From Catwalk to Cast On

By Henrietta Dups

Henrietta gives you the low down on the latest fashion trends and how to interpret them with your knitting needles.

During my three years as Editor of the Harpers Bazaar 100 Best Dressed List, the two most important lessons I learned from all the stylish women I interviewed were: never be a slave to fashion, and own 'your' look. With this in mind I have found that the simplest way to interpret the latest catwalk trends without compromising your own fashion style integrity is through colour and accessories.

This season's colours are vivid, bold and bright, instantly eye catching. All you need is a flash to be instantly fashion savvy. Yellow is the hottest must have shade in town this spring, whether it be palest citrine as seen at the Galliano, Michael Kors and Valentino shows, bright yellow featured by Versace, or Sonia Rykiel's mix of earthy saffron and golden wheat. Unfortunately, yellow is also one of the trickiest colours to pull off depending on your complexion and skin tone. If yellow is a hue that does not suit you, despair not. You can still wear it as long as it is kept exclusively to accessories which sit well away from your face, such as: belts, gloves, bags and shoes. At both the Ralph Lauren and Gucci runways, yellow was teamed with black (a fashion essential and constant), giving a show stopping effect. For a quick and stylish interpretation of this trend, think a classic black long knit top worn over black skinny trousers and a yellow belt. Alternatively, jazz up your LBD with a yellow clutch or handbag.

Hot on the heels of yellow at the spring + summer fashion shows were foxy fuschia and chic cerise. Both graced the Alexander McQueen, Allesandro Dell'Aqua, Costume National and Jil Sander runways. Cerise looks stunning on brunettes with a clear complexion and a tan, whereas fuschia is a fabulous shade on those with a pale complexion and auburn, blonde or silver tresses.

Fortunately there are a slew of other colour options to choose from this spring which suit all complexions including; lilac and jacaranda (seen at the Valentino and Michael Kors shows), turquoise (as favoured at the Calvin Klein, Emilio Pucci and Vera Wang catwalks), jade (spotted on the runways of both Elie Saab and Lanvin), and electric blue caught the eye at Burberry Prosorum, Versace and Comme des Garcons.

For those of you who are averse to bold bright colours, make just as strong a statement this season by mixing black and white together, a sleek and stylish look which I scoped at Chanel, Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Paul Smith and Valentino. The perfect accessory that encompasses this trend is Emporio Armani's stylish black and white chequered scarf for spring. This would be a cinch to knit up in a gorgeous silk yarn.

For classic understated chic, take sanctuary in the neutral tones of grey and white. These provide a good canvas for a hint of classic scarlet (Chanel, Christian Dior) or tempestuous orange (Celine, Zac Posen).

The stand out, essential accessory this spring is the 'Waisted Belt'. Coveted in almost every s+s collection it comes in all shapes and widths including; the Obi at Allesandro Dell'Aqua, the waist cincher corset spied at Alexander McQueen, skinny belts favoured by Ralph Lauren and Galliano, knitted belts at Sonia Rykiel and Sashes at Elie Saab. Whether the belt be tied, buckled or buttoned the only rule this season is that it must sit on the waist, which is great news as with so much to choose from there is something for everyone and every body shape. This gives you incredible scope to have fun with this accessory and make it as fashion forward as you like. My personal favourite this season is the pretty Red Chanel bow buckle belt. To give it that real fashion edge one can knit it up in any of the key colours or even in two tone combinations such as; yellow and black; citrine and jacaranda; fuschia and orange.

The Biggan Design Queen Bee corset style belt pattern is absolutely to die for and can be found on the Biggan Design website. The vertical lines of black and golden wheat slim down and elongate the waist and will jazz up any black outfit. Wear your belts over blouses, shirts, t-shirts, cardigans, coats, jackets, vests, waist coats and dresses to instantly update your wardrobe.

My parting advice to you all is to choose one or two statement pieces of clothing for your torso this season, be it a boob tube, vest, cardigan or jacket and treat it like an accessory. By this I mean knit a gorgeous vest in shades of yellow which you can wear over a t-shirt and jeans or over a blouse and pencil skirt for work. Dare to be body conscious - layer a lilac boob tube over a crisp white shirt and grey trousers for work. Complete with a waisted belt and in the evening ditch the shirt and bare your shoulders at a cocktail party. Finally, cardigan's are extremely versatile and are an essential wardrobe accessory. Whether it is fitted or structured be sure to knit one up for spring in one of this season‘s trendiest colours, such as the Dilly cardigan in Jacaranda or the Wink wrap both by Susan Crawford, or maybe the Angora Hearts cardigan from Issue one of knitonthenet in scarlet, with navy blue and white for that naval look, just like Chanel.

Follow these tips and you will instantly update your closet without maxing out your credit card, as you can mix and match these pieces with almost everything you currently own.

See Henrietta's Chanel-esque Bow Belt pattern for her interpretation of the must have accessory for spring/summer 2008.