Doll's Eye View: London Trends Fall 2015

Usually London has a tendency to be all over the place, but for Fall 2015, there were lots of great ideas as well as legitimate clothes that I could actually imagine being worn! It would appear that the raw creativity was, at last, tempered into "real world" looks.

Fur Babies

Okay, so with the Polar Vortex and Artic deep freezes putting the chill on northern hemisphere cities, it's logical that fur continues to be a "major force" in the top fashion capitals, London included. With many styles looking very "summery" it makes sense that you could actually wear them in the dead of winter with a fuzzy coat tossed over the shoulders. But how about a fur dress! Yes, you'd have to be stick thin to pull this off without resembling a bear. But we're not talking about clothes for you. It's all about what your dolls will wear and we know....they have the figure for such a decadent look!

 

Anna wears a faux fur dress cut from the same material I used for coats. I used the pattern for a strapless sheath dress without the darts. Cut extra wide seam allowance and be sure to fit to the doll.

 Coat Check

Let's also not forget that these are trends slated for next Fall Winter and as such, we really need to take a peak at coats. Here there are three trends: great big over coats, fit and flare dress coats and slim silhouettes that stop just above the knee.

 

Mod Squad

In January, we saw this flash back to 1960's Carnaby Street in menswear. The same trend carries through to womenswear. Think about color-blocked shift dresses, fit and flare coats and dresses and kicky little pant suits with waist length jackets and visor caps!

 

 Leather Weather

Cool weather calls for transition clothes cut from leather. The message here is: Simple silhouettes cut from slabs of black leather. What's new is the mix of leather and woven fabrics.

Fringe Benefits

As we saw in New York, fringed edges will be a hot trend for next fall. We love it because of the added movement it gives, an otherwise static style or silhouette. Note here how popular the poncho is! And also note the color palette. In France we called them "colored blacks".....deep, dark tones. One more thing....fringed looks aren't limited to leathers, suede or vinyl look alikes. Cotton moleskin fabric is a great substitute for suede. In this modern era where frayed edges abound, feel free to experiment with other types of densely woven fabrics as well.

Piccadilly Circus

Busy black and white patterns make for interesting urban wear. The key to mixing patterns and prints is to stay in the same color palette. And just for diversity, consider adding a knit (cut & sew if you can't hand knit, like me) to give your look an added 3-D edge. When working with such busy patterns, be sure to keep choose simple patterns!

 

 Linear Equation

The look is long and slim with interesting details, be it a drape, the addition of leather or hardware.  Particularly interesting here are the straight legged trousers. Though we're still seeing skinny jeans on the catwalks, silhouettes are loosening up and as a result, look for more ease and a variety of different shapes and volumes. Here, all of our monochromatic looks are in black, a major color for Fall.
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Arsenic & New Lace

Surprisingly, lace is another hot item for Fall wardrobes. Instead of the thin, spider web variety, look for thick, crocheted laces for winter eveningwear.

Boudoir Babes

Sexy, sensual and straight out of your lingerie drawer, the slip dress, satin robe, or little tops with swirls of sheer fabric is what some dolls are wearing under those great big furry coats! (Note: after Fashion Month is all over, I'll do a tutorial on how to create a slip dress for dolly!)

 

Coming up next:  The Best of Italy. The girls strut their stuff down the catwalks of Milan.

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