The Groovy Chick

Four Trends (Autumn /Winter 2009)

The shops are now full of beautiful Autumn/ Winter clothes and there are many different trends to choose from. Colour Me Beautiful consultant, Tanya Arturi, looks at four key trends and gives an overview of what might be the right look for you and why.

1. Camel Coats

This season sees a return to elegance and luxury; designers understand that people are looking for ‘investment pieces’ instead of high-end trends that only last one season. Therefore, one of Autumn’s most versatile classics, the camel coat, has made a come-back and was seen on the catwalks of MaxMara, Chloe, Derek Lam and Michael Kors.

However, this colour doesn’t suit everyone so you need to understand your dominant colour personality before deciding to invest in this wardrobe staple. Camel will suit women in one of the following colour ‘types’ (there are six dominate colour types in total):

Light    You have light blonde or white hair; light blue or green eyes and a porcelain and delicate skin (e.g. Joely Richardson and Denise Van Outen). Most winter coats are dark, so this trend gives you a great opportunity to invest in a coat because camel is a great colour for you (just make sure it doesn’t match your hair too closely)

Warm   You have red hair tones (from Strawberry blonde to auburn), your eyes are blue, green or hazel and your skin is freckled or golden (e.g. Sarah Ferguson and Nicole Kidman). Wearing a camel colour near to your face will cast warm tones over your skin, flattering your complexion

Deep    You have black to dark brown hair, your eyes are dark brown and your skin is anything from very dark to very pale (e.g. Nigella Lawson and Halle Berry)

 

2. Houndstooth

Traditional prints are back and houndstooth checks dominated the A/W catwalks – from micro to jumbo proportions. These black and white pieces are tailor-made for city dressing and were seen on suits, A-Line shit dresses and sleek coats. Designers such as Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Preen and Moschino all used houndstooth fabrics.

The following two dominant colour types can wear this print next to their face, everyone else should only wear it on their bottom half or on accessories such as bags and shoes.

Deep    As described above

Clear    You have medium to dark hair; bright blue, green or topaz eyes and a clear and fresh complexion (e.g. Liz Hurley and Courtney Cox-Arquette). The contrasting black and white colours will look particularly good on you



 

3. Sequined Jackets

Disco divas will love the shimmering effect of sequins for a bit of night-time glamour. The catwalk had dazzling displays of sequinned skirts, dresses and tops from designers such as Nina Ricci, Carolina Herrera and Gucci. Don’t try too hard by wearing top-to-toe sequins, just throw a jacket over a plain t-shirt and wear a pair of jeans.

Luckily, every colour type can wear this trend because the high street has a range of coloured sequins (Dorothy Perkins stock jackets in pink, purple and grey). Below is a guide to what colour will suit you best:

Soft      You have mousy (often highlighted) hair, soft brown, green or blue eyes and a neutral complexion (e.g. Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston), you should opt for silver, grey and pink jackets

Cool     You have ash blonde, black or grey hair; blue, grey or cool brown eyes and skin with cool undertones (e.g. Annie Lennox and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall). If you have this type of colouring you should look for a grey, silver or purple jacket

Women with a Light dominant colour (as described above) should look for pink and grey jackets.

Women with a Warm dominant colour should look for jackets in pink and gold.

Deep and Clear dominant colours should wear deep and rich colours such as black and purple.

Dorothy Perkins has a range of sequinned jackets in a variety of different colours.

 

4. Fabulous Forties

Feminine dressing is back this season with beautifully tailored 1940’s skirt suits, emphasising womanly curves with a nipped-in waist. This type of suit was shown in bold bright red on the Prada, DKNY and Dior catwalks.

You can wear bright red if you are Deep or Clear but look for hot pink if you are Cool, coral or apricot if you are Warm and blush pink if you are Light or Soft.

 

If you would like to have your colours professionally analysed to find out what clothes and make-up best suits you, please contact Tanya Arturi, Colour Me Beautiful Consultant, on 07811 430 730 or visit www.cheshireimageconsultants.co.uk