Hang on to your hats - a style revolution is happening

Hems rise well above the knee. Picture / Martin Sykes

Whether you care about fashion or not, there's no doubting what you wear is inevitably influenced by the industry that is winding up its big event in Auckland.

Fashion Week finishes four days of trade shows with public events today that give ticketholders a sneak preview of what's ahead for our wardrobes next winter and beyond.

To give you the jump on the key trends shown at the Air New Zealand-sponsored event, we've sized up the work of more than 40 of this country's cutting-edge, commercial and up-and-coming designers. And while fashion seems in a state of permanent transition - to keep you shopping - in reality, major shifts in styles happen less often than every season.

We're seeing one of those shifts right now, with marked changes in proportion, style and length of women's clothes. The trend has been emerging for several seasons, but now it's going mainstream, which is why cropped jackets, puffed skirts and skater casual gear will hit suburban shops.

Some of our biggest manufacturers showed these styles, so if you have a passing interest in keeping current you will have already sensed - or soon will - that a shift is occurring.

Overseas fashion has gone cocoon crazy, a shape we've seen little of here, though the pointers are in angel-sleeves and dresses blousing wider, but fashion is certainly sharpening up.

Tailoring imposes a need for sleek, quality fabrics - perfect for woolly old New Zealand - and to balance that there's the feminine flourish of the little dress. It's all about opposites.

And unlike the comfy boho chic looks of last summer, dressing now requires a little more effort. So with new, smaller jackets wear wider bottoms, or if you've squeezed into skinny jeans you should try a fuller top.

The ultimate rule remains constant, though. To look good you have to be comfortable, so play around with these options and pick what's right for you.


New looks for the fashion minded

Fashion Week has wound up again with opposites:

Long and short. Proportion top and bottom. And Europe's cocoon-crazy.

These key trends will be hard to miss next winter. Men and women should look for narrower pants, sharp coats, vests and buttoned-up shirts. Colours are mostly muted, lots of black, charcoal, purple, brown and cream, with occasional flashes of burnt orange or red and some gentle mid-tone blue and green. Primary colours are used as accents or in accessories, but all-over bright is seen only in younger ranges.

Lean and mean
* Super-skinny jeans and cigarette pants are everywhere and they're unforgiving. Neatly tailored straight legs are on option, but put away your bootcuts.

On the rise
* For the first time in years, hems hike well above the knee. Luckily, opaque tights and leggings are back. But with two other key skirt lengths - the tulip and the maxi - you can be covered.

It's a cinch
* The waist is back, so breathe in and buckle up. Wide leather belts come in bold colour contrasts while skinnier same-fabric belts sit snugly. Paper-bag gathered waists need narrow tucked-in tops to define the shape beneath.

Leg it
* Another strategy is to wear opaques and leggings under shorter skirts or tunic dresses. Coloured tights or boldly patterned leggings are big.

Tulip power
* The shape of the season is the tulip or bell skirt. From a fitted waist it gently rounds over the hip, before narrowing at the knee. Puffballs are still about and the cocoon shape is emerging.

Maximum impact
* Long skirts and dresses are showing up in mainstream fashion for the first time in years, but they're not cover-ups. A long skirt needs a lean top and dresses are fluid in wool jersey. Wear them with long, chunky jewellery.

Step out
* High heels and a platform sole are a key look. Spectator shoes give a real lift in courts, mary-janes and slingbacks and they're surprisingly balanced and comfortable. Patent leather gets more than a look in.

Thigh disguise
* The classic 1940s' wider-leg is back and covers many sins. Boyfriend jeans are the relaxed alternative to the skinny fit.

Boot camp
* Boots are getting shorter; look out for the new bootie, worn with opaques.

Coat code
* Coats are narrower and shorter (think 1960s' car coat). Or go fluid and long, anything but knee-length and boxy. They are often double-breasted, with big collars, back yokes and waist bands.

Button up
* Giant buttons give clothes, especially coats, a retro military touch. Big buttons also feature on pinafore dresses.

All tied up
* Big bows are everywhere, at the neck, decorating a dress at bust height or bustle-style at the back.

Vested interest
* Sleeveless tops add interest to simple buttoned but often untucked shirts. Vests are fitted and sometimes collared.

Well armed
* Three-quarter sleeves balance shorter jackets and leaner coats. Bloused sleeves, gathered above the wrist or around the elbow, soften dress shapes.

Trade it in
* The wrap dress is being replaced by the shirtwaister. Deep V-neck dresses that flare from a high-waist are another figure-skimming shape.


Inexpensive Update

Five ideas to update your wardrobe that won't bust the budget:
* Wear a belt but round your waist not your hips.
* Update an old jacket with big buttons.
* Play with proportions for a shape change in your look.
* Buy some opaque tights - bright ones if you're brave.
* Tailored shapes are always stylish, classic beats try-hard.