FASHION Magazine

Drink in the magic of Fall 2012 with FASHION’s first look at the hottest shows, most bewitching sets, best new trends and more.

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JUMP TO: NEW YORK | LONDON | MILAN | PARIS

When creating his Spring 2012 collection, Jonathan Saunders had an unlikely muse: chemically sedated Miami housewives from the ’50s. His models, clad in full skirts of Floridian pastels, sauntered down the runway with bronzed skin and flesh-toned lips. It was makeup artist Lucia Pieroni’s bold use of an oversized cat eye, however, that had beauty editors swooning.

By starting with a sunny glow, bringing some drama to the eyes, and slicking on a creamy nude lipstick, you can channel Saunders’ South Beach chic with just five products!

Here’s how to do it! »

See all of our editors’ pick for spring »

FLORALS
Bursting bouquets of oversize buds are ready for the picking.

TRIBAL
Layer bold, graphic patterns and subtle wooden accents for a global traveller feel.

FEMININITY
Wicker, gingham and eyelet are the perfect ingredients for sweet afternoons spent in the sun.

BRIGHTS
Take a graphic approach and opt for thick blocks of bright, saturated colour.

SPORTY
Gear up for the summer in mesh, metallics, drawstrings and stripes.

View the many (and we mean many) Mulberry celeb attendees »

Where to begin. With the celebs? Lana Del Rey (carrying the namesake Del Rey bag from the ever-growing fashion house), Michelle Williams, the surprisingly petite Elizabeth Olsen, Leigh Lezark, and Ladies Mary and Edith Crawey—I mean Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael—all sat front row at Mulberry; and then there were the models (Jacquetta Wheeler, Irina Lazareanu) and It girls Poppy Delevigne and model/It girl/socialite Caroline Sieber at Matthew Williamson.

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

Liquid liner hasn’t lost its momentum, but makeup artists left last season’s ’60s mod influence behind and moved back a decade to the ’50s, with inspirations like Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. At Jonathan Saunders, artiste Lucia Pieroni gave models a Stepford streak, inspired by a mid-century Miami housewife who likes her Valium, she says. At Marni, makeup artist Tom Pecheux applied a cinnamon-coloured flick instead of the standard noir, which was inspired by a terracotta clutch in the collection and brought “a sophisticated finish to the face,” he says. Hair-stylists also mined the past for ideas—from the ’20s to the ’70s, and every decade in between. At Diane von Furstenberg, teased ’60s French twists were “textured so it’s rustic and earthy, and quite simple in shape,” says coiffeur Orlando Pita. But at Jean Paul Gaultier, it was an old photograph that led to the loose wartime rolls that hair guru Guido Palau fastened to the top of the head. Our favourite was the sterile-looking ’50s faux bob at Jil Sander, in all its vacuum-sealed nurse practitioner perfection.

See the backstage beauty »
See our editors’ product picks »

From hot spots to celebrity front-rowers, London fashion week was brimmed with hot designer collabs, florals and balloons!

View our editor’s picks »

Word: Austerity

Meaning: In economics, an un-fun time of deficit-cutting through strictly curbed spending; in fashion, a modest, almost severe style of dress.

Usage: “The public will only accept continuing austerity if it is seen to be fair.” ― Vince Cable, U.K. business secretary, via the Guardian

Ahh, Florida; the ‘50s Miami woman inspired the hair and makeup at Jonathan Saunders, where Paul Hanlon first blow-dried hair using Fekkai Strong Hold Mousse—“it gives a lot of guts to the hair,” he said—then parted it on the right and combed it into a low ponytail, tied with a basic black elastic. Then, using his fingers, he pulled bits out around the ears. “It gives it a feeling of being undone; a moment that’s just gone kind of wrong,” he said. “It’s a little bit disrupted and takes away from it looking so done.” The finishing touch: a brown bobby pin, its end tucked in, pinned just the way a girl would to get her hair off her face. Easy, not too messy, and not too clean.

Jardins d’Ashish, a collection chock-a-block with sequined sunflowers, daisies over checkerboard patterns, and the occasional brick wall, brought day two of London fashion week to a sunny start—even if it ended on a much (MUCH!) colder note. After the show, I headed backstage to meet Ashish Gupta, the designer behind Ashish. “I think was feeling quite romantic this season, and didn’t feel like I really needed that sense of humour,” he said. While the designer isn’t widely known in North America, his designs are pretty major across the pond; he’s launching his second Topshop collab next month. (Note to the Bay: bring it, bring it, bring it!)

They’re here! They’re here! Well… almost. The royal couple will be in the land we call home in t-minus four hours, and we can barely contain our excitement to see what Kate’s wearing when she steps of the plane. Will she fly our flag or hers? We’re dying to find out. To help you kill the next few hours of anticipation, we’ve compiled a detailed list of Brit and Canadian designers we think Kate should wear at the occasions she’s slotted into her schedule over the next eight days. If we’re right, we’ll be treating you all to crumpets.

View the styled itinerary now! »

While some seem doubtful, we feel that Kate has the chops to one day become a style icon rivaling her late great mother-in-law. Kate, if you’re reading this (Hi!!!), we think all it would really take is branching out from your jersey dresses and pea coats and embracing the incredible talent that London fashion has to offer. For the couple’s impending honeymoon (rumoured to be taking place in either Australia or Africa), we picked a slightly more daring designer honeymoon wardrobe that we think would be sure to help Katie that secure her a spot in royal fashion history.

View our honeymoon picks! »

Check out our London fall 2011 fashion week photo gallery »