Fall Fashion Trends To Avoid

There are so many beautiful clothes in the Fall 2011 collections. But there are also those pieces that make me wonder what the designer was thinking, and WHY. I appreciate looking back at trends that were pretty or practical or interesting, but there are some trends that really just need to die. My fashion savvy friend Catherine wrote a post about her dislikes, including see-through dresses and what she aptly calls the Hot Mess Trends.

Jumpsuits– no, thank you. Remember those terrible pale blue snap-up jumpsuit gym outfits we had to wear in junior high? I’m not wearing anything that reminds me of Phys. Ed. Class. Nor am I wearing an adult version of a onesie. And those of us who are a bit klutzy risk dipping our sleeves in toilet water, and not the nicely scented kind.

Bottega Veneta's baggy jumpsuit.

Culottes/gauchos – I just don’t like culottes. It could well be another carryover from junior high; I was taller than most kids back then and heard the dreaded words “You expecting a flood?”over and over. It wasn’t until 2008 that I’d even consider wearing capri pants, so traumatic was the high waters experience.

Diane von Furstenberg - Gauchos - why not a skirt? Or nicely lined pants?

High heels – I love shoes. My credit card (and husband) are in mortal fear of my walking into a shoe store. My father, mother, at least one sister, and aunt are all afflicted with this same love of shoes. But why must the heels be so damned high??? There are some beautiful shoes, truly works of art, but why must they be 4 or 5 inches high? I know high heels make a woman’s legs and derriere look curvier, but I’m pretty sure a pair of 3 inch heels achieves the same effect without the danger of falling on one’s face or breaking an ankle.

Aperlaï pretty green tweed pumps that could lose a couple of inches.

Alexander Wang's beautiful but dangerous silver loafers.

Fetish wear – okay, I can see wearing some of these things to a club or prancing around at home in front of your significant other in these outfits, but why would a well respected couturier design this stuff for real life? I don’t think it’s clever or creative, so what’s the point? And why must it be a trend – are designers that afraid to stay away from bad, tasteless ideas? For photos of this tiresome trend, see Catherine G.’s post Trends to Miss.

Balenciaga fetish heels- at least they're not black.

Logos– speaking of tasteless, I don’t like logos. To me it’s the equivalent of shouting “I spent $xxxx.xx on my new scarf. Aren’t I special?” Well la-di-da. No one cares how much I spend on my scarf. (Well, perhaps my DH but that’s a different story.)

Gucci scarf with logo

The Baggy Look – One thing I really like about the collections overall is the tailored look of the clothes, whether ladylike or menswear inspired. The baggy look flatters no one. Some of the over-sized pieces looked like the model just pulled the item off a plus-sized rack without paying attention to size.

Jil Sander's clothes are usually so elegant. Sigh.

Coming up later this week: Lebanese food, zombies, and my favorite designs for Fall.

Photographs from http://www.elle.fr and http://www.style.com