On a residential L.A. street sits an airy warehouse-turned-boutique whose patrons trust its proprietor to set the tone of their wardrobes. A veteran trend forecaster (she's helped Prada, Gucci, and Miu Miu decide what will be the next big thing), Des Kohan uses her talent to fill the racks at her eponymous store with the likes of Azzedine Alaia, Hussein Chalayan, and even DES KOHAN-branded candles (I walked out with an Amber-scented one in tow). Des has a long roster of clients who rely on her to dress them in the pieces that are of-the-moment, but still have staying power. I wanted to know what to look out for this fall from the guru herself. Below are her 10 surefire hits.
1. Sienna-Colored Clothing
Sienna is the color for fall. I love mixing the rust-colored hue with navy blues and even with nudes or rose shades. I think that as a whole, shoppers are tiring of black on black and shades of grey, so we’re ready for color and designers are taking note. As a trend forecaster, I’m always thinking a couple seasons ahead: Last year, I reported that fall/winter 2014 will have lots of sienna with blue and rust with rose combinations and was elated to see a full wall at the Celine store on Rodeo Drive with bags in those color combinations. Of course, we’ve stocked these fall inspiration colors at DES KOHAN, too.
2. Mixing Lace and Knits
Taking something as delicate as a long lace maxi skirt and mixing it with a knit is unexpected. I'd wear a floor-length lace skirt with a cream-colored knit sweater and wear it out to dinner with boots. It’s all about the styling for this combination.
3. Pearls
This fall, it's all about the pearls: large or small, perfect or imperfect. I collaborated on a pearl collection exclusively for DES KOHAN this fall as a modern, architectural approach to jewelry and there’s nothing more architectural than a minimal, pared-back sphere. I wanted bold yet clean pieces after the heavy vintage obsession over the past few seasons. This fall, statement pieces are more refined and can be layered easily.
4. Floating Rings
Jewelry and accessory designers tend to source inspiration from the past. This time around, designers have started fresh and clean with floating rings. Street fashion has placed a large footprint in ready-to-wear (as well as couture) runways and floating rings are a prime example of mass trends influencing designers.
5. Laser Cuts
There's a huge emphasis on modern fabrications this fall and we here at DES KOHAN are buying laser cut details on clothing pretty heavily. I think people are tired of buying the same version of their wardrobe season after season so anything unique that stands out is where editors, stylists, and clients are placing their budgets this fall. I'm partial to circle cut-outs on everything from button downs to silk pleated long skirts.
6. Flats
I predict that we will be seeing more flats seated in the front row than ever before this fall/winter. Fashion needs to be comfortable now. We’ve styled most of our fall outfits with pointed flats or round toe ballet flats. I think we have seen enough of uncomfortable fashion and this season it’s about freedom and mobility.
7. Luxury Sweatshirts
Everyone loves the shape of a loose sweatshirt and I’ve been very attracted to the ease and comfort of it. This season's luxury version is a high-fashion take on a classic. We love mixing high and low and it’s what our blogger clientele come to us for. People are starting to go away from looking contrived and perfectly put together and are steering more towards the street-inspired fashion.
8. Oversized Clothing
I think Americans are catching onto the European idea that dressing sexy is a state of mind. We’ve seen many seasons of bandage dresses and super fitted styles, but this fall we need to make room for the draped, loose styles. We are doing very well with off the shoulder loose dresses and blouses, oversized trousers, vests, and jackets. The perfect silhouette lies in the draping. I like to layer oversized clothing together and one style that we often like to promote with our clients is oversized pants with an off-the-shoulder blouse tucked-in and worn with a sleeveless coat. You must have a strong sense of self to pull this look off!
9. Hats for Day and Night
At DES KOHAN, we bought heavily into the modernized baseball cap. It is a hand-molded hat made with seamless wool and is a mix between a baseball cap and riding cap. The hat is an unexpected way to accessorize and tie in a total look. In fact, it is the look. I’ll take my hat to Paris fashion week and wear it with with a t-shirt, jeans, flats, and long layered coats. I get stopped on the street any time I wear my hat.
10. Floor Length Coats and Cardigans
This fall/winter, many designers are gravitating towards long coats, cardigans, and sweaters especially for styling and layering. I have more long coats in my closet than t-shirts! It's almost like a uniform and they go on top of any dress, sweater dress, or trouser and top combination perfectly. European designers have done very well with giving us the perfect choice of long coats, whether it’s a structured one or a loose draped cardigan. I would pair the floor length ones over knee-length knit dresses, or t-shirt dresses. The dramatic differences in hems are always interesting!
*hat image via ewanika
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