Back to Black: Milan Fashion Week A/W '12

LBD lovers delight..... We haven't forgotten about Milan Fashion Week which just over a week ago took the LBD world by storm. Here we look back at the best in little black trends to come out of one of the most fashionable cities in the world. Fabulously fickle fashion is ditching summer's pale hues and sugary tones for a new season of trends; this time collections stepped away from the light and oozed with sleek seduction and intoxicating darkness as seen at Milan Fashion Week. Boxy styles, masculine tailoring and sheer panels ensured that the Autumn/Winter silhouette was far more covered-up, with stripped-back styles promoting a fresh and modern femininity that holds a much sharper edge than spring's styles. After the trends of S/S relished in pastels, prints and playfulness, the mood for A/W in Milan was slightly more sombre. Told through a darker narrative, Italy's fashion capital has taken us straight back to black and here at Team LBD, we couldn't be happier about it! Black dominated the colour palette and little black dresses could be spotted all over the catwalks of MFW. From military moments to splashes of seductive sci-fi, for A/W 12 we're spoiled for choice in the LBD stakes. Milan's ever stylish little black book offered up pages of new trends, and for the new fashion season the girlyness of spring quickly got left behind. According to Milan, Autumn/Winter's style is less about playing the girl next door and more about portraying the powerful femme fatale. Flashes of film noir glamour were spotted on the catwalks of Alberta Ferrerti and Bottega Veneta, but this time the Rita Hayworth aesthetic alluded to a more contemporary and slightly masculine feel. Alberta Ferretti took inspiration from the iconic screen sirens of the forties, but gave them a new found sex appeal by pushing them into the future with contemporary structure and boyish tailoring. Glossy black leather dresses, stilettos and pin-stripe suits tailored to perfection are set to become just a few of A/W's most covetable pieces. But if the fur-linings of film noir chic are leaving you fashion-forward thinkers feeling slightly uninspired, Autumn/Winter is the perfect time to step into the unknown with an unlikely trend and a new style direction; sci-fi. For your future fashion moments, think more Blade Runner than The Great Gatsby for wardrobe inspiration -as seen on the runway of Fendi. Shapeshifter silhouettes were created through the use of beautifully manipulated fabrics and when teamed with rigid collars and sleeves, Karl Lagerfeld has provided us with a new style of LBD to lust after. Elsewhere, prints were still charming the catwalks, most favourably the 70s glam spotted at Prada and the slouchy gypsy styles that kept up the boho trend spotted at Salvatore Ferragamo. Miuccia Prada's gorgeous trouser-suits make for the perfect seasonal alternative to your little black dress, but if you want to remain loyal to your LBD until then check out our selection of metallic frocks or the fabulous Quontum range for show-stopping feminine styles that will see you through to Autumn.