dark purple, burnt orange and green were on show at Anya Hindmarch and will be perfect with sumptuous dark velvet party dresses. For day to day wear Burberry Prorsum perfected the season’s handbags with their tan, black and burgundy suede totes to be carried on the crook of the arm. These will go perfectly with the tan suede bow belts (see picture, left) which were worn over their trademark double-breasted coats and macs.

And how could we forget the shoes! Wedge Loafers are set to be the new wedge desert boots as seen at Burberry Prorsum (pictured left) and the canary yellow shoes at Roksanda Ilincic were beautifully bright. We predict yellow accessories to be a big trend later in the year.

Tip: The beauty is that yellow is such a perfect spring colour – so why not get a headstart on this trend with Graceland’s Yellow Bow Ballerinas which can be purchased online now for just £12.99?