Late summer style tips
Written by Jacqui O 'Brien
Fashion Trends for Fall 2009
The main themes were romantic clothes in diaphanous fabrics with frills, bright prints in floral, Pucci-esque and ethic designs, craft inspired applique and patchwork, metallics in shades of pewter and sixties-style graphical black and white prints.
The hottest trend for this fall is the dress, and not just any dress, it has to be short; the longest is just on the knee but many were so short that the word tunic barely sufficed, and the dresses would need to be worn over trousers to be decent.
These dresses follow every big style trend of the season. Styles were mainly shifts or empire line, with shirtwaisters as a more demure and grown-up option.
As for the designs, they follow all the hottest trends; romantic frilled dresses in floating, floral prints, metallic fabrics, craft-led folk designs and patchwork and graphical black and white.
The hottest colour tips are bright neons for fall, particularly acid yellow and Yves Klein blue.
Fortunately there are plenty of cool, casual neutrals in beige, peach, sand and stone available too.
The couture catwalks also showed lots of futuristic designs, robot-like metal dresses, shimmering fabrics and eccentric shapes. Looking forward to holiday time, fashionable beachwear includes white one-piece swimsuits, short shorts, huge face covering sunglasses and Grecian-style sandals.
Trouser-lovers are in for a lean time this season, as there were no jeans to be seen, and trousers were few and far between.
Handbag lovers still have plenty to drool over as bags are still big, big, big! Shoes are either thin-strapped sandals or high platforms or wedges.
Carrying on from last season, necklaces are still big, bold, statement pieces and earrings once more are tiny or non-existent.
If you don't want to wear a necklace then a huge bangle will also put you on-trend.