How to Wear 2016 Fall Fashion Trends in Ankara

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Ankara or Kitenge, the local African fabric is so wildly popular because it is so incredibly versatile. I particularly love that you can take almost any style and somehow use Ankara fabric to interpret it to suit your taste and the 2016 fall fashion trends are no exception.

The world of fashion is intense and exciting. Watching the Fall fashion from showcased on runways across the world got my heart beating in excitement. Those days when we would sit in front of the TV sighing at the beautiful, beautiful creations, wondering how the heck we were supposed to wear those in every day life are long gone. Ready to Wear is the name of the game and you can literally see folks going from runway straight to the streets even with Ankara fabric.

Fall Fashion Trends African Style

These are the fashion trends that really caught our attention and they are easily translated in ankara or kitenge.

 

Fall Fashion Trends #1: Sparkles and Glitter

Tinsel, sparkles and glitter turned up a lot at several runways. They were featured by designers like Dolce & Gabanna, Marco de Vicenzo and Fendi.

This look is from the Dolce & Gabanna Fall-Winter 2016-17 women fashion show.

It just takes a little creativity to interpret this style for your ankara dress. You could easily add a strip of sparkly fabric or create a sparkly skirt on an akara blouse. This is an akara dress with a sparkly top. We really love the added detail of the jacket.

 

 

Fall Fashion Trends #2: Really Long Sleeves

Many designers showed a real preference for really long sleeves and though they are somewhat impractical in that they will get in the way particularly if you’re eating with your hands, they do look really elegant. Below is a look from Marc Jacobs’ Fall collection.

 

To make this style work in a more practical way, you can use the bell sleeves. Actually, extra long bell sleeves also made a number of appearances on the runway.

We love what thatblackchic.com did with this and this is a style that really works.

 

Fall Fashion Trends #3: One-Shoulder Outfits

This is an 80s style that made a huge comeback. It is not like the off-shoulder outfits of last year or the cold shoulder trend of earlier this year. These are one-shoulder dresses and tops often with ruffles or other bold detail.Designers like Lanvin, Moschino and Saint Laurent featured this style in their Fall collections.

This is one sweet trend which will translate beautifully in your Ankara fabric. It can be used as a top, a pantsuit or a dress like this beautiful dress from Zabba designs.

 

Fall Fashion Trends #4: The Hoodie

Designers like Alexander Want, Vetements and Lacoste featured the hoodie. This is a trend that is perfect if you are living in a place with cold weather. But can you still rock this trend in the tropical heat? Absolutely! And that’s why the Ankara (kitenge) fabric is so perfect. Below is a fabulous ankara hoodie dress from Zali’s debut collection.

 

Fall Fashion Trends #5: Velvet

Oh this fabric is so wonderfully soft and it makes one feel like royalty. Thankfully, it is  coming back into season and trending. Designers like Giorgio Armani and Alberta Ferreti featured gorgeous velvet pieces in their fall fashion lineup.

To get into the thick of things with this trend, simply combine this luxurious fabric with your Ankara and you will have a unique design that is trendy. Another way to style this is to pair a velvet sleeveless jumpsuit with an ankara jacket.

 

Fall Fashion Trends #6: Schoolgirl Pinafores

Amazingly these are making a comeback and we spotted quite a number of pinafores on different runways. Designers like Thomas Sander and Jason Wu has some really nice pieces in this trend. Happily, this is really easy to create in Ankara and it usually turns out great.

 

This beautiful design below is by Atolle Clothiers.

Fall Fashion Trends #7: The Statement Choker

Huge chokers that draw attention to your neck are one 2016 fall fashion trend that kept showing up on different runways. This is not the choker as you know it, but something bigger and bolder. They were prominently featured at Balmain, Lanvin and Dries Van Noten.

So how do you interpret this trend? According to Real Style, chunky and daring chokers are in. So if you want to create an African theme around this, think chunky and daring. We found this piece of gorgeousness on Etsy.com. The layering gives the choker a chunky feel and the colours are big, bold and daring. There are also ankara-covered chokers, which can give you that extra pizzaz.

 

We are huge fans of the new Ready to Wear trend that we’re seeing on almost every runway across the world. They bring the world of fashion home for the every day woman and make it easier to look stylish even if you are on a budget. The fall fashion trends are lovely and you can get more from Elle.com.