2010. Let’s look at the year gone by. The key fashion pieces. I feel this year was significant in transforming our wardrobes as there were various strong concepts which started on the catwalks in Paris and Milan and caught on in a big way with the high street and became full-blown trends.

Last week I wrote about my friend’s pursuit for the perfect party dress. And I was inundated with requests for tips on what is available, what is hot in terms of cuts and style, and most of all what is currently on the shelves. So I decided to write a sequel. This is Party dress Part II.

Zephyr. Silesia. Sempiternum. Rreticella. Pellicule. Madapollam.

There are some stunning black lace dresses out there. In keeping with the season, this look is definitely a winner. Mainstream designers having tried every look, grunge to punk, street to smart. They are back to what works best for most women — a clean, classic, elegant look. A look which gives a woman a sense of freedom to feel

Are you serious!” I exclaimed when Lucy, the sales girl in a leading high street store, told me that “the top selling trend today is jumpsuits”. At first I thought that she is a smart saleswoman who is trying to convince me to buy an item which no one else is touching. Later as I researched this trend, I was convinced she is right.

The short black dress versus the black sequined blazer. What would you pick for a night out? Quite unanimously the answer would be the LBD. The winner hands down. Think again. Pretty soon we might all dump the girlie dress for a strong-shouldered black jacket and skinny shiny trousers. The trend is big, so big that a host of designers have introduced the blazer in a big way in their collection.

Though the argument is that digital prints have become too common, there is a new generation of designers who are pioneering the resurgence of bold and beautiful prints on garments. Gianni Versace, I would say really gave print it’s place in a woman’s wardrobe way back in the 80’s. His medusa head logo would adorn silk shirts and his repetitive bold black square print formed borders on skirts, shirts and dresses. His prints made a statement.

I have never noticed so much bling on the fashion horizon as I can now. Can you imagine metallic brocade and gold sheath; full-on zardozi embroidery and gold sequence. We are talking London fashion week and Paris fashion week, not India fashion week.

Everything feminine. Frills and flounce. Lace and layers. Ruffles and ruching. Feathers and frocks. The latest shows in London, New York and Milan are awash with these. As if unanimously rejecting the structured, masculine look of the 90’s business suits and strong shoulders, the designers have chosen a delicate and easy flow in their collections.

In 2007, fashion gurus said that white is the new black. The shop windows were replete with white fur jackets, white dresses, white shoes which perfectly coordinated with the white snow-flakes as display merchandise. This trend never took off. White is too cold, too Russian. Not warm enough for winter. And not practical like black. So we were back to square one.