September 2012: Letter from the editor

Sometimes, a new fashion season can seem overwhelming, with trends, images and must-have pronouncements slamming us from all sides.

But then along comes a shoe or a bag—something—that stops you in your tracks. For me, it happened when I laid eyes on a pair of Prada pants with bejewelled hems (shown on page 46). Our senior editor, Sarah Casselman, attended the Fall 2012 runway show in Milan where the elegant embellished trousers were unveiled. I was watching from afar. But still, when I saw those pant legs trimmed in giant cabochons, my first thought was: “I want them.” My second thought was: “How on earth can they be hemmed if they’re too long?” My third thought was: “Who cares?! If they don’t fit, they’ll make a superb wall-hanging.”

The fact that designers can make us fall in love with clothes all over again is a testament to their artistic brilliance. While I was waiting (for two hours!) to meet Victoria Beckham in Vancouver (“Victoria Day,” page 86), Holt Renfrew client Pamela Richardson was telling me how she became smitten with Beckham’s designs.

“She’s tiny and I’m tall so I didn’t think that her dresses would work on me. But I tried them on one day and I bought five.” Ladylike in the front but va-va-voom in the back, thanks to a zipper that opens from the bottom up, Beckham’s dresses also cover the knees—a requirement for the Royal Henley Regatta where Richardson would be watching her sons row later in the summer.

When I met Beckham in June, she was already sporting fall’s blackberry lips (“A Stab in the Dark,” page 107). The Rooney Mara effect continues to resonate both in clothes and makeup, as you will see in our Trend Reports for fall. But if goth Victoriana doesn’t make your heart race, perhaps patterned pantsuits will. That was the first look Nina Dobrev gravitated toward among the many possibilities at our cover shoot. And even though she employs a wardrobe stylist for red-carpet events, (“All Vamped Up,” page 172) the Vampire Diaries star is clearly blessed with a sophisticated fashion eye.

I can’t wait to hear what captures your heart this fall. Let me know at letters@fashionmagazine.com.

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