Metal, fur and pleats: style-spotting for next winter

PARIS - As Paris Fashion Week draws to a close, here are some of the looks likely to travel from catwalk to sidewalk next winter, from long skirts over pants to hints of metal, lots of knitwear and touches of fur.

Cédric Charlier - AW 2012/13 - Photo: Pixel Formula

CHAIN MAIL: Used on sleeveless dresses of violet or green in Stefano Pilati's swansong collection for Yves Saint Laurent, or at Paco Rabanne, whose founder invented the chain mail dress in the 1960s.

GOOD GIRLS: Demure necklines were buttoned closed or straight across the collarbones, draw attention to the face -- rather than the bust. Transparency was the exception rather than the rule.

METAL: Hints of metal and copper were everywhere, like in the accessories at the Belgian Cedric Charlier.

ORANGE AND GOLD: Highlights at Giorgio Armani, the colours also popped up on furs at Jean Paul Gaultier. Guy Laroche combined gold and rust, while Viktor and Rolf went for fiery orange and gold.

PATCHWORK: Puzzle-like dresses by Gianfranco Ferre placed panels of leather beside suede or fox. Louis Vuitton shaped a black dress from squares of mat and shiny leather, and Felipe Oliveira Baptista worked glossy patent leathers with buttery-soft ones.

PLEATS: Already a strong trend for the coming summer, pleats are set to stay through until the cold weather, especially on long swishing skirts.

RABBIT: The soft -- and less costly -- variety of fur cropped up at the French house Carven, or in a leopard-print version at Isabel Marant.

SHOULDERS: Square, raised shoulders defined richly-embroidered jackets at Balmain, or redingote coats at Givenchy or Louis Vuitton.

SLEEVES: Exaggeratedly long, at Viktor and Rolf or Alexander McQueen.

SLIM: A timely trend as their champion Hedi Slimane prepares to return to fashion at Yves Saint Laurent, slim pants were paired with long skirts, or worn alone -- like at the Cypriot Hussein Chalayan where they seemed painted onto the models' legs.