Magical Fashion by Tim Burton

In anticipation of his retrospective at MOMA, filmmaker Tim Burton reimagines the season's dark delights. The photographer was - of course - Tim Walker.

Topshop AW'09 Lookbook

Footwear Fall '09

This season's footwear is anything but bland, whether studded, crystallised, ruffled or cut out, there are so many new styles to explore.

Possibly the most important style for the upcoming season are the thigh-high boots which were seen all over the runway. I still have a pair of Topshop black suede ones from a couple of years ago although they are flat so no doubt I'll be tempted to invest in a smarter pair. My favourite ones were from Hussein Chalayan, second from the left. 

Designers really went all out when it came to designing the platform and heels this season. It's all about interesting forms and a new spin on giving height including  very vertical needle thin heels.
Black PVC, snake skin and lots and lots of straps. Perhaps a tougher look to the gladiator sandals of Summer. Can't wait to see what the high street has to offer. 

Textile Trends for Fall '09

(More trends from Stylesight.)

It is no surprise that knitwear was strongly featured in the Fall '09 collections. Knitwear has really come unto its own over the past couple of years with new techniques and forms being adopted. The knit evolution sees the upcoming season mainly featuring extremely shaggy knits in heavy layers and earth tones. 

I'm happy lace reared its head again. Traditional techniques have been used but with playful detailing like the blue shoulder pads showing through in this Givenchy dress and the black piping at Louis Vuitton.

Taking inspiration from underwear and lingerie, sheer layering can be seen in cotton, silk and polyester chiffon. 

Tapestry and upholstery brought a touch of luxury to the catwalk. A rich, textural quality is added using traditional techniques like embossing and flocking. 

Leather! Leather, leather, leather. Moving on from the heavy presence of tight, leather trousers/leggings and biker jackets, leather comes onto its own next season taking the form of seperates and dresses. In each case, the leather was clearly soft and supple to the point where it could be used as an alternative to wool in garments.   

The fur debate. I have never agreed with the use of furs in fashion, but that's a whole other blog post. Fur could be seen in the majority of Fall '09 runway collections whether it was used as a slight detailing like at Dior; with other furs at Lanvin & Fendi, or colour treated which was massive at Michael Kors and Gucci. 

Artificial furs were also present and are likely to be huge on the high street come September so if, like me, you don't want to wear the real deal, don't worry there will be plenty of faux alternatives.  

Colour trends for Fall '09: Part II

Of course the pop coloured brights of the '80s still have such a presence all over the catwalk. As with the blocking of the last couple of seasons, the same has been done again but this time round they have been partnered up with grounding neutrals such as black, navy and creams. If you're scared to go all out, small detailing will work just as well. It will be Fall after all.

A mixture of crimsons, coral, scarlet etc are always great for brightening up your Autumn/Winter wardrobe. Also noticeable is the emphasis Muiccia Prada has placed on the over-sized boyfriend cardigan (here even coming through the shorts). No need to get rid of last year's.

Shades of emerald and jade were seen all over the Fall runway collections. Love the Stella McCartney dress on the left. Chanel (far right) were key in pushing this look with even their accessories. I also saw that they have brought out a similar shade of nail varnish to match.

Organic Erosion is all about texture and earthy elements. Pure golds and silvers have been replaced by bronzes and more aged golds, which appear to have been left to oxidise or be chemically treated. 

Layering  and mixing is key with these darker, again earthy dark tones. Like the greys and the cosmetics, there is still a warmth to the moss green and maroon colours used and again partnered with furs.

Colour trends for Fall '09: Part I

I can't claim credit. I have collected some of the key colour palettes taken from RTW collections from Stylesight. So here they are in all their glory:

Monochrome geometric patterns continue to be big but are more exaggerated and over-scaled than before with harsh contrasts.

There was a luxe survival feel to a lot of the collections; a return to a nomadic look with layers of furs and skins thrown together in different layers in earth tones.

Mixing of different grey tones top-to-toe was key but without the cold minimalist feel from the '90s. 

Usually no-go colours were placed together in unexpected ways. This was most evident with the navy & black combinations. Not only that, but the textiles were often entirely different in surface texture and created a new aesthetic.

Continuing on from the apricots, pinks and blush colours of Spring/Summer, the cosmetics are a more exciting way of looking at neutral colour palettes. The greys and brown tones add richness for Fall.

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