February is always the most glamorous month with the Fashion Week and the Oscars. Though I am dying to pull out all the spring outfits and I'd vote for the warmth of summer over the chic coats of winter anytime, Feb is either about the red carpet or the fall outfits.

To avoid a depressing fall mood, I'm going to do a quick laundry list of key trends and here is a list of great posts for more reading. And hopefully, it will be spring tomorrow!

Key trends:
Textures - Fur and leather
Sparkles - Metallic colors and lots of beads and blinks
Colors - 2 opposites: Richness (Navy, red, purple and various degrees of greens) vs White and soft nudes/champagnes
Patterns - American classics (think tweeds), lux (embroidery), geo (color block)
Silhouettes - A bit military, a bit romantic, a bit boxy (on the outerwear)

If you want to see a detailed laundry list, check out this link.
Click here for the Pantone color trends.
Folks who like eye-candy, check out some cool runway looks here.

With the chilly months moving in on us we look to warm up with thicker clothing, like knits and heavy coats. Staying up to date with trends is ideal for any fashionable gal, and this fall winter 12/13, it is all about the gothic vibe. Gothic inspired many collections and has become a key trend this season. Leather, velvet, and lace are the fabrics most used to convey this darker mood, and are definitely on trend. When going for the gothic trends opt for long silhouettes, and of course, the color black. Remember Roccobarocco’s collection that featured a stunning fitted knee length dress with a white collar and cross? (see above) This look is the perfect example of femininely gothic. The dress had a body conscious fit, yet still classic and sophisticated with the stark white collar, cinched belt, tights, and heels.


Harlequin&Lionhead features many pieces that will fit well into this gothic trend. While you don’t want to go overboard with accessories, for fear of looking like a vampire, keep things simple, and bold. The piece that I would like to mention is the gold plated Rose Bouquet Ring from Harlequin&Lionhead. This ring works amazingly for the gothic trend because roses are a classic symbol of the gothic era and this ring brings that beauty, in a colder way. The beautiful cocktail ring infuses a romantic feeling with old world charm, and works perfectly with the darker clothing this season. The ring comes in oxidized sterling silver, as well as pink silver, which has a lovely hue close to the more popular rose gold color. The ring is bold enough to make a statement and compliment the gothic trend well, while still being delicate and feminine enough to keep the romantic edge.

Reese Herrick, the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of CHAOS Magazine will be my guest blogger in a series about fashion and accessory and gifting tips for the fashionable. The series kicks off tomorrow and will be posted every other Thursday. So subscribe to the RSS feed now!