What’s in for Autumn Ladieswear 2009

The time has come to put away my gladiator sandals and sun dresses and start covering up again. So long Summer – it was a great three weeks! All jokes aside, as much as I complain about the weather, the great thing about living in the UK is that because the colder months last for so long I’ve accumulated a great range of autumn and winter ladies wear.

So, here’s what I’ll be refreshing my wardrobe with over the next couple of months as I pull out my favourite boots, scarves, and jackets and say goodbye to my lovely summer ladies wear.

The Structured Jacket

This year, structured Jackets have been making a major comeback, all thanks to Balmain, who we’ve been seeing Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and Beyonce wear quite a lot of. However, the look, cut and the price tage of Balmain is pretty severe so I’ll be looking out for a classic black modern tailored jackets with a bit of sharp shoulder pad details. Apparently this is a trend that will be around for next year too – But I recommend having a good look at the tailoring to check out if you can remove some of the padding later as the trend disappears.

The Ankle Boot

The ankle boot is a faultless classic that’s seen a big revival over the last two autumns, and this one is no exception. They look great with pretty much any look and are so versatile that you only need one pair to work into your wardrobe. Their extra bit of coverage during the colder months means the keep you warmer than a standard pump, but won’t be as hot as a full calf length or knee boot so they’re the perfect compromise on style and warmth in autumn.

Simple clothes – BIG accessories

This autumn the clothes are looking pretty neutral both in colour and cut. In the season thats been dubbed by many as ‘ressission beige’, there will be lots of boring grey and black shades in minimal designs across a lot of ladies wear collections from what I’ve seen so far. I’ll be brightening things up by making thre most of my statement jewellery. Check out some of Marni’s statement necklaces and cuffs to get an idea of what I’m talking about here. It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s going to look great this autumn.

It doesn’t matter what size you wear but how you look in what you wear

I think that so much is made of size in today’s society which makes women more conscious of their size. This mean that the vicious circle can never be broken unless we accept that all women are of different sizes. I think that although being thin has received a lot of bad press in the last few years, there are people out there who are genuinely naturally thin. Likewise with curvier, heavier women. I don’t believe there is a ‘too thin’ as long as the person in question is healthy.

Our obsession with weight and size means women now squeeze themselves into clothes they cant fit into or beat themselves up if they have to go a size bigger. The fact of the matter is that you look better in clothes that fit you and if you have confidence, you look amazing. As for sizes, I believe that there is too much difference between sizes in different brands to be able to say anything constructive about which are ‘too big’ and which are ‘too small’. Someone who is a size 10 in one store may be a size 14 in another so sizes are irrelevant. Only the person wearing the clothes knows what size they are, it is just the way you look when you wear them that translates to others.

It is true that women’s body shape is varied, more so than men, and I think that although our society is so set in its views about ‘plus size’ and smaller sizes, all women have the potential to look amazing as long as they dress correctly and true to their size. And also if they have the confidence to break the mold and go against the grain of acceptance in society.

A classic shirt is always in fashion

Any item of clothing that will never go out of fashion is a classic piece of clothing, for women this is often that old faithful little black dress and for men this is often a shirt. A classic shirt is a shirt which will go with anything, a crisp white well tailored shirt is a classic. It can be worn for business meetings during the day with a well fitting suit and a tie and by night it can be worn with jeans and smart shoes.

Of course it doesn’t have to be white, that is only what springs to my own mind, it could be blue, black or even pink! (The right pink though, so no garish colours.) The important thing is that it fits perfectly, that it can be transformed from day wear to night wear and that it is a timeless classic that will never go out of fashion. In the context of a shirt prints will never remain classics as prints are at the mercy of the latest fashions, but which ever shop you go into that crisp white shirt will always be sitting there at any time of year. A true classic for all time!