Purple: It’s The Colour Of The Season

Posted by Styloko

So it seems fashion’s made quite a transition for autumn/winter 2012, as it shuns the austerity and minimalism that’s ruled the runways over the past few seasons, and adopts opulence and unashamed luxury as its key ingredient. Hoo-bloody-rah! So it should come as no surprise, really, that purple – the colour historically associated with royalty and affluence – is the prevailing palette of choice for designers next season.

For his last Dior collection, Bill Gaytten played with varying shades of lilac and mauve before venturing into deeper plums and violet, which were also favoured by Chirstopher Kane, who gave us a collection of gothic romance that included playful purple leopard prints and sumptuous silk moiré dresses.

At Gucci, Frida Giannini chose a sexy, sophisticated plum for her velvet and chiffon-filled collection, while Carven’s balloon-shaped dresses in indigo were more youthful and positively jewel-like. The most unusual hues, however, were seen at Haider Ackermann, where a combination of the palest to the most intense aubergine were applied to different textures and then layered for a remarkably beautiful effect.

Luckily, since any shade goes, it’s the perfect new-season trend to adopt now. And whether you want to start out with small splashes (think bags, shoes and jewellery) or plunge straight into the purple pool, here’s a handful of items that’ll help you channel next season’s biggest colour story in style: Purple Scrapbook .

Psst… don’t miss Julia Neel’s Now Trending column for expert tips on how to wear autumn’s purple trend.

1. Purple PU fallaway jacket, £60, River Island 2. Leather metallic bow belt, £30, French Connection 3. Etro crystal-embellished rabbit-felt fedora, £365, Net-a-Porter 4. Alexander McQueen two-tone wool skirt, £930, farfetch.com 5. Christopher Kane leather trimmed silk moire dress, £1,295, Browns 6. Emilio Pucci Amethyst and glass ring, £180, Net-a-Porter 7. Yves Saint Laurent suede brogue ankle boots, £630, Net-a-Porter 8. Proenza Schouler PS1 suede satchel, £1,440, Net-a-Porter 9. Acne purple waffle knit jumper, £190, my-wardrobe.com