The Purple Principle

Princely purple is the opulent accent to winter's grayscale palette. Not for shirinking violets, lilacs and pastel tones don't even register on the spectrum as hues keep rich and regal.

Colour blocking creates the most striking effect. Think in purple from head-to-toe, matching accessories from handbags to shoes as seen at Louis Vuitton and Carolina Herrera. Neat little clutch bags are non too intrusive and if the budget stretches, look great clasped in purple leather gloved hands a la Ermanno Scervino.

For added impact Marc Jacobs figured Teal into the equation, his patterened tights as livid as Alberta Ferretti's turquoise feathered handbags. A more neutral base of mushroom or taupe however, can provide a much softer alternative.

Deepest indigo creates a strong statement for outerwear. Marc Jocobs harnessed its power for his capes as did Stella McCartney for her elongated jackets whilst Dries van Noten took on the trench.

If House of Holland's striped trouser suit is anything to go by it's best to invest in a dress. At the home of understatement, Raf Simons let the colour do the talking with his simple, short-sleeved day dress for Jil Sander.

The speciality of the season is the party dress: fabricated in shimmering silks or vuluptuous velvets they add depth and intensity to this seductive shade.

Marc Jacobs worked the eighties vibe with a plum puffball minidress whilst Graeme Black created his own texture with his geometric print offering a kaleidescope of purple tones.

A shade with a sultry side, embrace it sumptuousness in rich velvet and brocade. Krizia fell for Hollywood glamour with a floorlength gown in burgundy velour, the look completed with a fur stole in dusty mink. Dolce and Gabbana meanwhile looked as though they'd ransacked a theatre for its velvet drapes; their corsetted minidresses belted at the waist with corded tassels were as opulent as the royal box from which they had been snatched.

Vivienne Westwood too looked to the lavish for her Red Label Collection. Her rich brocade dress with oragami folded sleeves, styled with shoes in matching fabric, was the the epitome of the season's purple principle.

Shoulder Action

So stylish is the suped-up shoulder that it has infiltrated every trend going this season. From suiting to satin, from ermine to eveningwear designers are giving it some serious shoulder action.

Despite suiting's armour-like rigidity, the look is ultra feminine, a far cry from the macho power dressing of the 1980s. The arc of shoulders at Balmain and Gianfranco Ferre added drama rather than severity, as did the circular sleeveheads pioneered by Dolce and Gabbana, and refined by Antonio Beradi.

The joy of the strong shoulder is its illusion of narrowing on the waist. An age old trick, it was seized upon by Alber Elbaz with his beautiful dresses for Lanvin, inspired by the silhouettes of the late 1930s. Triangular torsos shaped suiting for daywear and gave structure to floor length gowns for the most opulent evenings imaginable.

Donna Karan too made reference to this figure, contrasting strong shoulders with body-hugging jersey.

The rounded shoulder may be softer than Balmain's up-turned shapes but it is nonetheless modern. Seen at Balenciaga and Elie Saab, this look represents the true power of woman, considerate of her softly curving form.

A softer approach to the trend leaves the shoulder pad in the dressing up box and focuses on the sleeves, with voluminous gathers defining the shoulder-based silhouette. This wasn't much of a compromise at Dolce andGabbana however, where oversized sleeveheads stood neck high above the shoulders!

Of course there are more wearable options. Stella McCartney and Jaegar London featured blooming sleeves to stylize billowing, sheer blouses.

Strong shoulders are ultimately the season's biggest statement and to pull them off you must wear them with certainty. With the structure of armour sport them as if they are: harness the power they affect and be a superwoman if only for a day.