This Year's Fashion Weeks Spark Hope for High Sales

Burberry - Image courtesy of
The Daily Telegraph

After reading Drapers, 'Catwalk brights bode well for premium chains', I'm hopeful that maybe this recession is starting to come to an end!

As Paris Fashion Week drew to a close, it sounded as if high street retailers were feeling confident that bold colors, innovative pant shapes and cool outerwear might help to increase sales for fall 2011.

Clive Reeve, head of design at Arcadia-owned womenswear chain Wallis told Drapers,  “I think the trouser thing is going to be really strong. There’s a continuation of the midi-length skirt and boots, which is a really good story for autumn 11.”

Other retailers feel outerwear will be the biggest seller. The runway was full of bright colored trench coats that should fly off the racks for next season's winter blues.

Let's hope their sales forecasts are right and we see a retail boom this year!

My New Favourite Designer - Sonia Rykiel

Born in France, Sonia Rykiel is known as the "Queen of Knits". For never studying fashion her designs are purely works of art.

The only experience she had was at at the age of 17, she window dressed displays in a Parisisan textile store.


Her fashion story began In 1962 when she couldn't find any soft sweaters to wear while she was pregnant.

So like any ingenue she decided to design her own. She used a supplier to her husband from Venice and according to Wikipedia she sent the sweater back seven times for alterations before she was satisfied with it.

Since then, she has experimented with seams inside out, taken away the hem and lining, and has created a line of fragrances.

She later became the first designer to put seams on the outside of a garment, and to print words on her sweaters.


Sonia Rykiel has become a family business as her daughter, Nathalie is the Creative Director and they work together to create the gorgeous clothing you see here.

The way Sonia's clothes move down the runway and the different textures she uses is thrilling to watch!

If you would like to see what I mean check out her Spring/Summer 2008 show from Parish Fashion Week via Elle's Online Video .

Photos courtesy of Fashion & Fashion, a group on Facebook.