Runway Seasonal Must-Haves essential

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Leather skin

Inspired by the recent evolution of the motorcycle jacket, designers transformed stand-by dresses and coats with leather to create updated looks for F/W 09. An elongated shape of the rugged style became a sleek black coatdress, while rum-colored versions were zipped up and collarless. A loose fitting strapless dress proved that leather has crossed over into mainstream wear. Ladylike tailoring with a strongly cinched waist created a more versatile everyday look.

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Tailor made

Menswear looks have been borrowed and reworked to create a style tailored for women. Voluminous trousers featured pleat fronts and tapered ankles that accentuated hips, while slim skirts were belted to showcase an hourglass shape. New essential colors like fiery red and steel grey broke up the strictness of the black suit in a clever way. Outerwear was a new source of inspiration with oversized, double-breasted blazers featuring face-framing collars worn as a coat.

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Curtain Call

The art of draping to accentuate feminine features has become a medium for designers to channel forms of dramatic expression. For F/W 09, ruching and gathering created the look of a theatrical curtain along with the fluidity of over-exaggerated tops and pants shapes. Asymmetric side draping mimicked Impressionistic brush strokes in strapless and sheath dresses. Romantic ensembles of satin blouses and voluminous skirts were appropriately matched for evening.

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Fur Trade

Experimentation with new shapes and colors created a new platform for fur on the runway for F/W 09. Fur's evolution into a statement piece stems from its adoption of key new shapes and trends, especially in the recent incorporation of sculpted vests. Blush tones on 3/4-length sleeved jackets hung open to expose strapless dresses of the same shade. An abbreviated shawl recalled bondage straps, creating a look for the brave

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Black and navy

Rules of color pairings were thrown out for F/W 09, establishing a newly liberating yet considered sense of freedom for color this season. Black satin lapels on navy blazers were balanced with school girl kilts while separates like pencil skirts and cigarette pants were paired with tops in the opposing color. Cropped jackets used the juxtaposition of color and fabric to create a unified item

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Enlisted

A literal military influence emerged in a more figurative way on feminine looks for F/W 09. Designers took elements of traditional uniforms and used them to their advantage. Double-breasted coats featured fur trim and were worn with satin pants – one version had fur trim and was styled with a captain's hat. Shrunken medallion-embellished jackets had a bandleader influence, but were softened by a floor-sweeping skirt. Trims included buckles placed at the back and frogging used as closures

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Cusmetic neutrals

The attention to skin resonated with designers, resulting in a distinctly evocative color palette for F/W 09. Neutrals transitioned from traditional shades of taupe, brown and khaki to shades reflecting the focus on skin tones. Nudes have been greyed-out and deepened to create a range of colors perfect for tonal layering, while other hues were tinted with primary colors. Either worn alone, on suiting separates or pieced together, these pieces looked like a second skin.

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Antique Lace

Femininity was apparent on the F/W 09 runways in silhouette, color and fabrics, and delicate frills were one of its newest forms. Vintage lace was used for sleeves on slip dresses, while collars recalled Victorian style trims. In a more traditional manner, lace was used on long sleeve dresses in antique white. One of the newest incarnations of this traditional fabric was a bandeau bra layered under a tuxedo-style jacket

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Surface effects

Dimension was brought to simple silhouettes through surface interest and embellishments. Traditional treatments like velvet devoré burnout was used in fresh colors on deep-V style wrap dresses. Home furnishings inspired velvet brocade on outerwear, adding dimension to a 3/4-sleeve jacket. Pailettes and crystals were sewn onto tailored sheath dresses. Manipulation and surface additions created yet another innovative quality to exquisite fabrics on elaborately constructed pieces.

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