pictures from www.style.com

After his amazing fall ollection Haider Ackerman has definitely been tipped as one to watch. He has developed a very desirable signature style of long softly draped dresses and beautifully crafted leather jackets. For autumn and winter his usually dark and muted colour scheme was punctutated with some ruby red and purple for a rich and decadent feeling. The collection mixed both masculine and feminine features with racer back vests with flowers embroidered flowers and the seasons oversized blazer in silk.

I love the draping and assymetrical qualities of Haider Ackermann’s clothes. They are both flattering and unusual. He is a designer who has yet to become well known but is starting to attract a bit of a cult following. Get some Haider Ackerman clothes in his signature and asymmetrical signature style with these beautiful pieces.  

Haider Ackerman Long Sleeved Top

Haider Ackerman Topwear

Even as a child I used to start each new season with a wish list of clothes that I would like to have, although it was significantly shorter than the wish lists that I now have. For winter top item on my wish list was always a velvet dress. A beautiful and feminine affair in richly coloured and luxuriously soft velvet, perfect for birthday parties and other special occasions. For autumn and winter 09, a velvet dress could quite easily feature on my wish list again with these two beautiful choices from Christopher Kane and Prada.

These days I could just as easily opt for a pair of velvet trousers as a dress and I have noticed a very nice green pair at Chloe.

pictures from www.style.com

These bootcut velveteen trousers are really flattering and practical alternative for every day wear.

pictures from www.style.com

At the autumn winter 09 Dolce and Gabbana show, I couldn’t help but notice the scarves which added a touch of humour to the collection. This striking monochrome outfit featured scarves and headwear that looked like gloves. A quirky change to the classic scarf. The glove like scarf was wound neatly around the neck and finished with a neat knot. A scarf like hat was also fashioned from gloves with the fingers hanging down to one side of the face.

If you would like to recreate the quirky look shown by Dolce and Gabbana, try using this Patrizia Pepe scarf.

Draped dresses are every where for autumn and winter this year but there are some designers who do the draped dress particularly well season after season. The beauty of these draped dresses is their effortless look, the way the draped fabric hangs so beautifully and the the clever use of diagonal lines and layered fabrics to make a really flattering piece.

Junya Watanabe - this draped asymmetric tunic worn with leggings is a really wearable version of the draped dress. Just the sort of thing I would love for every day wear.

Peter Pilotto - combines beautiful and colourful prints for an amazing and very stylish bodycon dress.

Vivienne Westwood - not  a new comer to draped dress. She has had many years practice at perfecting the perfect one.

pictures from www.style.com

For a really wearable version of the draped dress try this long sleeved jersey dress by sandwich.

The waistcoat is a great accessory for adding a bit of interest and style to jeans and a t shirt or even a skirt and top. You can create lots of different looks using  a waist coat from smart and tailored or bohemian. I love ethnic and brightly coloured embroidery but there is quite a find line between really stylish and over the top. I love this embroidered waistcoat from Esprit as I think it has hit just the right note with a smart and sophisticated feel and some colourful embrodiery and beading to brighten it up. It would look great with a white or black shirt or top.

Sigh - yet another addition for my ever growing must have list for the autumn.

Picture Balmain  fall 09 from www.style.com 

Although it feels like we haven’t had much of a  summer yet, autumn isn’t far away. I really enjoy a new season and all the exciting new clothes and trends that it brings with it. This autumn and winter, there are plenty of trends to look forward to, with the recession causing designers to include key classic clothes that are real investments and also lots of colour to cheer everyone up. Here are some of the key trends:

Feature shoulders - the most notable and coveted shoulders for AW09 are from Balmain. But they also featured in plenty of shows including Balenciaga, Herve Leger, Roksanda Ilncic, Stella McCartney and Zac Posen. Rounded, pointed, wide or puffed, it doen’t really matter as long as your shoulders are a feature.

Draping - this trend has been rumbling on for a few seasons now, for sutumn winter 09, it is absolutely every where from Lanvin to Donna Karen. Some of the most notable draped dresses of the season are from Peter Pilotto.

Colourful prints - what better way to cheer up a cold and dreary winters day than with some gorgeously colourful prints. Rich colours are definitely the way to go when it comes to prints with Erdem, Peter Pilotto and Marios Schwab all having their own very covetable versions.

Chunky and patterned knits - winter is a great time for wrapping up in warm knits, this year they are all about volume, pattern and texture. Obviously the cold British winters are a big incentive for British designers to include some great knitwear in their collections. This season Paul Smith, Matthew Williamson and Vivienne Westwood, all had some great options. 

Grey and dogstooth - Another trends that just seemed to be everywhere, dogstoooth and black and white tweed were seen at Gucci, Burberry Prorsum, Alexander McQueen, Luella, Stella McCartney and many more.

A great version of next seasons draping is this Precis Petite Draped cardigan.

Grey is often thought of as a bit boring but I love it. It is a great neutral alternative to black and this season all shades of grey will be right on trend. Grey is a great way to show of interesting shapes and features of an outfit. Create an interesting look by using a variety of textures and shades or grey for a subtle look or mixing grey with brights for an eye catching look. Grey also looks great when layered with black.

At Donna Karen beautiful draping adds interest to a charcoal grey dress.

The shiny fabric of this Proenza Schouler dress gives it a luxurious metallic feel.

At Akris, I love the texture of this grey top. It looks stylish but in an understated way.

Create your own outfit using shades of grey. Here are some ideas:

Lily grey wool jacket

Kaliko grey flannel jacket

Grey melange smock jacket

As if finding the right pair of trousers didn’t cause me enough grief, finding a pair or shoes or boots to wear with them can be even more difficult. Once you have found that pair of trousers with the perfect cut and fit that hangs beautifully to just the right length, the look can so easily be spoilt by the wrong shoes or boots. That was why I was so happy to see that for autumn winter 09 the ankle boot will be returning once again.

No other type of shoe has the ability to set off a pair of trousers to well. Looking stylish and adding the extra height needed to create the illusion of elegant and long legs. There are some great classic styles of ankle boot around and some more adventurous and interesting choices. It doesn’t really matter if the heel is chunky or spindley, anything goes this season.

Miss Sixty Berry Boot

Diesel ankle boots

Irregular Choice Iced Gem boot

Irregular Choice Can Can Spots Ribbon Boots

Shoulders have been slowly increasing in size and shape over the last few seasons. They are now big and eighties or sculpted and new age. But how wearable is this trend? What body shapes do big shoulders and shoulder pads suit?

The shoulder was a key focus at many shows for autumn winter 09, with top designers like Balmain and Dolce and Gabbana leading the way. Predictions are that by the autumn, big shoulders and shoulder pads will be every where. Big shoulders have a dramatic effect and alter the proportions of the body. The triangular shape created by shoulder pads can be a great way to balance out larger hips or waist and make them appear smaller. As with most dramatic and oversized features, if you are very short or very slim, aim for shoulder pads that are not too big or you will look out of proportion.

Shoulder pads will also create a more masculine shape so try and balance the look with some feminine details or accessories. I would suggest perhaps a blouse with some lacy details or some delicate jewellery.

At Dolce & Gabbana, shoulders were balloon shaped for a dramatic and feminine take on this trend.

At Balmain, the angular sculpted shoulders added height and elongated the body.

At Louis Vuitton, substantial padding at the shoulders added width to this jacket.

pictures from www.style.com

For a subtle take on the big shoulder trend, try this gorgeous shirt by Dolce & Gabbana.

pictures from www.style.com

Eighties is a huge trend this summer. Mark Jacobs collection for Autumn Winter 2009 is also filled with eighties references including the big crimped hair, Duran Duran make up, big shoulders and neon colours. The full skirts, dyed denim jeans, cape jackets and thigh high boots were all in true Jacobs style ultra stylish buy very wearable. Each model in the show had her own unique hair and make up giving me all sorts of inspiration for different looks for the autumn. This collection was bright, exciting and will be great for cheering myself up a bit in the Autumn. I love the bright and shimmering yellows and the dramatic shapes.

I have got a feeling the eighties trend is going to be around for a while.

For those wanting some bright Marc Jacobs style for the summer, this colourful top is just right.