Fall Fashion
October 13, 2007
The grey and cold and cold of fall might have arrived in Germany, but for the fashion lovers, the end of summer is no reason to go into hibernation. Fall marks the start of the year’s fashion calendars as Europe’s biggest cities rolled out the carpet for fashion shows.
Although the collections presented at shows are often extravagant and not very wearable or affordable for the average consumer, they do have an influence on commercial fashion.
Elke Giese, director of the German Fashion Institute, said she and her colleagues look closely at the collections from the major designers to get inspiration and see what ideas they can take further. “Many factors come together,” she explained. “There is no one collection that is the fall collection.”
A German sense of fashion?
Whereas most fashion observers would quickly include the French, Italians and even British in their list of best-dressed Europeans, Germans often get short-sighted. But that’s changing, according to industry experts like Giese.
“There are always those people who don’t care,” she said. “But in general, Germans are fashion conscious.”
Their purchasing habits are largely determined by what types of fashion products find their way into commercial stores. These in turn are selected by retail buyers for the large stores who look for items that are both stylish and wearable. The price also plays a big part in determining what people wear.
In Germany, consumers are also influenced by fashion role models. According to Giese, German shoppers traditionally look to see what others are wearing before they decide to buy.
“Sure, in every bigger city there are individuals with their unique style,” but the masses need role models to know what to wear to be fashionable,” she said. “And Germans successfully follow them.”
Following the trends
So what will Germans be wearing this season?
According to Giese, this fall will be dark. A large part of the season’s collections consist of black and dark-grey colors. Women can get away with a few touches of shiny highlights in electric blue, yellow-green, as well as red and hot pink, which are part of this fall's wardrobe, she said.
Fashionable woman will be dressed for the cool temperatures, covered from head to toe in oversized, cosy and comfortable clothing.
Styles from the 1950s and ‘60s are also making their way back into German closets, as women wear more cropped jackets with 3/4 sleeves. Pumps with thick chunky heels are also back.
Men, on the other hand, won’t be able to spend the season chilling out on the sofa. The new suits and shirts are narrow, slim and cut straight on the body, putting pressure on trendy guys to keep up a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.
Slim is in
The stylish German women will be right on target with this fall's style if they tuck their skinny jeans into boots, add a knitted sweater with a large thick collar and a men’s white blouse underneath. As an alternative to narrow jeans, leggings are also making a comeback.
The fashionable man will also be wearing skinny jeans, accompanied by a waisted shirt, a slim-cut suit with narrow collar and a thin tie
For men, the upcoming trends mark a clear break from the layered, baggy style of previous years. Now every piece of clothing is meant to be cut close and straight on the body.
According to Peter Wolff, sales manager for Wormland, a German men’s fashion store, shirts are shaving off about 10 percent in width, while ties are slimming down about three centimeters (1.1 inches).
Perhaps the fashion industry sneakily plans to be part of the German initiative "Fit instead of Fat," to get the citizens of the country with the highest obesity rates in Europe in shape.