The AW12/13 September issue cheat-sheet

Summer is sadly drawing to a close as another rainy bank holiday weekend approaches, but at least we have the September issues to look forward to and the AW12 trends and styles for women in those back-breaking bumper issues of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and In Style and all the rest.

For the time-starved and the cash-strapped, here at The Upcoming we have done the research for you and bring you the September issue cheat-sheet, our guide to the key AW12 trends that the magazines will be featuring.

Danger Will Robinson: Red

Red is the new black this season, so inject some vampy glamour into your look with vibrant shades of red, from your lips to your toes. Style tip: Isabel Marant and Chloe both showed red trousers for AW12.

50 Shades of Purple

The colour of royalty features heavily in designers’ AW12 collections. Perhaps a fall-out from the Royal Wedding and Queen’s Jubilee, everybody from McQueen to DVF and Peter Pilotti featured lush and vibrant purple in myriad shades and tones. Style tip: stand out from the crowd with purple accessories like Anya Hindmarch’s clutch.

Who wears the trousers?

Following on from the boyfriend trend and an emerging lean back to the androgynous, trousers will be big this season. As Coco Chanel (the lady who originally popularised trousers as acceptable womenswear in the 1920s) said: “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only.” Chanel, Miu Miu, Karl Lagerfeld, Louis Vuitton, Christopher Kane, Prada and many more showcased trousers for AW12.

Animal magnetism

Ricardo Tisci at Givenchy seems to have lit a flame in the fashion world with his Tiger and Rottweiler prints. Animal prints and motifs are big this season, from neon zebra stripes to muted cheetah spotting and Burberry’s Owl, plus both faux and real fur. Style tip: Olsen’s tiger print knits are affordable and bang on trend.

Military marches on

It seems to be a trend that has been around forever, and for good reason: military coats look good, plain and simple. Make this your big investment and go for a statement military coat from Burberry, or at the lower end (and looking just as good), Zara.

60s revival

Fashion is inspired by the past, and every season it seems a past decade is given its second coming. This season the designers went for the mod 60s silhouette of Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy. Christian Blanken, Topshop Unique, Christian Dior and DSquared2 all went for the clean and simple lines of the 60s (plus ultra-short hemlines), giving it a modern update.

One to watch: camo prints
90s staple camo is creeping back into the menswear lines this season and is a trend sure to cross over. Zara are already schilling camouflage print leggings.

Ian Michael Turner
Photo: Filippo L’Astorina