Winter’s Coolest Trends
Lace, stripes, 70s bohemia and various shades of reds dominate the AW17 storyboard. woman with drive has broken down the trends to help you curate your winter wardrobe to stay one glamorous step ahead.
Lace
The rise of the lace dress is proof the elegant fabric is back for AW. Once deemed the go-to for formal occasions and weddings, lace is reinvented once again and finds a place in corporate life, evening parties and cocktail hour. From French Chantilly to sturdy modern finishes, you can choose from dramatic mahogany, red, black and white this season.
Labels doing it best: Thurley, Yeojin Bae, Camilla & Marc, Valentino, Manning Cartell.
Image via: Thurley
Wear the season: Head to Thurley for ancient goddess inspiration with lashings of lace and ruffles while Manning Cartell is strongly focused on earthy tones with bias cuts. Yeojin Bae is your go-to for modern silhouettes while Camilla & Marc chime into the trend with bell sleeves. Diane Von Furstenberg goes cherry red while Valentino combines lace and crepe for a versatile finish in black. Zimmerman flirts with off-whites and creamy sheens for a 70s wonder.
“This season I explore fusing a traditional lace dress with an eyelet trim,” say Thurley designer Helen O’Connor. “This struck the perfect balance between feminine and masculine and helped me created some of my favourite bespoke pieces in my Folklore story this season,” she says.
70s Ruffles & Bell Sleeves
Nothing strikes a 70s chord like ruffles. Not an easy trend to wear, tread carefully with this one. If you’re top heavy, opt for cascading ruffles in skirts or those that accentuate from the waist down. Ruffles look resplendent of tall slim figures, but the good news is there is plenty of fashion labels doing their bit to bring the ruffle in softer form, making the trend accessible for all body shapes. Bell sleeves is another great way to embrace the 70s look – it also gives volume to A line dresses with a dramatic bell finish.
Labels doing it best: Macgraw, Zimmerman, Seed Heritage, The White Label, Romance Was Born, Ellery, Kaliver.
Wear the season: Don’t overdo your ruffle trend. They do appear everywhere this season from hemlines, crescendos of ruffles cut on angular silhouettes in dresses and many placed on off the shoulder tops for added frou-frou. There’s blousy 70s sleeves that billow [Romance Was Born] while others take on a sporty look in its ruffle ambition [Bianca Spender]. Macgraw cover the ruffle theme succinctly. There’s neck to mini dress length tiered ruffle dresses that are playful. For chic ruffles and bell sleeves we can’t go past The White Story for sculptural cool.
Fiona Myer of The White Story brings a hint of 70s bohemia to her collection. She’s all about high-waisted flares and peasant blouses peppered with velvet touches and pique accents.
“The collection is largely in white, but I have introduced a few darker pieces in black to add a degree of dramaticism,” says Fiona Myer. Her collection has a sculptural 70s shape which she attributes to her ceramic design background.
Image via: Kaliver
Stripes
Vertical and horizontal stripes appeared on international runways this year and is a strong look for AW17. Think soft nautical to intense monochrome – stripes will rule the season.
Labels doing it best: Veronika Maine, Sonia Rykiel, Carla Zampatti, Marni.
Image via: Carla Zampatti
Wear the season: This season you’re allowed to clash stripes, but if the look is too intense, opt for stripes under a blazer by day, with a pleated skirt for Parisian chic and you can’t go past a classic pinstripe suit for a day in the office. There’s sequined stripes by Sonia Rykiel while Scanlan Theodore introduce it in the most elegant of manners in tailoring. From varsity stripes to nautical nods and French Breton ones too, whatever you chose, remember vertical stripes distract while thick horizontal one can often be unflattering
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Floral Botanics
Floral is in but it’s less lady like and more hippy sway this season. When worn with leather biker jackets or tights under those pretty dresses, the look becomes more street 
style than afternoon tea party. Macgraw approached the floral theme perfectly this season showing us it can be versatile and not just a spring seasonal draw card.
Labels Doing It Best: Zimmermann, Lover, Camilla, Macgraw, Camilla and Marc, Ginger & Smart, Thurley and 3.1 and Phillip Lim
Wear the season: “It’s all about individual style so put your own spin on a floral,” says designer Beth Macgraw.
“It doesn’t always have to look sweet or ladylike, add a biker jacket or oversized shearling. There really are no rules anymore. If you feel good – roll with it,” she says.
Image via: Macgraw
Red Fever
Tonal dressing is huge for winter; you can layer up wearing various shades of red for monochrome looks using one colour. Carla Zampatti makes a racy red statement with a floor length and off shoulder gown that’s got classic elegance written all over its silhouette. There are many shades of red to choose from – think crimson to scarlet, cherry red to deep mulberry. By adding velvet jackets or a coat will break the impact and add texture to your look.
Labels doing it best: Carla Zampatti, Ginger & Smart, BA&SH Paris.
Image via: Carla Zampatti
Wear the season: You need confidence when wearing red. For those trying the shade for the first time, opt for a silhouette that’s not all-plunging neckline or loaded with too much embellishment. Stick to classic fitted styles or those with bell sleeves to stay on trend and break up the colour with subtle accessories, a wrap or coat. If you’re going tonal, opt for the darker shades below and lighter up top.
To see the latest AW looks buy your tickets to VAMFF – running March 1 to 19.
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