10 Tips for Weaving the Hottest Runway Trends into Your Day-to-day Looks

While most of the runway looks in Paris and Milan are a bit extreme for Northwest Indiana, there are many trends you can incorporate into your fashion closet.  I've taken ten looks from the runway and distilled a trend that you can use every day.  You'll look great and up-to-date whether your in New York or Iowa.  The pictures are from Style.com.

1.  This first runway look is from designer Dolce & Gabbana - their Milan show.  While we won't be showing that much leg, look at the jacket.  The double breasted fitted waist is a great look that will add feminine curves.  Pair that with some slim jeans and you'll look chic this winter.

2.  Calvin Klein's New York show, featured this look.  While that much black might not work for you, you can wear a similar silhouette.  Notice how the top hits mid-thigh and is paired with skinny pants and boots.  Now that's a look we love!

3.  Alexander McQueen's Paris show featured beautiful print fabric with a medieval quality.  My favorite thing about this outfit was the combination of a rich, print fabric on top and a dark, solid below.  For those of us who are pear-shaped and need to balance our top and bottom, this is an excellent technique.  Where does your eye go in the photo above?  Isn't it drawn to the color and pattern?  Your eye skims over the hip area and goes right to the rich colors of the patterned fabric.

4.  I love Armani and his clean, simple lines.  This is from the Giorgio Armani Milan show.  What I take from this runway style, is the combination of textures.  The velvet is matte and thick-looking, the outside fabric is thinner and shinier.  They are the same color but create depth and movement because of the difference in texture. 

5.  I just love Armani so much, I have to include another - also from the Milan show.  This is a look that you can modify only slightly and go with it!  The skirt obviously is going to have to be longer for mainstream America and the neckline higher.  But otherwise, this combination of a tweedy, long jacket, a black skirt, and a silky shell?  Perfect, perfect and perfect.  Love, love, love this! Notice the collar of the jacket and the silhouette it creates at the neckline.  Magnifique!

 6.  The thin belt showed up in several of the Prada designs at the Milan show and it is a hot trend for this winter.  Whether you're tiny or not, a thin belt will create an illusion of great curves.  Using a bright color on black, or black on a color will draw the eye to the waist.  Go for it!

7.  This Versace runway look is a modern twist on the oldest slimming look in the book.  Wear black on the inner layers and a pop! of bright color on the outside.  You create a vertical line and look slimmer.  Who doesn't want that?

8.  Chanel actually brought ice from a Scandinavian iceberg to Paris for their show.  This outfit brought two fashion trends to mind for me.  First is the fake fur.  Real fur is completely passe.   Do not hurt animals!  But we don't have to give up the fun look of fur - go fake.  The second tip I see in this outfit is a way to create a long-legged look.  Wear the same color on your legs and skirt.  While this fur is a little to out-there for most of us, you can create the same illusion by wearing black boots, black tights, and a black skirt.  You're legs will look like they're a mile long.

9.  Christian Dior's Paris show featured a predominant characteristic that I also saw in other designers work - neutral colors.  It's something that gives an impression of wealth, calm, and beauty to mix shades of creams, whites, or pearl gray in your winter wardrobe.  By wearing neutrals, you are creating a canvas to frame your face and draw attention to you, instead of your clothes.

10.  For the last one, I choose two pictures, to show the contrast and result of using a light shirt under a dark jacket, versus a mono-chromatic look.  These are from the Proenza Schouler show in New York.  Notice how much broader and horizontal the second model looks compared to the first.  It's because the outfit in the top photo has a dark jacket over a light shirt, creating a vertical line that your eye follows.

Conclusion:  The above photos are runway looks that mid-stream Americans would never wear or look good in.  But if we look at them as examples of trends and designs, we can take away advice to spruce up our wardrobe and correct any figure flaws.

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