Skirt Lengths Dropping for Fall?

Don't panic. Doesn't mean you've got to ship all your mini skirts and baby-doll dresses to the Salvation Army. Yes, designers in the fashion heavens have decreed that skirt lengths need to fall - fall at the knee or slightly below it. But a few exceptions here and there is perfectly ok (sigh!).

Alright, but I'd like to shed some light on how to wear these new lengths and not look like you've aged 20 years!

The Fall season as you know means more somber colours mixed with nudes. Black, grey, maroon, blue (not pastels), red and camel is the order of the day. Christopher Kane leads the way (dress above) in that, he cuts the dress to just skim the body while embellishing it with bold embroidered floral designs.

Next in line is Micheal Kors that showed a strong Fall collection 2010 incorporating typical American wear. The dress below is a camel/nude ensemble but notice how he cleverly dips the neckline and finishes off with strong double leather belt to hold it all together. A little feminity and masculanity together sends a very sexy vibe.

Love Dries Van Noten's work. He loves mixing up colours and challenges our expectation of the norm. However, I found this one piece in his Fall 2010 collection a little disturbing - well in a good way, really. Because it has only ONE colour, grey. The dress is in no way brilliant from an artistic point of view. But its simplicity and classic cut is actually cleverly done to make it look chic and youthful.

The crowning glory of this trend just has to be (drum roll....) Victoria Beckham. And I'm not saying this because football fever is in the air. Victoria's style has always been body hugging pieces - as if the dress is second skin. For Fall, she had stolen the show by splashing colours like salmon and bright blue. This piece below is truly stunning and goes to show that just because you're not flashing your thighs, doesn't mean you can't look hot when the temperature (and skirt length) drops!

Pretty Pleats

(Skirt and Blouse from Reem Acra Spring/Summer 2010)

I remember the time when I first started drawing a figure of a girl. I’m sure you remember too. Wasn’t too complicated. A circle for her head, a small upside-down triangle for her body, a bigger right-side-up triangle for her skirt and long ovals for hands and legs. Simple.

Then as I grew a little older, the triangles disappeared and were replaced by a more defined body shape. However, the skirt was still rendered to resemble the top of an umbrella. Most often than not gathered or pleated skirts. I think, the reason for this repeated offence is the dolls we used to play with. Most assuredly, they all came down the manufacturer’s assembly line in poufy skirts or pleated ones – the epitome of feminity!

This Spring/Summer 2010, designers have indulged in creating this feminine silhouette. Bursting out in pleats from the waist, designers pay tribute to the fashionista who knows what she wants and at the same time enjoys being a girl.

I love what Jason Wu did this season. What he did was give an edge to a simple pleated skirt by whacking a sunny colour and then teaming it with a striped T. Newsflash: You will find that the T-shirt has evolved from being a casual wear item to a comfortable blouse you can wear to work. Just take care that it doesn’t come with printed words. Leave t-shirts like that for the weekend.

3.1 Philip Lim did the pleated skirt in so many of his pieces in his S/S 2010 collection. A master craftsman, he weaved his pleated skirts with panels made from different fabrics and textures.

Ms. Prada always has tricks up her sleeves. Her sister collection, Miu Miu, boasted the pleated skirt with appliqué collars and sleeves. I love her collection for Miu Miu this season. Its pure genius and so unusual. Sleeves and collars mismatch yet create a perfect silhouette. The pleated skirt here is so sweet with tiny prints on a pastel background. I’d love to wear this ensemble to work.

Zac Posen’s collection this season was just bursting with colour. This pleated piece stayed true to the designer’s vision for you and me. What is spring/summer without colour? All winter everyone was stuck in the doldrums wearing black, brown, maroon even white. Its time to switch gears and just bolt out the door in the colours of flowers and sunshine! This piece is magical with its blocks of colour that just screams Summer!

So there you have it – my list of this season’s best pleated skirts and dresses. When I was about town (KL town I mean), some boutiques were carrying this season’s trend. You can walk into Colours Boutique for price-friendly pieces. However, you should click on the Shopping link on this blogsite to shop my Catherine D. pleated pieces. There’s more to come, so, keep a close watch. I won’t disappoint.