Autumn Winter Fashion Trends 2009
Southern Hemisphere

Contribute your trend observations and favourites for the current fashion season by clicking here.

Click here to see fashion trend observations made by other visitors to this page.

One of the biggest trends at the moment is investment dressing.  That is, buys that will work beyond a season and give you great value (cost per wear) within your budget. This is hardly surprising in the current economic climate.

Autumn Winter Fashion Main Style Elements

Of course many of the style elements and themes of the last northern hemisphere's autumn / winter season are relevant to us here in the southern hemisphere.

The sculptural elements are still present, but maybe not making such a strong statement.  Look for embelishments such as ruffles,  bows at the neck at other neckline details.

Dresses are still everywhere, in a variety of styles. Lengths are around knee length.

Skirt shapes for work are pencil and straight. And around knee length or higher.

Pants are straight or tapered. Straight pants are anywhere from skinny to wide, so pick the widths that balance and flatter your shape. Some of the tapered pants have pleats, darts or gathers around the waist. And some styles are cropped (aka peg-leg) -- this style won't suit many people, mainly tall inverted triangle types.

Waistcoats in fabric or knit.

Knits are either fine and long or chunky -- chunky short, dropped sleeved cardigans are still around

Shoes are...

• Ballet flat
• Pointy toes
• Stilleto heels or tapered stack heels
• Sling backs
• Peep toes
• Shoe boots -- unless you're tall and have a balanced body or long legs these are best worn covered by pant or skirt or dress hemlines.

Main Style Themes for Autumn Winter Fashion

Style themes are best worn as a style element rather than head to toe them (unless you really want to make a statement!)

• Military -- look for military styling elements such as brass-looking buttons, buckles, epaulettes and double-breasted jackets and coats

• Minimalism -- clean lines, little or no layering and neutral colours

• Glam rock -- shiny metal elements

• Folk/bohemian/hippy -- shaggy waist coats (what fun, I've got mine already!), floaty tops, longer skirts

Main Fabric Trends for Autumn Winter Fashion

Fabrics

• Lace is a still a key element this season. Look for it in tops, skirts and dresses either as the main garment fabric or a petticoat or as a design element

• Taffeta

Fabric Prints

• Tartan and checks for shirts, skirts, dresses and coats – determine if the overall color works for your coloring and whether the level of contrast within the tartan and against your skin works for your flow seasonal color.

Fashion Colour Trends

Key colours this season include...

• Black -- this is really only good if your primary season is winter.  If this is not your primary season and you insist on wearing black keep it away from your face or dilute the effect by adding other colours in your flow season.  This can be achieved with a scarf or necklace or other colours in your top or a jacket in your colour range over a lover, black top.

• Grey -- there are many shades of grey to choose from, so you should find one in your colour range

• Purple and plum -- hues range from cool to neutral and values from light to medium. Intensities range from bright to muted. This colour is everywhere! And with the variety around you should find one in your colour range

• Blue -- electric blues are best if your primary color season is winter, choose a slightly more subdued hue if you are a summer and a warmer, greener blue such as turquoise if you are a spring or autumn

• Winter white and stone -- and other light neutrals