Fall 2011 Trend: Rounded Shoulders
Photos: Imaxtree
Looks from Stella McCartney, Louis Vuitton and Victoria Beckham
It’s been more than two years since sharp-shouldered blazers—the likes of which could put an eye out—whipped runways (and shoppers!) into a frenzy. That dangerous point has been put to rest, but the bold shoulder’s far from over, with designers trading the squared-off style for a rounded shoulder and sloping sleeve this season.
Miuccia Prada is one designer who clearly favors the style: it showed up in both her Prada and Miu Miu collections. At the former, her fur-collared snakeskin coat showed sloped, round shoulders, while at Miu Miu the ‘30s style sleeves came on sweet collared dresses.
At Calvin Klein Collection, coat sleeves came structured and seamed, and at Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs showed both puffy short sleeves and curving-sleeved coats, tempered by cinched waists.
Stella McCartney made her take on the trend shine in a textured gold minidress with massive, sloping shoulders—overtly sexy it ain’t, but a whole lot of leg didn’t hurt.
Even the ever-sleek Victoria Beckham (who, it must be said, has long been a fan of her sharp-shouldered Balmain blazers) touched on the trend with a voluminous blue cocoon of a dress, rounded from shoulder to hem.
As for Balmain, one of the champions of that style of seasons past? The shoulders were positively tame by comparison this season. But what goes around comes around...and we do mean round.
