Durango has a surprisingly fine selection of vintage, secondhand and thrift stores (as examined in this week’s cover story) in which creative, savvy and thrifty fashion hounds can find the original vintage versions of today’s on-trend garments that have freely borrowed style elements of the past.
The most relevant runway offerings of designers during Fall Fashion Week are the inspiration for the style suggestions given this week in Style Fetish. I offer some standout trends to wear this fall and winter that showcase classic vintage origins and interesting unexpectedness of the combination of styles and materials.
Gold metallics and the color purple are both popular this fall, either on their own or combined in a print. These colors, as well as many of the fall ’16 garments they appear in, are ’80s throwbacks. Style icons Prince and David Bowie continue to reverberate in the fashion psyche. Gold lamé and gold sequined pieces can be dressed down for daytime wear like in the ’90s, when paired with destroyed denim and/or a simple white T.
Raid your outfits from 2016’s Snowdown: Back to the Eighties for metallic gold lamé and sequined items to wear now. (And be thinking which of these pieces can be used again for the upcoming Snowdown: Intergalactic theme!)
Other colors along with gold and purple that are happening in fashion this fall are pumpkin orange, dusty pink, bright yellow and denim hues. Wear the pink and yellow together!
The ’90s style mid-scale florals popular now recall the grunge era. Choose dark, bright gem tones on a darker background in heavier fabrics to stay seasonal. Bonus points for prints on velvet! Try a dark floral dress, calf-length and worn with ankle boots.
Plaid is showing up again on coats and skirts. These traditional Scottish patterns are classics and have been intermittently trendy for decades. Plaids are always fashion-forward because they are evocative of many different styles and time periods. This fall, look for the wool plaid pleated skirts and vintage wool ’60s and ’70s coats, trenches and long jackets.
Sheepskin is a deliciously warm and cozy material – a luxurious Western classic. Buying secondhand is an economical way to get to wear this expensive skin, but it is so durable and classic that a brand-new sheepskin piece could be a wise investment in a lifetime garment. Sheepskin is showing up this fall in bomber jackets, vests and duster-length coats.
Velvet is another classic and luxurious fabric that was popular in both the ’70s and the ’90s. Velvet appears this fall in accessories like chokers and scarves worn wide, as well as jackets and dresses. Velvet, fitted blazer jackets from the ’70s worn with patched and re-constructed denim jeans and skirts look very fresh this season. Try a velvet jacket in solid purple or a vintage floral print.
Pleated material for skirts appeared in a few different designer’s runway shows. Gold and metallic pleated skirts looked unexpected and super chic when worn longer, with oversized sweaters and platform shoes. Plaid pleats are a fall classic in wool knee-length skirts or schoolgirl-style minis. Small-scale pleating can be found in tops and sleeves, and look extra cool, as unique and oddball sleeve-designs are another trend this fall.
Duster-style coats and vests are a still-relevant Old West staple. Duster length this fall is also “midi” length, with the hem hitting around the calf. This style is super-popular in sweater knits: button-up boyfriend-styled cardigans down to the calf or even ankle.
Repurpose a button-up dress as a duster and wear over pants with a belt and boots.
Dusters are essential for Steampunk-style outfits and costumes, too.
Turtlenecks are an overlooked top style that is flattering and evocative of both the beatnik ’50s and mod ’60s, and is on-trend to layer this fall. The turtleneck can easily veer frumpy, so choose a slim, stretchy cut in an interesting color and wear under a summer dress to extend its season or to contrast plain with fancy as you layer the T-neck under a shiny or fancy party dress. A T-neck always looks mod to my ’60s-loving self. I like the sleek coverage and the chin, neck and face-slimming qualities of the high neck.
Redone denim has been happening since the spring and is at full strength now in the cooler weather. Covered with new and vintage embroidered patches, distressed, appliquéd, redesigned, chopped and asymmetrical hems and multicolored blue denim patchworked jeans and jackets are super popular and, again, are a vintage design that you can look for the original versions of from the ’60s through the ’80s at secondhand and vintage shops. Also see the Style Fetish column DIY Denim from Aug. 25 for ideas and tips on how to do these modified denim looks yourself, for less.
As always, be true to your personal style and have fun expressing it. Use today’s trends and yesterday’s classics to challenge and stretch yourself and find new elements to mix into your wardrobe.
Did Heather Narwid get to attend Fashion Week this year? Hell, no, she was busy owning and operating Sideshow Emporium, a vintage and modern clothing store for men and women. Sideshow is located in Durango at 208 County Road 250 (west of Bread and north of Rocky Mountain Pawn at 32nd Street, in with the Vault and Core Value Fitness)and is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Call her at 739-4646 and ask her anything at [email protected].
