Autumn/Winter 2013 Trends + How We Accessorise Them

We check out four Autumn/Winter catwalk trends that will be in a store near us soon, and see how we will accessorise them.

Masculine/Feminine

A big A/W ’13 trend, this boy meets girl game play was all over the catwalk – think pinstripe tailoring, big coats, grey tones.  We’ll get into this battle of the sexes game, setting strong male tailoring against feminine accessories.

We might wear Dramatic earrings like Dolce & Gabbana and Philip Lim or a feminine brooch a la Emporio Armani for a real feminine touch. We might also opt for a flighty hair accessory, a waist-enhancing belt or big cocktail ring.

Punk Rebel

For this trend think edgy textures and details: zippers, chains, PVC, leather and studs.  Designers are finding toughening up. Colours and patterns are bold (brash even) but are always set against black.   Donatella Versace christened her collection ‘Vunk’.

We will dress our Rebel look with suitably edgy accessories: be it a studded cuff, a chain-mail cuff or a studded clutch.  Or we might possibly express our very own ‘Vunk’ by layering a mismatched set of chain necklaces and pendants.

The Lady

In A/W 13 the Lady gazes back at an age of classic tailoring but with a definite hint of sedition.  There’s a Hitchcockian feel about the skirt suits and the nipped waists.  The new skirt is off-kilter.  Heavy footwear, oversized clutches and ultra contemporary accessories strip all the primness from this look.

We’ll be accessorising with big cocktail rings inject contemporary with a capital C into vintage; or large chunky necklaces. Clutch bags will be very much of the here and now.

Baroque

A rich and opulent aesthetic. We love Dolce and Gabbana’s mosaic and fresco inspired tunics complete with gem-encrusted crowns and Alexander McQueen’s Elizabethan theme. Cavalli and Balmain show us a more wearable take on this trend – one we might find in a pared down form on the High Street soon – with baroque-style prints, metallics and embellishments.

Ornate jewellery comes into its own in this trend so we’ll be accessorising with trophy earrings and extravagant cuffs. Gem-encrusted pieces complement this look perfectly so we might try an heirloom bag.

SUMMER HOLIDAY: HOW WE’LL BE ACCESSORISING

With the summer holidays fast approaching, we are daydreaming about exotic destinations with clear turquoise waters, cocktails at the beach bar, and fresh off the line seafood dinners. Our suitcases will be packed with bright non-crease sundresses, sandals and flip-flops, and a few too many bikinis.  But how will we accessorise?  For us, holidays aren’t the time for heavy coordinated accessorising, but we still like to make a statement.

Taking inspiration from some of our favourite icons (old and new), here are a few looks we’ll be channelling:

EARRINGS WITH DRAMA

We’ll do like Natalie Wood and fashion our beachwear with an oversized hoop earring. Kate Moss is our leading lady for proving it doesn’t matter what you wear (if anything at all…) – here she wears a simple bikini with bold earrings.  Evelyn Trip and Bridget Bardot both show how to work sun hats with statement earrings. The tip here is the more drama the better.

STACKING BANGLES

Bangles and bracelets are the jewellery fail-safe to complement low-key beachwear style. Our favourite girls: Lisa Fonssagrives, Beverly Johnson and Helen Beatty adorn their arms high with bracelets of contrasting textures and sizes. Barbara Bach masters easy holiday glamour, balancing a statement cuff with coordinating bangles on the other arm to pull together a great summer evening look – a styling move we will definitely emulate this summer.

LAYERING NECKLACES

Our girls here demonstrate that layering necklaces works as well for summer casual as for city dress up.  Edie Sedgwick and Stevie Nicks give a relaxed beach-town vibe by mixing chain pendants with bead and gemstone necklaces of different lengths. Necklaces long enough to wrap twice around the neck work especially well here – check out this one here from Gilda’s Tryst. Renowned as a groomed international fashionista of impeccable taste, Olivia Palermo’s relaxed summer look is no exception. We say: don’t be afraid to mix silver and gold because metallics are bang on trend for this summer. When you’re out and about, our top tip is to focus on the accessories and stick to a plain top so the necklaces really stand out.

COCKTAIL RINGS

These ladies show how to let the cocktail ring make the statement - and we are sure to have at least one on our summer holiday list.  Kate Moss and Blake Lively stick to large cocktail rings centred by opulent stones which make them wow. Ashley Olsen is rarely pictured without her must-have jewellery pieces: her rings. We love this edgier approach and she keeps her hands looking fierce with angular rings worn against stone rings for maximum impact.

SCARF PLAY

Here at Gilda’s Tryst we are big on silk scarves and it’s due to their versatility that we never pack a suitcase without them.  Scarves are great hair accessories and we might like Elizabeth Taylor, Kate Hudson, or even Allie (from The Notebook) use a scarf as a protector against naughty sea breezes, or like Elke Sommers, use it to liven up an outfit, give it some colour and movement. We could simply tie it around the neck in with cool European insouciance, evoked here perfectly by Sophia Loren or like Jessica Alba, just wrap it over a plain t.

COLOUR POP

Our final accessorising trend is big this summer - bright colours against bronzed skin always works.  We take inspiration from Kate Moss with her bold pink earrings against crisp white, and Natalie Wood’s bright green earrings against yellow.  Kate Hudson shows us how to clash colours to colour pop with the best of them.