September. The most important month in the fashion calendar. A month for reinvention, a new attitude, a fresh look. And this time, that look is hot. At the Autumn Winter shows earlier this year, dark gothic lace luxurious leather and off-the-scale sexuality marched down the runways with boundless attitude. Sex sells. We all know this. But how did it find itself splashed so dominantly over the catwalks for a season that many associate with practicality, comfort and shapeless garments that keep the cold out?
I've mentioned before, I'm a die-hard winter girl. The minute the September issues hit the shelves in August, I am a bubbling frenzy of giddy anticipation of what's to come. And of all the trends - the well-moneyed country look at
Ralph Lauren, the opulence at
Dolce & Gabanna - it is the romance and mystery, the rebellious suggestion of the goth that fills me with the most desire. There's something so erotic and Victorian about this look. The mood evokes thoughts of heady lust illuminated by candlelight, and gut wrenching heartbreak worsened by wine. The glossy, threatening leather is less biker, more high end bondage. The dark, cobwebby lace reveals so little, yet hints at so much. And any colour goes...as long as it's black.
Topshop Unique
Take Miss
Topshop Unique here. Disheveled hair, a slick of eyeliner and this incredible leather dungaree dress. She's not exactly approachable, she looks more foe than friend, but my god, any red-blooded male would want her, wouldn't they?
Valentino
Valentino,
Alberta Ferretti,
Mulberry and
Alexander Wang all had their own take on the gothic goddess. Even
Jil Sander, whose catwalk was laden with flowers, juxtaposed with fierce leather. But the show that encapsulated this look to perfection was
Gucci.
Gucci
With an inky colour palette that barely veered away from black, models wore floor-trailing velvet skirts, leather and wool capes, eerily transparent evening gowns and sheer blouses with their perfectly formed bare breasts showing through (Love Lust Like is not responsible for readers experimenting with the latter look).
Accessories mirrored the clothes, with various nods towards the S&M theme. Belts at
Gucci were made of rope begging to be tightened and
Christopher Kane used leather straps to bind his dresses. At
Haider Ackerman, waists were cinched with wide, corset-like leather belts.
Gucci and Christopher Kane
Haider Ackerman and DKNY
Gloves, too, were dominant. The likes of
Missoni and
Bottega Venetta had their girls don leather gloves reaching above the elbows, and
Burberry Prorsum's exquisite versions were studded with menacing gold spikes.
Givenchy, Bottega Veneta and Burberry Prorsum
Hair should be minimal and a little messy as if you've tossed and turned from dark dreams. Lips should be stained with red wine tones and eyes smudged with kohl.
Gucci
Was it the 50 Shades of Gray phenomenon that inspired designers? Have they all been reading 'mummy porn' between sketches? Or is it that they too treat Autumn Winter as a time to adopt a completely contrasting attitude to that of the previous summer days?
The goth, it can be argued, is fairly easy to imitate. Black? Check. Lace? Check. But it is the persona that you must master - that sexy, slightly tortured, haunted look - to gain true gothic status.
Imagery - Vogue.com
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