Punk it Up!

Punk. We've all been there at some point in our lives. Whether it have been a torn, battered leather jacket or a scary pair of Dr Martens, punk has snuck into our fashion lives before. This fall, however we are going all out for punk as seen at Saint Laurent, Chanel, Rodarte, Givenchy and most notably Versace, where Donatella labelled her collection 'vunk' in a Versace homage to the world of punk. Yes, if you haven't already watched the Versace show, I suggest you do so. It will get you well and truly into the whole punk vibe. Honest! 

Over at Paris Fashion Week, Hedi Slimane gave us a grungy, androgynous look with tartan jumpers and heavy, embellished boots for Saint Laurent. In fact, everyone one of his models looked like they'd just raided Courtney Love's wardrobe. Enough said. At Chanel, King Karl was also feeling the punk spirit as he presented a dark show, with a scattering of heavy tweed coats, latex boots and black pleated mini-skirts - altogether homage to punk. Vivienne Westwood, Fendi and Louis Vuitton all featured elements of grunge in their collections, most notably Fendi, where the models had dyed mohawk hair and dark purple/black lipstick. Givenchy also went for the whole 'dyed hair' idea, with each models hair tightly pinned in ringlets to the head and then dyed either red, blue or pink. Believe me it looked very cool. And for Ricardo Tisci's amazing clothes, the colour of choice was ultimately black with non other than Bambi appearing on a number of jumpers. Not entirely punk, but you get the idea. This fall its about standing out.  

So, what can I buy to get into the punk spirit this season, I hear you say. Not to worry... I have made a list! This season, the staples you need in your wardrobe are as follows: 

1) A distressed pair of tight, leather pants with maybe a couple of silver chains hanging from a studded belt around the waist. For inspiration check out the Dsquared fall collection. Very cool. 

2) A little black dress but the punk version of this timeless classic. Versace offered a range of said dresses in tight PVC and cut out detailing in black and white. I know it sounds a little risky in this day an age but paired with a winter coat and a casual bag, this dress can easily be toned down and keep you looking like Miley Cyrus did at the recent Teen Choice Awards. If you haven't had a chance to see Miley's dress yet, let me tell you in one word: disaster! But you fortunately can be saved from this utter misunderstanding of punk; just choose wisely when searching for that leather dress. Good luck! 

3) A jacket. Biker/ bomber? It doesn't matter as long as its leather and looks cool a la Saint Laurent. 

4) Dr Martens. If you haven't already got them, you need to buy some, pretty quick. Big, grungy boots are the only shoes to be seen on your feet this fall, so I would get hunting for a pair... fast. If not Dr Martens, you can't go wrong with black leather boots as seen at Chanel. Karl made it clear that the Chanel girl this fall was born straight out of the 90's with big boots adorned with Chanel metal chains and a chunky heel. 

5) Last but not least: accessories. Spikey collars, grungy scarves, black hats, silver jewellery, studded earrings (the bigger the better). This fall, it's safe to say that accessories really did make an outfit. Just look at those Andy Warhol print clutches at Dior and those amazing, blingy necklaces at Lanvin. Punk is meant to be cool and break the golden rules of fashion, so go crazy for accessories and rock the grunge look day and night. 

Punk is the new grunge this fall