The look chosen by celebrities and editors on the catwalk front rows provides the most reliable fashion forecast
Eye-wateringly expensive elegance is in, 50kg dresses are go, and Air Chanel was the hot ticket. This week the headline trends from the haute couture shows in Paris emerged in all their hand-sewn glory. But off the runways, a more inclusive look dominated the week.
If catwalk front rows offer the most accurate long-range fashion forecasts, then the next few months will be about the power skirt. Celebrities, editors and models were all seen this week in statement skirts. Or as Paula Reed, style director at Grazia magazine, put it: "All the smart women are wearing skirts in Paris this season."
But not just any old skirt. It can be any shape but to qualify as a power skirt it must distinguish itself by the fabric, a print or an embellishment. "It has got to be a clean shape," says Reed. "It has to sharpen up your silhouette rather than fight it, and the fabric should make a statement."
"It's any skirt that turns an everyday outfit into something special," says Jane Shepherdson, chief executive of Whistles. "Whether an interesting fabric or a great print, if your urge is to put something very simple like an easy jumper with it, then it's likely to be a power skirt."
On the catwalk, the standout skirts were pencil-shaped but crafted and embellished in such a way as to be light years from the stereotypical black office wear. Giambattista Valli, in a hymn to the art of the couture atelier, showed ultra-delicate lace pencil skirts in white. At Dior, knee-length skirts were made from individual squares of ostrich skin stitched on to an organdy base, while at Armani, standout skirts came in shiny reptilian green.
But it was off the catwalk where this trend was most visible. It might seem obvious to point out that skirts are in vogue. But when the personal choices of magazine editors and early adopters are as one, it does signify a sea change. "This season the look really has blown trousers out of the water," says Reed.
Carine Roitfeld, the ineffably chic former editor of Paris Vogue, has long been a fan of the statement skirt. This time she chose a brown tweed pencil version with a surprisingly Middleton-esque pair of tan tights. Lee Radziwill, socialite and sister of Jackie Kennedy, chose a red tulip pleat one, society stylist and Chanel acolyte Caroline Sieber went for iridescent cream, and Margherita Missoni an animal-print version. All women who can afford to select exactly what they want to be photographed wearing.
These skirts signal a businesslike femininity. Insiders believe they herald the end of the rock-chic look: feminine, but not too frilly to get the job done. Shepherdson says: "While a skirt can be seen as the epitome of femininity and prettiness, this is a way of subverting the message of girlishness and making it a standout wardrobe piece."
Perhaps more importantly, these skirts imply deep fashion knowledge. Now that the trend is for anonymous bags, all-singing skirts have rushed in to grab the attention. For Kate Phelan, the creative director of Topshop, skirts aren't the new "It" bags, "they're the new trophy jacket. Whether embellished, sequinned or just plain colourful, the power skirt has replaced them."
The haute couture look is set to gather pace at Whistles, where laser-cut leather and digitally printed statement skirts are soon to fill the rails. Last summer, the high-street brand had an early taste of skirt frenzy when its pleated silk skirt, the Carrie, gained cult status.
But is it too much of a stretch to say power skirts could become as big a trend as It bags once were? According to Shepherdson, "If the success of the Carrie skirt was anything to go by last year, and that was a trophy piece for lots of our customers, then it could veer that way."