Here is my review of the important fashion neutral tones for Autumn 2011
and Winter 2012 that offer contrast to autumns jewel hues. Vivid rich jewel colours
include golden amber, carnelian
red, garnet, pink ruby, sapphire, emerald,
olive green quartz, aquamarine and purple amethyst.
You can add more restrained notes of colour by using the soft
neutral tones.
Consumers
continue to add stability to their wardrobes with neutrals.
Rich, decadent Coffee Liqueur brings a sense of elegance to
fall, and is a savoury alternative to basic black.
A deliciously warm camel tan, nougat is easily a tasteful
base colour for embellishment with Phlox/Purple, Emberglow/Peachy
Orange Coral or Honeysuckle/Pink.
Left - PANTONE 18-0930 Coffee Liqueur.
Right - PANTONE 16-1320 Nougat.
Left - Tsumori Chisato AW11 Fur Sleeve Jacket.
Right - Missoni Jacket & Knitwear.
Left - Fendi AW11 Long Fur Gilet Sleeveless Coat.
Right - Camel Fur Gilet Waistcoat £489, Ecru Sweater £109, Ecru
Velvet Trousers £129, Knee Length Fur Trim Boots £289. Elégance
Autumn/Winter 2011 - Stockist Number: 0844 557 5507.
Furry looks are a huge trend this winter. Easy ways to achieve
this involve the simple addition of a
gilet, cropped cardigan, with a
fur collar, or fur trim slippers to pad around the house! These
two pieces are ideal for fast tracking into fur.
Left - Marks & Spencer Fur Trim Slippers £15.
Right - Miss Selfridge AW11 - Tipped Fur Collar Cardigan.
Pencil lines and A-line dresses pick up on two of the best
styles of dress from early and mid-sixties fashions. The A-line
shift could easily be worn as a pinafore dress with a contrast
polo neck sweater, or a pussy bow blouse.
Left - Oasis Beige Dress With Neckline Bow Feature.
Right - NEXT A-line 60s Heritage Check Pinafore Pocket Shift
Dress, £50/€66 - NEXT AW11.
Years ago a beaded or sequined dress would have cost so much you
would have been out of pocket. But now these dresses cost a
fraction of the price they might have been twenty five years
ago.
Left - Monsoon/Accessorize AW11 Skylark Dress, £160/€250 -
Womenswear
Stockist Number: 08448110068.
Centre - Love Label Cream Beaded 80s Dress - Very.co.uk AW11.
Right - Miss Selfridge AW11 - Beaded One Shoulder One Sleeve
Cocktail Dress.
The short cocktail dresses above are all ideal for dressing up
over Christmas. Imagine how fetching you might look in one of
these for canapés and drinks Christmas parties. Note how the
intricate bead and sequin work runs through the neutral palette
to great effect.
The simple one shouldered dress has taken a new twist this
Christmas, and now there are many more versions of both long and
short party dresses sporting a wrist length sleeve. This style
is almost more dramatic to the onlooker. The dress below far
left is especially interesting as the sleeveless shoulder is not
in fact cut away. At first glance you get the optical illusion
that it's a one-shouldered dress because it has only one sleeve.
It would be possible to wear a normal bra with this style.
The two dresses centre both echo styles of the mid/late sixties
and early seventies when empire bodices were often beaded or
embellished with fake flowers. The oasis dress centre right and
covered in fabric flowers is very reminiscent of gowns from the
60s label Jean Varon.
Left - Miss Selfridge AW11 - One Sleeve Split Evening Dress.
Centre Left - M&S AW11 Classy Long Empire Dress.
Centre Right - Oasis Pretty Fabric Flower Empire Evening Dress.
Right - Miss Selfridge AW11 - Sunray Pleated Lurex Sheen Dress.
The sunray pleated halter neck dress far right has a touch of
Marilyn Monroe 50's film star style about it. These neutral
colours all look very expensive, but be sure to get your make-up
just right so you don't appear washed out.
Silk and silk/wool mixes are the winter must-have
fabrics, but whatever piece you chose colour will be one of the
most important aspects of your selection. For those scared of
colour neutrals offer a safe haven and are always good wardrobe
basic that for some are must-haves.
Left - Marks & Spencer AW11 - Masculine Feminine Stone Coat.
Right - Loose Camel Beige Coat - Very.co.uk
Left - Jigsaw Caramel Tailored Coat.
Right - Marc B Collarless Coat.
Intense Jewel Colours - Ruby Red, Amethyst, Sapphire,
Emerald, Malachite, Garnet, Amber, Carnelian, Lapis and
Citrine add a rich zing of colour. Kingfisher blues, jade and raspberry reds
vie with orange brights and rusty carnelian tones. In red
hues think lipstick red, ruby red, geranium and
hot fuchsia pink.
Colour Mixing - Mondrian Block Colour Mixing - Subtle
Block Mixed Neutrals. Arctic Whites. Greens and orange are
the new 'it' colours to enliven your clothes rail.
The centre of attention for autumn 2011 has been on jewel colours/
This major development
carrying on from
spring brights and colour-blocks. These mass market
garments above, and the way they have been styled are good
illustrations of achieving hot on trend looks by wearing
contrasting legwear or hosiery. Coloured jeans, chinos or tights
inject vibrant pops of colour at low cost.
Colour mixing bold purple and magenta purple
with other brights like pink or teal is a norm for winter 2012.
So go ahead and mix and match your colour block look.
Black is low on the list of trends this autumn unless you
intend to devote yourself to Fetish/Goth looks. The bright colours that popped up everywhere for summer 2011
are now subdued into the vibrant but more subtle colours of gems
from a jewellery store. For Spring 2011 colour fashions see
spring's
Colour Block
Fashion.
Jewel colours are now the main colour
story of autumn 2011 fashion trends. Those softer ballet
tones are subtly there, but the main colour focus is
richness and depth of tone. This is found in sapphire, lapis, emerald, garnet,
deep amethyst, ruby and golden citrine. Much of the golden
yellow and copper tones are frequently metallic as are many
green shades.
Conclusion of Key Fashion Colour Trends Autumn 2011 Winter 2012
Copyright of images courtesy of Prshots.com,
IFTF, Pantone, Swarovski, Accessorize
Monsoon, Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser, Oasis, Debenhams, New Look, Next, very.co.uk, Miss Selfridge, T K Maxx,
Elegance, Jigsaw, Marc B,
Pilot, Oli, Primark, Penneys, Wallis, Dunnes, River Island.
Fashion-Era.com looks at women's costume and fashion history and analyses the mood of an era. Changes in technology, leisure, work, cultural and moral values. Homelife and politics also
contribute to lifestyle trends, which in turn influence the clothes we wear. These are the changes that make any era of society special in relation to the study of the costume of a period.
Fashion-Era.com can take no responsibility for any information on the site which may cause you error, loss or costs incurred from use of the information and links either directly or
indirectly. This site is owned, designed, written and developed by author: Pauline Thomas and Guy Thomas. This site is designed to be viewed in 1024 X 768 or higher.
Before you write to me for costume/fashion help or information please, please consult the extensive sitemap which lists all our pages. If you still cannot find the answer after searching the site, then before you email me, please consider if you are prepared to make a donation to the website.
Donations Reader's donations help this site flourish, in particular donations encourage me to write more articles on fashion history as well as current trends. PayPal
allows anyone with a credit card to donate easily and securely. You may donate any sum you feel appropriate.
If you have any comments, or if you see any broken links, then please email with details of the page url or problem.
Find great anniversary gift ideas from Premier Gifts. Choose from our wide range of anniversary gifts to celebrate your special day in style.
Designer Inspired BagInc Fashion Bags and Cheap Handbags at Wholesale Rates.
