EXPLICIT SEXINESS
Why not? It may not be every liberated woman’s choice, but the clothes are there for those who dare: Marc Jacobs at Vuitton, with semi-sheer 1920s flapper dresses, like an x-ray take on The Great Gatsby costumes. Or Burberry Prorsum’s cheeky rubber skirts, paired with heart-patterned knickers. Donatella Versace cannot resist a flourish of flesh as a curving line of sheer fabric tracing the body. For further revelations, Joseph Altuzarra’s splits go nearly all the way. Anthony Vaccarello and Fausto Puglisi offer sliced-side dresses with a similar opportunity to prove that
underwear is barely there.
A MAN AND A WOMAN
Can you be both masculine and feminine at the same time? You can, if you go for Dries Van Noten’s potent fashion fusion, a stirred-up assortment of gender-specific looks. Think of a mix of menswear-inspired pieces with feminine embellishment – crystals studding a camel coat, feathers wafting on a tailored skirt, a striped collegiate scarf against an embroidered cotton shirt. If only they made fusion shoes: high heels that screw onto flats for an instant change of needs and desires.
TEXTILE MESSAGE
You aren’t up for a big fashionista statement but want to look subtly feminine? Playing with textures does the job. Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz is a master of female-friendly clothes, pairing a silver fox stole with a sleek silvery dress or creating a 3-D pattern by attaching appliquéd butterflies to a butterfly print. Also in this leading category of tactile textures for Autumn 2013: Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta, with embroidered silks recalling rough paint down the front of a wool sheath, and Fendi’s melding of fantastical fur and leather fringe.
WORK OUT
It’s yet another crazy day. And Céline’s Phoebe Philo really gets it, that need for clothes to streamline your life: a tunic top and flared skirt or a pinafore dress, and a tailored coat in blush pink. One outfit does it all! Jil Sander understands this, too, with texture as much as cut – the deep-pile sweater with a soft wool skirt. For the world of work: a Chanel tweed suit with a flared skirt and a single fashion jolt, as in patent boots, bright hose, bold bag.