Wrap Yourself in Velvet

Autumn is synonymous with the ideals of comfort and warmth. Think outdoor fires, the reds and golds of leaves, cozy knits and warm socks. The season is all about warm clothes and warm colours – both on us and around us.

Fashion for Fall 2017 capitalizes on that warmth and comfort through women’s clothing by mirroring the warm reds, oranges and yellows ubiquitous in nature this time of year.

Looking autumn cozy and tastefully sartorial is easy this year, thanks to the abundance of choices available.

Carolyn Harvey-Smith, manager of Aurea Gems & Essential Luxuries in Victoria, says one of the biggest sellers this season continues to be the tunic blouse paired with skinny pants and leggings.

“Women are all about the tunic length; it’s simply so flattering on most figures,” says Carolyn. “It provides a soft silhouette and camouflages areas, like bust or belly, that many women don’t want attention drawn to.”

Prints and warm solid colours, particularly reds, are most popular in blouses this season.

Carolyn says that to complement tunic tops, belts in all shapes and sizes, as well as accessories (think long chains), are selling well.

“You pair all of that with a lovely pair of boots and it’s slimming and lengthening. It’s a sexy look as well as being very comfortable.”

Vula Kawalez, a buyer for Olsen Europe, agrees.

“The trend for blouses and skinny pants is definitely continuing,” says Vula. “The hot colour is anything in the red family. There is a shade for everyone.”

Popular in blouses are lace-up details and grommets – a touch of sexy, fashion forward and always comfortable. To accompany the longer blouses and complete the lean look, long necklaces, especially ones with tassels, are very popular.

As the season wears on and chillier weather becomes a reality, what’s the best choice to complete your look?

“The trend is continuing with the longer cardigan, that comes just above the knee,” says Vula. “You can wear it with a woven shirt or blouse, with wide pants, skinny pants or rolled-up jeans at the cuff. It’s very versatile and a wardrobe builder. We are all in love with knits, they feel so good and are very functional.”

Cropped pants, whether rolled-up jeans or shorter dress pants, are very popular this season, as well.

“The rule is the pants should be about three fingers above the ankle. You can wear them with a flat shoe or an ankle boot,” she says. “There is a very refined and modern look about it.”

Vula says another big fashion trend this season is velvet.

“Oh, it’s the fabric of the moment. You can wear a velvet jean, a velvet jacket, even a velvet sneaker, but not all together,” she laughs.

This year, the popular colour for velvet is indigo, not black.

“Well, it’s richer. It means day velvet versus a fancy occasion. You can wear indigo with jeans or black dress pants, it works with so much.”

 

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