NY Fashion Week's best trends

Just as quickly as it began, New York Fashion Week came to a startling close. While attendees took a collective sigh of relief and kicked off their backbreaking heels, eager bystanders like me continued to click through the Internet in a desperate search for more lust-worthy fashion.

Luckily, London Fashion Week picked up right where New York left off and has more than satisfied my craving. Some of my favorite shows have taken place in London this week: Topshop Unique, Erdem, Burberry Prorsum, Mary Katrantzou and Meadham Kirchhoff, to name a few.

But before I get lost in Katrantzou prints and Burberry cashmere, let’s look back at some of the very best shows this side of the Atlantic. Among the New York trendsetters were Jason Wu, Rodarte, Mulberry, Proenza Schouler, Jenni Kayne and Derek Lam — and they were nothing short of inspirational.

Despite my dire efforts, I’m not about to buy any of those fabulous runway looks, but it’s more exciting to take inspiration from those runways and adapt them to your own wardrobe. Whether you’re shopping at H&M or J. Crew, fall’s best trends are completely within reach.

One of the most prevalent fall trends worth replicating isn’t exactly a specific piece of clothing or concept: Instead, it’s a lone piece of fabric.

The peplum (aka a little skirt-shaped ruffle or half-dome affixed to the waist of clothing) popped up on more runways than I could even fathom. The curve-enhancing detail is undeniably feminine and in line with this fall’s soft, unstructured vibe. Pair a peplum top with skinny pants to balance the volume, or wear a statement-making peplum dress with little more than a few sleek bracelets.

Fall designers also embraced pants like never before. The most notable style is arguably the panel pant because of its supreme, figure-flattering potential and graphic, two-tone color scheme. Panel pants are loose, slim pants with thick, black panels down the outer and inner seams — great for lengthening and slimming the legs. Designers such as 3.1 Phillip Lim paired panel pants with structured blazers to up the menswear factor, but they look just as chic with slouchy knits and silk tanks.

Or you could add a metallic leather T-shirt and kill two birds with one stone. Metallics were a big trend for fall (when aren’t they?), and designers played with a variety of new textures and shapes. From tough-girl leather to floaty silk and satin, the high-shine, alloy-inspired sheen of gold, bronze, silver and gunmetal is far from fading out. Alexandre Herchcovitz made an especially covetable gold, T-shirt-style leather dress I could literally live in. Simple shapes keep the trend from feeling too “Vegas.”

In quite the opposite direction, cozy knits were another recurring trend. I know, I know, you invested in oversize cable knits and intarsia pullovers last fall, but take note of some key changes this season. Graphic elements such as giant logo letters (at Marc Jacobs) and borderline-corny landscape scenes (at Suno) add charm to classic sweaters. Proenza Schouler emphasized the waffle texture of his knits by splashing a bold, orange-and-black check pattern, while Derek Lam opted for a sleeveless cable knit paired with a chiffon maxi skirt. The options are endless for this cold-weather favorite.

I may have saved my favorite “trend” for last. The military jacket is hardly new or trendy, but will it ever stop being so ridiculously chic? I desperately hope not.

A good military jacket is the perfect topper for any outfit. I tend to wear mine with girly pieces, such as fluttery dresses and floral skirts. But this fall, designers such as Tommy Hilfiger took a different route and embraced the sleek, no-nonsense aspect of military jackets. Paired with matching green skirts, simple skinny pants and little leather caps, these wardrobe staples became masculine and a bit daring.

Although I could expand upon tons of other trends (such as sheer overlays, winter white, Asian influences and the return of the pointed pump), I’m obligated to conclude with one of the most obvious fall trends: fur.

I don’t mean those adorable little fur vests every girl seemed to invest in during winter break. Those are still fair game, but I’m talking full-on, excessive quantities of fur. Fur stoles, fur caplets, fur jackets, fur peplums (double trend), colorful fur, fur sleeves — let’s just say PETA wouldn’t be pleased. I am after a boxy, cream fur jacket, but jewel tones, such as deep turquoise, are also completely on-trend.

I’ve been positively anxious for spring to arrive, but NYFW and LFW have me craving these gorgeous fall trends! Instead of getting frustrated with meteorology, I’m looking at it this way: We now have almost a year to plan our fall wardrobes accordingly. I suggest you start now.

­— emfarra@indiana.edu