Main Line Fashion Week
This time of year is explosive for the world of fashion. Not only are we in that seasonal transition where we get to pull out some of of Fall style staples, but it's the time of fashion weeks all over the world. Most of the time at fashion week, they will showcase trends for a future season. In the Fall, they show off Spring styles and in the Spring it's all about the Fall.
Last week, I got the opportunity to be a media sponsor for Main Line Fashion Week. Not only does this fashion week cover the small business boutiques and local designers, but they showed off more of the current trends. There were three main events: an industry panel (September 29th), the runway show (October 1st), and the marketplace (October 3rd).
The event that I really want to write about is the runway show. This is the opportunity to get outfit ideas and see what trends to incorporate into our wardrobe. It's also a time to reflect on what we have in our own closets that can be used this season before we run out to the stores and buy every new trend.
The designs that were featured were by 6 boutiques and designers in particular. Those places were Nich Boutique, Orgotten Clothing, Revivals Boutique, Obvi Boutique, Posh Collections, and K. Nicole Couture.
So I want to break down the highlighted trends that I noticed with each boutique starting with Nich Boutique. They describe their merchandise as the things you've been looking for and the styles you didn't know you were obsessed with until you walked through their doors. At Nich, I noticed that the top trends included:
Leather
Off-the-shoulder tops
Zip/Wrap dresses and sweaters
Floral
High-waisted
Crop tops
Rompers/One-pieces
Nich wasn't afraid to mix these styles either. Leather might be something that isn't quite as girly, but mixed with a little floral can give it that feminine flair. In addition to that feminine flair, you can also see that comfort is a big trend with Nich's highlighted pieces.
Then following Nich Boutique we saw Orgotten Clothing. They are owned by Kristy and Stefanie Emery, and describe their fashions as eco-friendly screen-printed t-shirts and activewear. By that description alone, you can guess that comfort is another important feature to Orgotten. Some of their top trends included:
Mixing browns and blacks.
Maxi skirts
One-pieces
At Orgotten, I also noticed their variety with either a form-fitting top and loose-fitting bottom or a loose-fitting top and a form-fitting bottom. The first model to walk down the runway had a beautiful brown off-the-shoulder sweater paired with tight black leggings. Then another model had on a dress with a more corset-style top and a flowy skirt.
From the current styles and the eco-friendly fashions, we moved into an era of the vintage feel with Revivals Boutique. This store offers a variety of women's clothing and cool vintage jewelry to high-quality accessories. Their top styles will definitely have you searching in your closet to pull out some pieces you probably haven't worn in years.
Fringe
Mixing Patterns
Feather-lined coats
Matchy-Matchy
Glitter/Metallic
Bold, Gold Statement Necklaces
Petticoats
Oranges and Reds
These fashions might sound a little bold, but don't be afraid to try them. Start small before you pair a plaid blazer with some striped pants. Instead start with that plaid blazer and pair it with a belt or scarf of a different pattern. Or even start with the Matchy-matchy and slowly work to the mixed patterns. For years, fashion rules have told us if we have that plaid blazer, then we shouldn't pair it with plaid pants or a plaid skirt. Now the fashion rules are making that morning routine just a little simpler.
So far with each of these clothing lines I mentioned, you are looking at affordable styles. They are designer quality without the designer prices which brings me to the next boutique. Obvi Boutique whose specialty is helping women find affordable looks that work with their own personal style. Their trends were styles for women of many shapes and sizes and they focused on:
Loose styles over form-fitting
Changing up the neckline to something that went straight across from one shoulder to the other.
And embracing the metallic.
Obvi was a great way to embrace the trends slowly and gradually. They didn't mix too many styles, but rather let the designs stand out on their own. They had a metallic skirt paired with a white, loose-fitting top. They were also an example of being feminine without losing that element of comfort.
If patterns and femininity are more your style, then Posh Collections is your line. Posh embodies flair, refinement, beauty, and elegance. Their goal is to match today's women with yesterday's glamour. And they did that with some classic styles:
One-pieces
Mixing floral and plaid
Denim jackets
Leather
Leopard print
Blues and Reds
Fur
Some of the style combinations that really stood out to me from Posh Collections included their sublty of leopard print. Not only did they let the leopard focus on one piece, but they gave it that sassy, sexy appeal by pairing it with red. Like Nich, Posh Collections gave leather that feminine appeal by pairing it with a white girly dress and also took a chance on leather with a plaid skirt. And for a classic staple, you can try a denim jacket with a clean-cut blouse.
Then to wrap up the runway trends, they introduced a line who is on the heels of New York Fashion Week...K. Nicole Couture. While the other lines focused more on styles that were things we can wear this Fall, K. Nicole gave us a preview or what to expect in Spring.
Pinks
Layered/Floor-length skirts
One-pieces
Summer Sweaters
Modest
Ruffles
So Spring will also bring us that element of femininity, and make sure you don't pack away those lightweight sweaters when it comes time to say goodbye to winter.
From Fall to Spring, it's also safe to say that those rompers and one-pieces will be all the rage. So have fun experimenting, and trying the trends that you think work the best for you.
HAPPY STYLING!
