Trends: World MasterCard Fashion Week

Now that you’ve had time to digest five days of World MasterCard Fashion Week runway recaps, plus backstage and beauty reports – here’s my grand finale!

The shows are entertaining and beautiful to watch, but at the end of the day, designer labels simply aren’t attainable to everyone. So, after the dust from the tents has settled, I love to compile a trend report to highlight key themes that will translate from the runway to retail stores in the upcoming season. Elaborate or not, the looks on the runways have a profound impact on the ready-to-wear fashions in our favourite retail stores – and that forecasting and influence is what keeps me thinking back on the runways for months.

This Fall 2013 season, the trends were all very familiar – nothing ground breaking, but there was creative styling and some unique variations on the classics. Once again, the black and white trend dominated the runways – this trend reigned supreme last October at the Spring 2013 shows and we’re all wearing it now!

With fall fashion, we always see an abundance of fabulous outerwear in various shapes and materials – wool and down are key players, but this coming season is all about leather. Trenches, moto-jackets, blazers and various accent details – leather made its edgy mark on a majority of the fall 2013 runways.

I also noticed the influence of two key eras – the mod and feminine style of 1960′s (Pink Tartan, Izzy Camilleri) and the punk and grunge style of the 1990′s (Chloe Comme Parris, Joe Fresh).

Keep reading to see the other trends I took note of throughout the week…

Monochrome: This trend was seen predominantly in all-black ensembles, but I’ve chosen to share some other variations here. I loved the use of contrasting textures at DUY (in both black and white monochrome looks), the rich royal blues at Pink Tartan and the sleek winter white at Sid Neigum (who also showed a variety of other black/white monochrome looks). Monochrome seems so simple, but it can be a tricky one to pull off with separates – you have to be cautious that tones and fabrications don’t clash.

Collars: The upcoming fall/winter season is all about neck wear for ladies. Not just voluminous circle scarves, but elaborate fur and feather collars worn high on the neck. I love the way they add texture and drama to even the most basic ensembles and I think we’re going to see a lot of these hitting the stores come fall (hopefully in faux varieties too).

Capes: In a sea of trenches, puffers, moto-jackets and pea coats, it’s lovely to see the cape re-emerge as a trend for the upcoming fall season. Not that it ever went away, but I definitely think we’ll be seeing more of them this year. I really enjoyed seeing the various takes on the trend from  swingy a-line and flared styles to more structured double-breasted and belted styles. I bought my first cape last year and it looks like 2013 may be the year I pick up my second!

Sheers: We’ve all seen sheers before, especially for spring/summer/resort fashion, but it’s back for fall 2013. Tunics, blouses maxi dresses and more with peekaboo paneling or full sheer fabrication – this trend is elegant and sexy in its simplicity. I think we’re going to to continue to see sheers for a long time, but with the chilly temperatures in fall, creative layering is going to come into play. Throw a simple blazer over sheer blouses and the right undergarments are key!

Peplum: If you thought the peplum was a flash in the pan trend, think again! It’s been hot for a few seasons and fall 2013 brings dramatic new varieties. Lace overlays, brocade, frayed and hi-low hemlines – I love them all! I especially loved the way that Pavoni amplified the volume with ruffled pleats and longer tails. It’s a figure flattering trend that’s here to stay!

Burgundy: Jewel tones were hot on the fall 2013 runways, but burgundy rose to the top as the colour of choice. This warm and flattering shade made its mark on fall fashion during 2012 and it’s back for 2013. I invested in some fabulous burgundy pieces last year, including blouses, pants, jeans and accessories, so I’m glad I’ll be on trend again this year! The fall runways showed us that burgundy is super versatile with various textures and colour combinations – whether you’re going for edgy, modern, bohemian or classic – burgundy looks great on everyone!

I love fall fashion for the creative layering, outerwear, cold weather accessories and textile embellishments – there’s a lot more going on so it’s fun to see how our Canadian designers will get us ready for cooler temperatures in style! Until then, I’m ready for summer dresses, BBQs, patios and lots of sunshine…bring on summer!

Photos by George Pimentel/Getty Images for IMG

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