SUGAR AND SPICE

When it comes to fashion, every season has its big idea: the one trend that comes to define those six months. Some ideas are harder to pin down than others: some play hard to get while others need to come equipped with their own translation manual.

But every so often the fashion world gives us a break. There comes a season where the super-trend is writ large for all to see. This Spring, fashion’s big idea is simplicity itself: girl-pleasing clothes in candy-floss tones. Soft, yielding fabrics and gentle pastel colours have set the fashion pulse racing, with feminine shapes ruling the roost.

In particular, this is a season where the dress rules supreme. It is not surprising that the dress continues its hold on our sartorial imagination. Easy to wear, easier still to accessorise, it has moved in the space of five years from occasion-wear to everyday basic. Taken off its pedestal, the dress returns with a sense of purpose. This season it is seen in every possible permutation from elegant lace at Valentino to retro-styled prints at Prada. It becomes a full-blown statement piece, saying as much about you and your style as your handbag or a pair of shoes. The ‘it’ accessory is a thing of the past, but this season, you can own an ‘it’ dress.

The mere idea of dressing to thrill may not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but before you mark up this season as fun but ultimately unsatisfying, it is worth looking again at what’s on offer.

The romance of the season has been tempered with a strong editing eye, and that has happened right from the cutting table. The swathes of pale satin and broderie anglaise are moulded into shapes that are highly sculptural or high-necks and long sleeves that tone down the froth.

Lanvin’s mastery of pleats are the perfect complement to the icy pastels on show; Louis Vuitton’s collection of dresses – designed with no other purpose than to make the heart beat faster – are deftly sculpted; girl made modern.

Decoration here becomes decoration with a function; Prada’s floral duster coats are the lynchpin of a collection teeming with great pieces. Christopher Kane’s love letter to floral is all about demonstrating technique: appliqué, print and laser-cutting become the collection’s raison d’etre.

Smartly executed, the allure of these collections is that they are gorgeous pieces, just aching to be worn. Prada’s collection – a hymn to vintage Americana – is one of their best in recent years, with dresses and skirts so wearable, copies are already emerging on the high-street.

For those who weren’t feeling the urban warrior look, this injection of girlish wonder has been long overdue. This softer look makes a natural progression from A/W’s obsession with texture: shearling and butter-soft leather here become transmuted into silk, lace and cotton – the emphasis is on feel-good fashion (in its most literal sense).

What is most interesting about this trend is that the girlishness comes served with a hefty dose of spice. The Prada collection simmers with an understated sensuality; fabrics usually the sole reserve of eveningwear make the transition to day making the whole business of getting ready in the morning a far more indulgent process. What at first glance appears the picture of innocence begs you to take a closer look: everything is not as it seems.

The decadence offered up by this trend is all in the detail. Colours and techniques are the story here, rather than wanton excess. Sparkle is noticeable by its absence: lustre and shine here come courtesy of silks and satins. The glow is built-in, rather than sewn on.

These clothes seem a world away from the last time girlish fashion set the pace, and they are. The obvious choices are gone, and what we have instead is a more sophisticated palette of wearable clothes. Still feminine, still gorgeous – but nothing here feels (or looks) like a cliché. It’s a celebration of modern femininity: subtle glamour with the hard work already done for you.

It has been asked how this type of look can translate to women over 30, those who remember earlier flirtations with pastel in the 1980’s. The key difference this time is the sheer choice available. Being a super-trend, girlie has been taken on by nearly every designer of note and each has produced their own spin on it. Not keen on the Vuitton girlie show? Try Marni’s more muted shades and prints – perfect for grown-ups. Love Prada’s take on retro but find it a bit too literal? Rodarte steps in with old-fashioned prints in very modern shapes.

Even if you are wedded to urban chic, there are times when every woman wants to indulge – and this season fashion is only too happy to oblige. The good news is that this year’s fantasy has a healthy serving of reality stirred in – there are no set rules, no obligation to don head-to-toe pastels: this really is a trend squarely aimed at what women want. No fuss, just great fashion.

HELEN TOPE

SIMPLICITY ITSELF: OSCARS 2012

When it comes to awards ceremonies, not all red-carpets are created equal. Now in its 84^th year, the Academy Awards is, and remains, the benchmark by which all other events are measured.

With the knowledge that the world is watching, the pressure to get it right can be immense. Some stars avoid the glare of the fashion spotlight by playing it safe; others replay their best fashion hand with looks seen before. But those who make the headlines (in a good way), balance a little risk against a fail-safe marker – and that can be anything from a colour to a favourite silhouette. This is the strategy we saw in abundance at this year’s Oscars: a touch of the familiar, with a flash of unexpected genius, made for a very stylish carpet.

With a stunning appearance at the Golden Globes already under her belt, you would think that Angelina Jolie would have nothing left to prove. But you would be wrong. Jolie showed up in a black velvet gown from Atelier Versace, slit to the thigh with pleated panels on the bodice. It was a masterwork of seduction; no-one in Hollywood does smart / sexy quite like Angelina. Her winning formula of reveal and conceal makes her not only one of the Best Dressed of the night, but downright intriguing. Channelling old-school glamour with a twist of modernity, this was Jolie’s best look of the season.

Intelligent choices were all over this red-carpet, with Gwyneth Paltrow stunning everyone in a stark, white gown and cape from Tom Ford. In theory, this could have gone horribly wrong, but Ford’s gift for precision and restraint made this outfit a beautiful example of postmodern glamour. As already demonstrated by Rooney Mara and Tilda Swinton, there is an appetite for gowns off the beaten track: spare, elegant forms without a flounce in sight. This modern way of approaching red-carpet dressing looks set to become the rule rather than the exception: ruffles and bows for night-time don’t sit quite right at the moment. Indulging your inner girl feels more appropriate to daytime with Louis Vuitton and Prada giving us plenty of ideas on how to do pretty.

In terms of eveningwear, bold, sleek shapes channel a political consciousness that’s purely interested in showing up, not showing off. Gwyneth, picked by many as the evening’s Best Dressed, had clued up on the style zeitgeist: her choice was undeniably beautiful but its simplicity left Paltrow looking calm, relaxed and approachable. This style code feels like a better fit on Gwyneth, who in the early part of her career struggled to find her groove. But this stab at sartorial greatness turns Gwyneth into a very modern style icon: cool, confident and above all, contemporary.

Very few people did sequins for the Oscars, but those that did, applied them with wit and verve. Rose Byrne’s midnight-blue gown from Vivienne Westwood made her one of the red-carpet stand outs. Epic detail was reined in by a sleek, one-shoulder design and a touch of Westwood tailoring. This many sequins should cause the dress to droop, but it stood firm thanks to a corsetry that kept the shape of the dress intact. It was a comforting hit of sparkle (for those who feel a red-carpet isn’t the same without it), and Rose’s profile soared in what was a very modern re-working of a red-carpet classic.

Jessica Chastain, nominated for her role in ‘The Help’, also took her brand to the next level in a career-making turn wearing custom-made McQueen. A black strapless gown overlaid with intricate gold embroidery saw Jessica; in sartorial terms at least, go toe-to-toe with Angelina and Gwyneth. Paired with beautifully-judged make-up and tousled hair, this was a look belonging to someone who is destined to become an even bigger star. Someone with this much confidence at this stage in their career cannot help but excel – Jessica is one to watch.

Some of those attending did opt for colour in what has been a curiously monochromatic awards season: Natalie Portman in vintage Dior, Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli and Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton – all three went for shades of red.

Williams’ gown in particular divided the critics: a strapless gown with soft, horizontal ruffles and a peplum detail at the waist was a winning choice but possibly not on Williams. Like Paltrow, Williams is most in her comfort zone when she goes simple. Some of her best red-carpet moments have been in dresses of deceptive simplicity.

Others attending chose to tread a well-beaten path. Meryl Streep chose the good-luck charm of previous Oscar winners and went for gold in eco-Lanvin. Like Sandra Bullock (Marchesa, 2010) and Charlize Theron (Gucci, 2004), Streep got her award dressed head-to-toe in gold.

Livia Firth’s good work at the BAFTAs in encouraging A-listers to participate in the Green Carpet Challenge was confirmed in earnest at the Oscars. French fashion-house Lanvin used eco-certified fabrics to dress the Iron Lady. Stepping up to collect the third Oscar of her career, Meryl looked softly glamorous. It was a truly Oscar-worthy choice.

If there was anything to take away from this awards season, it was a renewed appreciation of the simple things. A good cut, a plain colour won out time and again over flashier designs. It may be something to do with the types of films making it big this year: the grand-ambition projects or the small art house films that end up stealing your heart. But whatever is causing it, there’s a real call to arms to those who want real, honest-to-goodness sophistication.

Whether you like your red-carpet to shine, or be beautiful in a more subtle way, what’s very clear is that modern glamour – in all its grown-up glory – is here to stay.

HELEN TOPE