From New York London Paris and to Milan, the Fall 2011 collections delivered a bevy of strong looks and sharp styles, introducing chic and wearable trends for autumn. With bolder prints, colours, dramatic forms clashing prints and texture overload on the runway, the message for the new season ahead is more and more. The Dries Van Noten show spearheaded the trend with his collage, highly patterned collection, while Lanvin, Hermes and Rodarte brought us edgy sophisticated leather pieces. At Alexander Mcqueen, Phillip Lim and Christopher Kane, the mix-match theme continued in force.

The stand-out colour story from summer also follows through into Fall, as seen in the Mondrian-inspired Prada shifts, multi-coloured capes from Chloe, primary coloured graphic stripes from Celine, Balenciaga’s bold black and white shifts and the hot pink and orange coats from Bottega Veneta. Bright pants in eye- popping colours and separates were key pieces on the runways .For outwear think glamorous – Thakoon, Mulberry, Rick Owens and Vera Wang showed sexy new parkers making a strong new statement with voluminous silhouettes and long streamlined coats in vibrant tones also dominated the catwalks. Furs and pelts also made a comeback in outrageous rainbow candy colours, as shown by Gucci, The Row and Burberry. Spots were also thrown into the mix and elegant polka dots were major themes at Stella McCartney, DVF, Lanvin, L.A.M.B, Malandrino and Marc Jacobs.

Sleek masculine tailoring and the all-time favourite TUX were must-haves on the runways with many designers Isabelle Marant, Phoebe Philo Jason Wu opting for classic YSL-esque smoking as the look of choice for the sexy sophisticated evening look. And the most striking theme to emerge from London and Milan was the 60s story – cocoon coats, bouffant hair-dos conjured up a distinctly nostalgic Jean Shrimpton Jackie O influence from the iconic era , with Designers such as Calvin Klein, Burberry Prorsum, Jill Sander and Loewe channelling a distinctly Mad-men vibe. Full on sexy 70s glamour was one of the most key micro trends with Chloe, Isabel Marant and Dior sending sexy plunge-neck line dress slit to the thigh, boho flared jeans and sheer print dress and oversize knitwear down the catwalks,. Forget about plain greys and blacks this season. This season is about extreme colour, jewel and rust tones, luxe fabrics, chunky sweaters , high shine, Victorian lace and crazy prints adding a welcome touch of warm colour and sexy glamour to brighten up our wardrobes during the colder months to come.

Text by Natasha Ffrench