Young Fashion Connoiseur Shares His Thoughts on 2015 Fall/Winter Fashion Month

A friend of mine recently reached out to me to be a guest blogger on Small 4 Style.  Timothy Montequin, a talented 17-year-old fashion expert, wrote this fabulous article on the good, the bad, and the ugly at the Fall/Winter 2015 shows.  I think you'll enjoy his fresh voice and predictions for the coming season.  Timothy will be launching his own blog soon, so stay tuned!

As fashion month for Fall/Winter 2015 came to a close a few weeks ago, many people are trying to figure out what pieces to get rid of, what to keep, and what they would like to look for during the early weeks of October this year. Hopefully I can make that a little bit easier for some of you by sharing my favorite looks, trends, and designers from this season.  

My favorite look from New York definitely has to be this gorgeous, blue tulle gown by Marchesa. This dress is definitely the epitome of any tulle lover’s dream dress. It is such a light, romantic silhouette in a very feminine shade of blue. In London, I fell in love with this gorgeous coat from Topshop Unique. Honestly, the entire look seemed a little basic, but the coat’s extraordinary fur cuffs give the outfit a very elegant look. Milan had my favorite look of them all; this gorgeous pink, turtleneck dress by Dolce and Gabbana. How can anyone not fall in love with the amazing appliqué roses? Of course in Paris I just have to choose something by Chanel. This season, my favorite look was this timeless black and blue tweed dress. Like most Chanel pieces, you can buy it and 75 years later at your estate sale your grandchildren can buy it and look just as good in it as you did. This dress will definitely stand the test of time unlike a lot of pieces seen during fashion month.  

Not everything that goes down the runway is perfect (or at least to most eyes); there will always be items that I would never buy in a million years. From New York, my least favorite was this all black look by 6397. Not only is the dress just plain boring, but who in their right mind would pair it with those shoes? Some things in fashion I guess I will never understand. In London, I chose this look by Christopher Kane as my least favorite. Ironically, I am usually quite fond of his work. However, this orange and black dress appears to my eyes as what I would describe as “a mess.” On top, there are random black strips of fabric that makes no sense, and the bottom looks as if she is wearing a skirt that is too big and it is slipping down as she walks. I saw probably the busiest works of art I have ever seen in Milan. This look by Au Jour Le Jour has so many prints and colors (that obviously don’t go together). On top of that, why would anyone put a body suit on top of leggings and then pair that with an enormous coat with the same print and a bright, reflective shoe. This season in Paris came probably the worst look I have ever seen. I am all for avant garde fashion (as I believe it is fashion in its highest art form), but I also believe that it should at least be something wearable. This look by Jacqemus is just a small sliver of what their collection looked like. The very first model walked out completely topless and had a piece of paper covering her face. All I have to say about this collection is, what was your motivation?  

During fashion week, what’s worn in the front row is almost just as important as what goes down the runway. Often times, people placed in the front row will receive clothes from the brand prior to the show. When it comes to minimalism, it doesn’t get much better than the Calvin Klein Collection. Harley Viera-Newton looks so great in this soft, neutral-colored coat (by Calvin Klein). In London, I loved Susanne West in Burberry for the Burberry Prorsum show. Sometimes the biggest statements are made with minimal colors and silhouettes; West has done exactly that as her look screams exquisite. Coco Rocha is probably one of the world’s leading style influencers. Her look for the Missoni show in Milan definitely takes the cake for my favorite front row look that week. Not only is her coral blazer (and the rest of her outfit) so vibrant and youthful, but it is also something that many women can find in stores near them. It makes a great work look for women in any creative career. Finally from Paris, I chose this look from one of the top fashion bloggers, Kristina Bazan at the Chloe show. The dress and poncho looked perfect as she walked and it all flows behind her. Also, who doesn’t love the cute hat?  

Every season new trends come and old trends go, but they’ll all be back eventually. This season we will begin to see faux fur stoles as one of fall’s trending items. Fur clothing has always been a staple in every elegant woman’s wardrobe. It is the perfect way to walk into a room and say “Hello, I cost money”. However, these aren’t the vintage fur stoles that still have the animal’s head, feet, and tail on it. This season we will mainly see faux fur on store racks, but real fur will always be a great option.    

During fashion month it is easy to only focus on major brands (Chanel, Dior, Chloe, etc.), but there is a whole generation of new designers working their way up the ladder. Coperni Femme is an up and coming label out of Paris under the creative visionaries of Sebastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant. This is the label’s second time to present during Paris fashion week and it is already one of my new favorite brands! This season there was a theme of disks, meticulously woven together, pushing the envelope of configuration and design. 

This season left me excited to see what’s coming up next. Thank you Alex for letting me write this for your blog! Keep an eye out for my blog that will be launching within the next few weeks.

**All pictures were from style.com except Coco Rocha-Harper’s Bazaar and Kristina Bazan-Style Bistro