AW10 trend report: Matches press day



“Heels are coming down,” said my tour guide, Matches buying director Bridget Cosgrave as she held aloft a pair of Tabitha Simmons kitten heels. And these really were kitten heels, not the 7cm ‘higher kitten heels’ I’d been reading about in Harper’s Bazaar earlier that morning. Cosgrave told me they have been feeling it for a while and now designers like Marc Jacobs and Rupert Sanderson are fully backing it. Which isn’t to say long, thin heels have had their day by any stretch. There were plenty of plat-heels still on show, in particular a Burberry hiker-stiletto and Charlotte Olympia’s in-demand cocktail heels. But alongside were all manner of more managable heels – wedges, brogues and a super-wearable shearling-lined Burberry biker.

Tabitha Simmons

Burberry

A good in-between is the Celine boot with tall, stack heels – classic but sexy. Stealth sexy if you will…

Away from shoes, Bridget enthused about Richard Nicoll. His T dress is a top seller at Matches (“it has a stealth following”) and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a loose, easy shape that suits all silhouettes, but its fluidity offers a dressiness that makes it versatile for work or evenings.

Knitwear news: Lutz & Patmos are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a greatest hits collection. Matches will be selling all the Lutz & Patmos collaborations – Sofia Coppola’s dress, Christy Turlington’s poncho and Carine Roitfeld’s laddered cashmere sweater.

Matches’ vintage Chanel bags sold so well for SS10 that they are buying more for AW10. And they have added a selection of vintage jewels to the offer too.


Bridget also drew my attention to a new luxe label to Matches. Raoul is from Singapore and it has to be said, they make a pretty good handbag. The balance of clean lines with luxury hardwear is right on the money. Style.com have just written about them here.

Finally, coats. I couldn’t tear myself away from Stella McCartney’s strict masculine coat (below) but the real winner fair and square in the outerwear stakes is the shearling-lined aviator jacket (but you knew that already). Second to that, like it or not, is fur. As Bridget puts it succinctly, “fur demand is huge”.

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Label to love: Lavenham




I seem to have amassed a great wardrobe of coats over the last few years. I literally have one for every possible occasion, from my day-to-night Burberry trench, to my masculine APC overcoat, to my slouchy Maje coat that lends itself so well to throwing over layers due to its easy cocoon shape (shame all the buttons fell off). Then there are the jackets. An Anya Hindmarch double-breasted navy one that is very Grace Kelly with its curved collar and slightly A-line shape – just right for chilly spring days worn with turn-up jeans, an off-white sock and a loafer (yes, just the one). The Ralph Lauren boys blazer that still looks as good as new despite being my go-to smart day jacket for the past three years. And the new indigo Levi’s denim jacket that I bought to wear with matching 571s – yes I’m doing double denim, shoot me now!

Anyway, all this is purely a preamble to talk about the new Lavenham collection which I previewed a couple of weeks ago. Lavenham is a British heritage brand, big in Japan apparently, where they don’t sell Barbour, so they wear these. Its heritage is actually horse blankets but the Suffolk-based company has been making quilted coats for Jean Touitou’s APC and is now developing into the fashion market. And how. The womens collection has just launched this season with its first drop at Harvey Nichols. Harvey Nichols has its own exclusive colourways including Liberty-print lining to make it even more English and heritage-y.

For AW10 I love what they have done with these jewel colours. Khaki and pink is such a winning colour combination but even more so when used in something so utilitarian and classic.


What do you think? Will these be the next big thing on the festival circuit come 2011?

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Aw10 trend report: hybrid trend – equestrian biker boots




My favourite hands-down hybrid trend of AW10 so far (and you know how I love a hybrid trend) is Beatrix Ong’s equestrian biker boot. Yep, it has the elegance of a riding boot with just a soupcon of masculinity with the buckles and rugged sole. This is reminding me of Prada nineteen ninety-something. Black sleeveless dress, bare legs, rugged riding boots and mysterious-girl sunglasses. I can do that.

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