Head turner: A fashion double-take with Swatch

This season, fashion brings new twists on contemporary colors, patterns, textures and shapes. You will want the new must-haves. You will crave for the fresh takes on the latest indulgences. Find out what they are and take a look at what’s for you.

Swatch brings a wide range of fascinating new models for its fall/winter collection 2013. The art of deception takes a playful turn in Trompe l’oeil. This collection turns heads! This art demands a double-take — a second look. Trompe l’oeil, French for “deceive the eye,” is defined as a visual illusion in art, especially when used to trick the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a three-dimensional object. “It is a style of representation in which a painted object is intended to deceive the viewer into believing it is the object itself,” according to the Concise Encyclopedia. “Since the early Renaissance, European painters have used trompe l’oeil to create false frames from which the contents of still life works or portraits seemed to spill and to paint window-like images that appeared to be actual openings in the wall or ceiling.”

Swatch celebrates this playful tradition with image watches that pretend to be one thing and turn out to be another.

Check out these attention-grabbing and unforgettable models, which utilize a lenticular dial. It is made using a complex printing process called lenticular printing. Then a special lens shows two or more images on the same dial. Different images appear when the dial is viewed from different angles. The Swatch New Gent Stop Think Talk offers a word to the wise, its advice appearing on the dial one word at a time: “Stop.” Turn your wrist, take another look: “Think.” Move your arm, look again: “Talk.” You have three watches in one!  Then, watch the Arabic numbers slowly disappear and appear in the Swatch New Gent Nonvedolora. Look at the numbers change from 10, 30 to 60 at an angle change with the Swatch Gent Original Speed Around.

Take a look at the Swatch Gent Originals Follow Up, which appears to be a zipper ready to unzip, while the Swatch Gent Originals Sveglia lets you carry an old-fashioned alarm clock on your wrist. With just a slight shift, it is not! Let your eyes deceive you with the Swatch New Gent Success Way in its multiplicity. Get a magnifying effect with the Swatch New Gent Enlarge Time. 

Hand-sketched or not? That’s the effect of Swatch Chrono Plastic Just Enjoy. Haute couture lovers will definitely go crazy over the visual sleight-of-hand of the Swatch Lady Originals Feel my Soul, Soul2Watch and See My Soul watches, which turn leather, metal and pearl bracelets into playful tributes to legendary brands, and as an added bonus, they tell the time, too! Swatch certainly brings back fun and individuality to fashion.

Make heads turn. Accessorize with the street-smart and witty fall fashions from Swatch.

Fashion’s obsession with prints takes a turn with animal prints from leopard to zebra, floral, plaid, and pinstripes. Camouflage, tartan and houndstooth prints were the season’s stars.  Check out Celine, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Christian Dior, Saint Laurent, Alberta Ferretti, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Moschino, and Jil Sander for the cool new ways to wear tartan.

For winter florals, check out Carolina Herrera, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Giambattista Valli, Lanvin, Thakoon, Valentino, Antonio Marras, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Oscar dela Renta.  Whatever your preference, go back to basics. Opt for classic patterns.

Pink is the new black. Pick from dusty rose to berry. Make this feminine hue a powerhouse of the season like the collections of Carven, Marc Jacobs, Comme des Garçons, Christian Dior and Oscar dela Renta. Wear pink with classic black to update your look. Green is also one of the season’s shades of choice.  Marc Jacobs, Phillip Lim, Prabal Gurung, Reed Krakoff, and Carolina Herrera go green this season. Choose details from shades of emerald to army for a quick season updater. Blue is also a winter winner from shades of navy to sky, as seen at Valentino, Prada, Christopher Kane, MiuMiu, Preen, Prabal Gurung, and Carolina Herrera. Cobalt blues work perfectly with black. For unpredictability, add a bright orange or even a red accessory and get noticed. White always makes a winter comeback. It is a cool change from the season’s darks. White is the star this season at Chanel, Céline, Derek Lam, and Proenza Schouler. Get inspiration from Fifty Shades of Gray, as seen at Christian Dior, Céline, Calvin Klein, Fendi, and Martin Margiela. Go monochromatic, from light to slate or add a splash of color and become season-ready.

The season’s sexy trend is lingerie as outerwear.  Innerwear-inspired pieces make an erotic statement on the season’s noteworthy runways. Get the sex appeal with references from the runways of Marc Jacobs, Pucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Saint Laurent and Missoni. On the other side, pious also makes a declaration. Saints, cardinals, monks, nuns and priests take a major role at some of the season’s significant shows, like Alexander McQueen, Valentino, and Dolce & Gabbana.

Get punked. The season revisits the ’80s. Take the punk styles of Chanel, Saint Laurent, Haider Ackermann, Versace, and Isabel Marant for inspiration.

Women continue their love affair with menswear. Suits suit you this season. Choose a deconstructed classic skirt and wear it casually. Take the cue from Carven, Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Kane, Chanel, Diesel Black Gold, Antonio Berardi, and Haider Ackermann and wear it with confidence.

On the men’s front, blacks, grays and blues are the most accessible colors for wardrobe staples. An unexpected star this season is magenta, as seen at Prada and Jil Sander. Go bold, too, in orange. Keep the rest of your outfit neutral and let your orange accent do the talking. Pick burgundy for a more subtle hue, as seen on the runways of Maison Martin Margiela, Calvin Klein, and John Galliano.  This rich wine shade works perfectly for classy work to cool weekends. Animal prints make their way to menswear, too. Reveal your wild side and take inspiration from the collections of Burberry Prorsum and John Varvatos. Choose tweeds for a more classic approach. Plaid suits are all the rage to pump up the volume. Refer to the plaid interpretations of Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Vivienne Westwood. Camouflage is a concrete trend this season. Take your cue from Valentino and Phillip Lim for a new take on the military print. Go for unexpected colors and abstract variations to make the look current.

Fashion is experiencing a play on the eye. Take a closer look.  Create a strong impression with the season’s multiplicities. Get noticed with the season’s trompe l’oeil. Have fun and be playful.  Life’s a party. Dress for it. And don’t forget to accessorize with Swatch!

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E-mail Joyce Oreña at jo@joyceorena.com or follow her on Twitter @joyceorena.