With New York fashion week behind us, and London fashion week almost at a close, designers are halfway through showcasing their collections for Fall 2014. It’s crystal clear that the following trends, some of which have been around for many seasons already, are still going strong. In some cases, stronger than ever. 

1. Fluid and Oversized Fits: My word. Fluid is the new tailored. I have yet to see as many gigantic sloppy sweaters and oversized toppers and baggy pants on the runways. Trousers look baggier and slouchier than ever. Wearing shapeless clothing has become ultra fashionable. The key is adding sufficient structure to the look so that you don’t look like you’re drowning in the outfit.  
2. Refined Pointy Toed Footwear: This makes perfect sense as a complement to #1. Adding tailored footwear with dainty pointy toes and non-platform heels to shapeless and oversized outfits is an effective way of adding structure to the look. If the models weren’t wearing sneakers or sandals, designers matched their clothing with pointy toe boots, booties, shooties, pumps, flats or oxfords. 
3. Cropped Pants: In all styles, shapes, fabrics and colours. Showing your ankles and a portion of your lower leg in Fall and Winter is very fashionable. 
4. Knitwear: Sweaters are the top to wear with any bottom, in tailored, fluid and oversized fits. 
5. Winter White: White-out is alive and well. Furthermore, shades of white are a fabulous alternative to dark neutrals in the dead of Winter. Mix up shades of white with your favourite colours to lighten up your outfit. 
6. Pastels: You’re probably warming up to pastels and mid tones since they are a mainstream trend for Spring 2014. Continue adding pastels to your wardrobe for cold weather. Think pastel knitwear, coats, scarves and bags. 
7. Sporty-Luxe: Upscale sweatshirts, track pants, sneakers, backpacks, mesh insets, colour blocking, beanies and bomber jackets are very current. Mix them up with refined footwear and structured pieces. 
8. Mixed Media: Wardrobe items that are made of several fabrications continue to add an interesting textural touch. 
9. Booties with Everything: Six years in and there is no stopping the seasonless bootie and shootie trend. 
10. Seasonally Confused Cold Weather Outfits: Matching warm weather footwear — like sockless flats, pumps, peep toe booties and sandals — with a cold weather outfit complete with heavy outerwear, scarf and hat is fashionable. 
11. Leather Items: Think leather toppers, tops, skirts, pants and trousers in any colour. 
12. Black Footwear: Traditionally the practical and classic option, more recently black footwear has been making a fashion statement. 

Over to you. What are your thoughts on these continuing trends? Do you have any favourites?

Shades of dark blue have become just as popular and available as black over the last three years, so the results of this poll are going to be interesting. Some have made dark blue “their black”. Some will wear both black and dark blue. And some are black wearing die-hards, no matter what.

Just to be clear, you are on Team Black if you prefer wearing black to dark blue, and vice versa. It’s ok to love both.

I love black, and my wardrobe would not function without it in small but very important doses. I love it because I can combine it with shades of white and shades of blue. It’s also excellent with brights and blush, which I know is poison eye to some, but I like those colour combinations. And a black turtleneck in formfitting and fluid fits is a wardrobe essential for my style. 

I also love ink blue. Over the last four months I’ve often found myself selecting the dark blue option instead of black. The ink blue capsule in my wardrobe is growing fast and it makes me happy because it’s a softer, happier and more lively version of black. It looks stunning with white and with black. It’s also gorgeous with bright pink and sour yellows and greens. 

I can’t choose between these two dark neutrals, so I’m sitting this one out on the bench with wild mushroom risotto, steamed asparagus, and warm apple cake. Over to you. Are you on Team Black or Team Ink Blue? Tell us why and no batting for both teams.

It’s been ten years since skinnies and variations on the tapered pant silhouette resurfaced on the runways of fashion week. Bringing back the ‘80s tapered leg was a HUGE change after the ‘90s, which was filled with bootcut, flared, palazzo and wide-leg jeans and trouser silhouettes. Looks like we’ve come full circle because skinnies are extremely rare on the Fall 2014 runways so far. At their most tapered, the pants are fluid straight legs and not sausage-casing skinnies. Now the runway is all about wider pant legs. 

This is an acceleration of the trend I mentioned in my forecast for Spring 2014 (trend #10). If my hunch is correct, we will see it continue to gather momentum.

There are two main variations of the silhouette: 

1. Wider all over and down to the hem. Think boot cuts, wide legs and flares. 
2. Baggy and wide on top, but tapered at the hem. Think baggy and slouchy styles like upscale track pants and harem pants. 

As I watch the shows I pin trends and inspirations along the way as a frame of reference. I love to see how the trends on the runway filter down to retail. Some get there right away, some take a while, some stay fringe and others don’t filter down at all. It’s a fascinating process. Here’s a peek at the pant silhouettes I have pinned recently:

1. Denim jumpsuit fabness. 
2. Gauchos. 
3. Forest green man coat with cream wide legs. 
4. Tomato column of colour. 
5. Wide tapered trousers with oversized coat. 
6. Dressy track pants. 
7. Oversized ‘90s soft suit. 
8. Cropped wide legs with voluminous layering. 
9. Culottes. 
10. Wide, wide trousers with tailored jacket and oversized topper. 
11. Wide on the bottom, fluid on top. 
12. Genie pants with straight blazer. 
13. Slouchy straight legs. 
14. Wide Winter white.
15. Stunning straight lines and proportions with lots of movement. 
16. Floor sweepers with belted retro coat. 
17. Magical cuffed culottes. 
18. Elegantly sloppy. 
19. Cropped, baggy and tapered on the bottom, oversized on top. 
20. Bootcuts with wrap coat. 
21. Baggy and wide Winter white. 
22. Wide, wide plaid. 
23. Tapered wide leg jumpsuit. 
24. Pleated, casual, wide and tapered with toggles. 
25. Roomy denim with oversized topper. 
26. Big suit. 
27. Bootcuts and colour blocking. 
28. Patchwork boyfriends. 
29. Baggy patchwork boyfriends. 
30. Bootcuts with fluid top and loose topper. 
31. Midi dress over bootcuts. 
32. Mega wide and tapered at the hem. 
33. Genius oversized volume with a little structure. 
34. Wide suit with tapered hems. 
35. High-waisted bootcuts. 
36. Perfect structured slouch with tapered hem scrunch. LOVE. 
37. Wide legs become pantaloons with ski boots. 
38. Big all over. 
39. Baggy low rise with inverted pleats. 
40. Wide legs with painter’s smock. 
41. Baggy, baggy, wide and baggy. 
42. Classic. 
43. Wide, cropped with wrap jacket. 
44. Apricot elegance. 
45. Wide and cropped. 
46. Layered, wide and cropped. 
47. Modern equestrian magic. My favourite.
48. Oversized classics. 
49. Roomy cuffed ankle pants. 
50. Wide and elegant. 

I did have the occasional apoplexy when I saw outfits with cropped wide ankle pants because the silhouette is my poison eye. But I do include them on my board because the look is trending. As for the rest, I welcome wider pant legs. We desperately need an alternative to tight, tight, tight. Of course, many of these catwalk looks are exaggerated, unflattering, and impractical to wear. Rest assured that wider pant leg silhouettes will be streamlined for retail purposes. 

While skinnies are scarce on the catwalks and wider pant legs are all the rage, it’s important to remember that silhouette changes don’t make their way to retail overnight. And even if wide legs do filter down in a big way, that won’t necessarily mean that skinny styles will become unfashionable or dated. Although skinnies did disappear in the ’90s and early noughties, I think their practicality, combined with a fashion era that is more tolerant of variety, will keep them in fashion.

That said, I’m not encouraging my clients to purchase more pairs of body con skinnies. I’m suggesting that they wear skinnies a little looser all over when they purchase a new pair, or opt for a straight leg instead.

A biopic about Yves Saint Laurent, Uniqlo and COS opening new stores, an eco-friendly denim line and more style news that made the rounds this week.

• COS, known for its minimalist aesthetic, is coming to Australia, and has plans to open a flagship store in Melbourne this year.
• The new Yves Saint Laurent biopic will be in theatres from March 21. In the meantime, have a look at the trailer. 
• Opening Ceremony installed a wall of Callebaut chocolate on the runway during NYFW, a fun reminder that fashion capital Antwerp inspired their 2014 F/W collection.
• G-Star and Pharrell Williams team up for an eco-friendly denim line made from recycled plastic collected from the ocean.
• Fans of the Fab Four: Vans is bringing out a limited edition Beatles collection in March, featuring artwork from the Yellow Submarine album and movie.
• Popular Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo will open its first Southern California-based stores this Autumn.
• Karen Millen will be opening bespoke studios in the UK and abroad as part of their new image marketing plan.

Earlier this week, we wrote on YLF about weelchair model Jillian Mercado starring in a new ad campaign for Diesel. In the meantime, Danielle Sheypuk also made the news, as the first model in a wheelchair to do a NYFW runway show.

Fun Fashion Fact

It’s widely believed that the embroidered crocodile on 1930s’ Lacoste tennis shirts was the first time a designer logo appeared on clothing. However, the Jantzen Diving Girl logo appeared on the outside of swimsuits as early as 1923.