Sheer maxi dress wafts into Fall 2011

Months ago when we first predicted that the sheer maxi dress would become a women’s statement trend, there were many naysayers. Those people thought it implausible that something both see-through and floor-length would enter the everyday wardrobe. But before long the fall 2011 runways joined the party and then more and more sheer dresses and skirts were spotted on the street. No longer just for models and those with Herculean courage, this fusion of sheer clothing and the maxi skirt stays on trend for fall 2011.

The sheer maxi for autumn / fall ’11

When we first reported of the emergence of this women’s trend, the sheer maxi dress / maxi skirt was rarely seen. How things have changed. The skirts and dresses soon captured the imagination of the fashion forwards everywhere, and when you didn’t see a sheer maxi dress gliding down a fall 2011 runway you saw it on more than a few of the guests inside and the crowds amassed outside.




Autumn / winter catwalks are suitably held in the preceding year’s cold months, and that’s a suitability that showed just how much this women’s fashion statement works to defy practicality and the need for heavy winter fabrics. And from the streets to the catwalk we saw many a way to wear the see-through maxi dress in autumn 2011 and winter 2012:

• Balance out the cold by pairing it with a warm piece of outerwear – either a cropped jacket or a coat that sits mid-thigh leaving just a train of sheer fabric to spill out from underneath.
• For a particularly glamorous (or grunge, depending on how you wear it) outerwear option try a fur / faux fur jacket or chubby.
• Contrast the elegance of the lightweight skirt by paring it down with an oversized parka or knit (a la Max Azria, above).
• Opt for a heavier, but still see-through, lace version for a unique take.
• For a 70s fashion revival take go for a full, tiered version with a boho / gypsy feel.

The sheer maxi for spring / summer 2011

There are no real rules for wearing a sheer long skirt when the warmer weather hits; the lighter fabric and lighter days make for a natural pairing. What we will say, though, is that indulging in the statement look for spring / summer 2011 is far fresher in white or bright colours. Not only is black a heavy colour for sunny days, but come spring 2012 the black sheer maxi will also be feeling a bit done.
Keep your black for winter, or carry it over by pairing it with fresh summer sandals, pops of colour, or lashings of solid metal jewellery for an evening Goddess look – but if you’re going to invest in a new piece all together for spring you’re best off doing so in breezy white or other spring 2012 colors.

Sheer maxi for the modest

Whether for autumn or for spring, you may still have one question: what to wear underneath?
Yes this trend is for something see-through but that doesn’t mean you have to show off your underwear if that’s out of your comfort zone. You can find plenty of version out there made from semi-sheer fabrics that don’t give everything away. You can also get your hands on a take that’s made from lots of gatherings of sheer fabric, adding volume and thickness to an otherwise see-through skirt. Lastly and most commonly find a sheer maxi with a shorter inbuilt slip (or simply add one underneath).

Oriental opulence: a blossoming trend

If you’ve started keeping a keen eye out for oriental pieces, then your next craving may be inspiration on how to style them. For as a trend into 2012 it’s all about subtlety, not stepping out of the house looking like you’re headed to a costume party dressed as a Geisha. Enter Elle Sweden with a shoot that’s a pretty good start, incorporating simple flowing silks and fluttering kimonos, styled with the right degree of subtlety, rounded out by fresh orchids as hair accessories and a beauty look that’s softly exotic yet very much played down.








The one thing I would be careful about here (bar for the impracticality of the chunky geta-style shoes) is over-investing in obi belts. Though they certainly fit with an oriental-inspired look, it’s a little too soon to go back down the obi path, unless your piece is particularly high quality or unique. A fabric sash or contrastingly modern belt can work just as well against a kimono in 2012.
Starring Josefine Ekman Nilsson and photographed by Joel Rhodin, you can view the whole shoot at the gallery below.

Women’s tuxedo: fashion trend

The women’s tuxedo has been blurring the gender divide for years. Some call it an evening gown alternative, while others have tagged it as sophisticated glamour. Thanks to Yves Saint Laurent, who gave birth to le smoking in the 1960s, this androgynous ensemble has now become a womenswear classic and very much a wardrobe staple. But not one that is without the potential for reinterpretation.
The women’s tuxedo trend trumpet last blew out in 2008 when we saw a fountain of celebrities donning the look. Now, with 2012 on the horizon, we’re seeing the trend make a flashing comeback with a whole lot of mischief, seduction and femininity – but this time it’s different. It has evolved.

Women’s tuxedo for fall 2011 & 2012

We’ve all seen Helmut Newton‘s iconic image of YSL’s Le Smoking: a model with slicked-back hair, cigarette clutched casually in hand, becomes a statuesque, androgonous fixture on a Parisian street. The whole look is pristinely tailored; the pants are high in the waist and wide in the leg, but the blouse underneath the jacket is soft and finished at the neck by a bow. It’s the epitome of feminine-meets-masculine, and it’s exactly where the women’s tuxedo trend has returned to in 2011 / 2012.
When we last saw the tuxedo as a full-force trend back in 2008 it was a powerful statement that kept mostly to the glaringly sexy side with skinny cuts, tight fits and plenty of high-sheen satin. Since then, men’s tailoring has relaxed and so too has women’s. Like Le Smoking, the women’s tuxedo is once again about that effortless androgyny that’s stitched up in immaculately tailored yet lightly relaxed pieces, minimalist silhouettes, and that all important hint of 1970s glamour.

So what does that mean exactly?
It means you’re best off leaving behind these attributes from 2008:

• Women’s tuxedo jackets with pointed or puffy accentuated shoulders.
• Skimpy tux-inspired outfits that look like they could belong in the costume section of a lingerie store.
• Overly glamorous head-to-toe tuxedo looks that involve heels, bow-ties, and top hats all at once.
• Satin ruffle blouses (opt instead for cotton, lightweight silks or sheer fabrics).

Instead, for 2011 and into 2012:

• Take cues from the 1970s with wide, peaked lapels.
• Don’t just stick to traditional black; while 2008′s skinny jeans and a black dinner jacket combo can be updated for today, there are also other more interesting ways to stand out in the trend.
• For a different take there’s also the option of embellished, sparkling women’s tuxedo jackets or pants that scream 70s glam rock; or the ultra-luxurious all-over velvet tuxedo a la Tom Ford.

The tuxedo for spring / summer 2011

For those fashionisers in the southern hemisphere yet to experience spring / summer 2011, don’t fear: even though wearing heavy winter fabric seems unimaginable for sultry summer months, there’s still plenty of scope for this trend to seep through. All it needs is clever styling, like some serious blocks of colours and light, clingy fabrics. Pair a women’s tuxedo jacket with well-fitted shorts or a body-hugging skirt to avow a sophisticated summer look. Another perfect option is a full white dinner suit in a relaxed summer cut.

Complimentary trends

Don’t be surprised if you see the women’s tuxedo hanging out with complimentary trend buddies like plunging necklines, sheer fabrics, and even the year’s revival of flared pants. Relaxed and effortless it may be, but that doesn’t mean sexiness has to go out the window: an open neck or sheer shirt are the perfect ways to add a dash of sex appeal, while a slim-cut flare over a high heel adds a different type of seductiveness.
Alternatively a wide leg pant, either a tuxedo pant or a tailored pant paired with a tuxedo jacket, can lean either to the 70s or the 1940s, while a slouchy pant cut can offer a hint of tomboy cool.

How to wear the tuxedo trend in 2011/2012

This autumn / winter, the easiest way recreate this look in your own wardrobe is by playing with it. Here are our tips on how to master the tuxedo trend:

• Investing in a tuxedo shirt is a great way to create the ‘tuxedo’ effect even when worn without a jacket.
• If you want to stand out, stay clear from the obvious interpretation and hunt for pieces in different fabrics like, tweed, cashmere, satin, wool, silk and velvet.
• Another way to stand out is by way of pants that sport a contrast stripe or a trim down each leg. Alternatively pants with wide legs and a cummerbund work the look perfectly, and keep the statement below your waist.

• For uniformity, swear by one colour from neck down and it doesn’t have to be strictly black or white.
• To stay on the masculine side of the fence, accessorize the look with a bow tie, chiffon neck tie, or suspenders.

• Brave the plunging neckline and go shirtless underneath. Instant sexiness guaranteed!
• Flirt with the options of an underneath shirt – a sleeveless sheer chiffon top or a lacy silk blouse.
• Embrace the 70s trend and flaunt high waisted flare-leg pants, paired with a structured dinner jacket.
• There are no real boundaries when determining the length of the tuxedo jacket, other than what best flatters your height and figure. It can either end at the waist or go all the way down to the knees.
• Leather brogues worn with cropped pants and a double-breasted dinner jacket can garner a successful attempt at androgyny.
• Beauty wise, contrast with bold lips and nails; berry, coral and pink are on-trend. Keep the hair simple in an up-do with a centre-part – try a chignon or topknot.

Men’s indie hairstyle examples

Dubbing this the ‘Brit’ rock hairstyle for 2011 / 2012 may seem to unfairly weight it as appealing to only a certain type of guy. And it really shouldn’t. While it’s not a fringed men’s hairstyle that is going to work for everyone, neither is it a hair style that’s only going to work for the British male. Or rockers. It just so happens that British bands and British fashion labels Burberry Prorsum have done more to popularise this fringed hairstyle than anybody else; the latter so much so that if you took the musicians out of the equation you could almost call this autumn 2011/ spring 2012‘s Burberry hairstyle.

This interpretation is short on the sides and more clean cut. It’s likely that this would be cut with scissors over a comb, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for your hair dresser to use clippers. They real key to this interpretation of the style is that the length throughout the top is blended into the shorter sides. In styling it, the fringe can be treated as a separate part: it can be left longer or cut differently, preferably sliced to give it more texture and to prevent it from being too heavy and thus sitting flat. Like the interpretation above, this is another great cut if you’ve got thick hair that is likely to sit up and make your head look large.

This mopped interpretation of the hairstyle is one you might consider a modern update on the Beatles. It features a swept fringe with length kept on sides and works best for guys with straight hair. This style can be cut quite uniformed or cut square on the sides to heighten the sense of masculinity. Given it’s for straight hair you need to have irregular lengths throughout to create texture and take out weight, without that it will be too blunt. Your hairdresser will be able to slice or deep-point cut to create the irregular lengths. If you’re looking for examples off of the catwalk we could recommend any number of British indie bands. In fact, if one looks to the bands coming forth from British Isles it would appear that some governmental edict has been issued dictating precisely what indie hairstyles are allowed and which are not. Agreeing with said imaginary edict are the likes of The Kooks, The Horrors, the Arctic Monkeys, The View, and the Klaxons. So there you have it: this the hairstyle for you if you like or you play in a band whose moniker requires a ‘The’.
Prior to 2011 / 2012 we saw Bottega Veneta feature the men’s fringe on the catwalk, something that has left us with two clear examples of a do and don’t for this year and next. In the photo below the left is the do and the right is the don’t. The left is a do because it sets clean-cut sides against a purposefully disheveled top. The right is a don’t as it’s just too neat, too school boy, too devoid of attitude. In short: to nail the modern men’s fringe it’s best to avoid the straight, side swept fringe and ensure that it’s instead worn with plenty of texture.

While the above picture serves as a do and a don’t, the following serves solely as a don’t for the hairstyle as it’s evolved. Commit this to memory: the men’s fringe shouldn’t be worn with a wet finish in 2011 / 2012. A healthy shine is okay, wet is not.

The hair cut.

For most guys the length and cut of their existing hair style isn’t going to be suited to the Brit rock hairstyle – you might be able to experiment with it, but to get it perfect it’s going to take a trip to a hair dresser / hair stylist. Here’s how you get the hair cut.

1. Understand what you want

   As you can see  in the photos above, there’s more than one way to interpret this forward men’s swept hairstyle. Slick, messy, short, neat, rugged, relaxed. We could go on. But with so many options, ensure that you have a clear sense of the particular interpretation of this hairstyle (or a small selection of styles) that appeals to you. The two things that you should consider in advance is the length of the fringe that you want, and whether or not you want a neat interpretation of the hairstyle. The descriptions that go with each of the pictures above should also give you a pretty clear idea of any other attributes you may want.

2. Converse

   Once you know what you want, make sure that you can communicate it to your hair dresser. And make sure they listen. Explain to them what you like about the Brit rock hairstyle, what you don’t like, and what you’re ambivalent about. Doing so will allow them to tailor an interpretation of it that suits your particular face shape and lifestyle. It’ll also allow them to create a one-off interpretation that you’re happy with.
   Don’t be afraid to save the pictures in this ‘hair how to’ and take them with you. If you can’t print them out, put them on your smart phone. The majority of men don’t explain themselves all that well when they visit the hairdresser – if you’re one of them, let a picture do the talking for you.

3. Be informed

   Once your hair cut is done and dusted pay careful attention to the way it’s styled. If you’re not sure about any of the styling steps, ask – you want to know that once you leave the salon you can recreate the look yourself. Things that you want to be sure about are the right product to use, the way you dry your hair after it’s been washed, and the way you move your hands through it to place product.
   A good hairdresser will automatically explain all of this, but if they dont you have every right to ask – you’re paying for it to look good even once you’ve left the salon.

Brit-rock hairstyle: men’s hair trend for 2011 / 2012

There’s a men’s hairstyle that hasn’t left the catwalk in some time: the slightly tousled, slightly devil-may-care, forward sweeping men’s hairstyle. It’s been called many a thing, but with its Regency overtones and the fact that it continues to be favoured and interpreted by many a British indie band, it’s a hairstyle we’ve dubbed the Brit-rock hairstyle.
It’s also a hairstyle with enduring appeal and while we’ve been talking about it since 2009, we have to be clear that it has evolved. The ‘wet look’ of 2010, for instance, will look positively outdated in 2012 for instance.

Defining the Brit rock hairstyle

The picture above is likely to have already given you a pretty clear idea of what the Brit rock hairstyle is and while it may have spoken the thousand words, here’s a few less than that:
The Brit rock hairstyle is a hair swept forwards style for young guys that gives them a fringe. It’s to be worn with nonchalantly and with swagger. It’s not necessarily British, nor is it necessarily the domain of rockers, but what it is is cool.
Suitable for guys with everything from straight to curly hair, the Brit rock hairstyle is all about length through the top. It’s also about texture. That texture can be a trait of your hair, or can come about courtesy of hair cut that introduces lots of slicing, chipping, razoring and deep point cutting.

Sheer / see through clothing fashion trend

Sometimes revealing but more often used as an alluring and highlighting accent, sheer has become something of an ever green fashion trend. That’s something of a achievement given that when we first featured the statement look on Fashionising.com the general response was that it was impractical and that most women wouldn’t dare to wear it. But times have changed, and sheer not only remains on-trend but is also one of the statements to make amongst autumn / fall 2011′s fashions and, we suspect, again in 2012′s fashions.
After the break we’ll take you through this key women’s trend, showing you how it’s being worn and giving you tips on how to wear it yourself, and highlighting who’s designing it and where you can buy it.

The sheer fashion trend now

5 years ago when sheer entered the scene as a risqué trend, it was largely confined to tops and blouses. Since then it’s extended to everything from pants (not very successfully) to dresses and skirts (to great success). At the start of the trend’s life it was all about sheer as a statement in of itself. In 2011 / 2012 several new themes have been introduced that make better use of the trend:

• Effortless: loose and flowing, relaxed sheer pieces that look as if they’ve been nonchalantly thrown-on. Often these are the likes of relaxed sheer shirts that are juxtaposed against masculine tailored pieces.
• Austere, structured pieces: 2011 introduced sheers that are almost fetishist in their austerity from stiff organza to clear plastic. Louis Vuitton and Givenchy were key players in this space for fall 2011.
• Highly feminine: fabrics like lace (though moving away from the stretch lace of past seasons, 2011 / 2012 is all about high quality structured lace), chiffon and netting, often with a softly 1960s or 1970s twist.

While not limited to those themes, they do highlight a major difference to the trend now as opposed to when it first arose: it’s no longer just about sheer for the sake of sheer, but also about using sheer in supporting and creating thematic trend-based looks.

How to wear it: the #1 rule

As a statement look for 2011 and 2012 the question really isn’t whether to wear sheer clothing or not, it’s how to wear it. Some will argue with that and it’s likely that such people will be imaging the breast-baring, sheer fashion of the catwalks – but remember that it doesn’t have to be worn that way. Thus the question arises as to how you want to wear it. And here’s the number one tip for doing just that:
Sheer fashion is about showing something off. Sometimes it’s a sheer fabric layered over a nice cloth, but more often then not sheer is about showing off skin. Like all things in fashion, that means when you’re wearing sheer don’t do it to shock but to flatter – wear sheer to show off a great asset.
If you’ve got great arms that could mean sheer sleeves. A great midriff? There’s sheer for that. From plunging necklines to backless dresses there’s a sheer interpretation of it, thus no reason not to be wearing the statement this year as long as you have something worth showing off. Once you’ve decided what to hide and what to reveal, you can theme your pieces accordingly.

Sheer fashion in autumn / fall 2011

3 interpretations of sheer clothing for autumn 2011 from ADAM (L), Louis Vuitton (M) and Emilio de la Morena (R)

• Unlike in the warmer months, sheer fabric is used in winter as an accent / embellishment – think sheer panels across the chest or midriff – or as a component for layering
• There are those who have bucked this style, however, for full sheer looks instead. Gucci are a big proponent, marrying it with a 70s fashion vibe
• Given dark colours lend themselves best to colder months, it should come as no surprise to find that black is the most common sheer colour in fall / winter 2011.
• Double the effect of the statement: clear plastic overcoats are in and you’ll find them available from the likes of Burberry Prorsum and Louis Vuitton

You can see more pictures of the sheer fashion trend as interpreted on the autumn /winter 2011 catwalks by clicking on the thumbnails above and browsing through the gallery.

Sheer fashion in spring / summer 2011

3 interpretations of sheer clothing for summer 2011 from Jaime Lee (M) and Alice McCall (L,R)

• Sheer is all about soft, light colours for spring / summer 2011, particularly white
• Summer clothing is often light enough, so if you’d like to avoid fully sheer clothing consider clever designs such as Alice McCall’s half hatching, white summer dress where the squares between the hatching are sheer. It’s pictured above
• Black sheer pieces have largely remained the domain of maxi dresses for summer

You can see more pictures of the sheer fashion trend as interpreted on the spring / summer 2011 catwalks by clicking on the thumbnails above and browsing through the gallery.

Related to sheer

So popular has the sheer fashion trend been that it has created its own sub-trend: the sheer maxi dress trend. In fashion in both spring / summer 2011 and autumn / winter 2011, you can find out more and look over styling inspiration photos by following the link.

Sheer / see through clothing styling inspiration

What follows is a list of links to photo shoots, catwalk reviews and street style photos designed to give you ideas for how to style the sheer clothing trend for yourself. The most recent examples of the fashion statement are at the top of the list.