Sophisticated Lady in Wholesale ClothingWinter 2011 has been a fast-paced, volatile season for fashion, as a plethora of trends have risen and fallen over just a few months, and wholesale ladies clothing manufacturers and continental fashion houses alike are forced to keep speed.

Very early in the season,Winter 2011 took a turn for the unexpected, as New York Fashion Week turned particularly racy for the launch of the Marc Jacobs show and collection, with models taking to the catwalk scantily-clad in avant-garde jet black leather, rubber and PVC. Citing the controversial 1974 film The Night Porter (Il Portiere di notte), in which Liliana Cavani explores themes of sadomasochism and the dominatrix, as his influence, the collection experiments with the same subject matter to audacious effect.

It seems it's an accepted fetish operates on a small orbit around being in fashion, coming crawling out of the woodwork, rear it's reactionary head as a 'new trend' among fashion houses continental wholesale ladies clothing manufacturers every two or three years, before very quickly departing. The trend was unlikely to be championed by ladieswear wholesalers or wholesale ladies clothing manufacturers any time soon, but the style's influence was briefly visible in the sheer panelling and leather inserts popularised on the high street during October and early November, as well as the harness boots that have seen a steady rise as the months get cooler.

With December, just two months later, the trend is nowhere to be seen. In its place, the catwalks are graced by the homely sophistication of forties elegance, with great coats, furs and the return of the classic tailored tunic and trousers combination. British wholesale ladies clothing manufacturer Marks & Spencer certainly saw this trend coming, after turning heads in August with the signing of Hollywood superstar Ryan Reynolds and model-turned-starlet actress Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley as the faces of their wholesome Autograph autumn/winter collection, a huge change from last year's scantily-clad supermodels, with an emphasis on creating a 'sophisticated but understated' collection. And it's not just Marks & Spencer that have taken note; this trend is prevalent across the fashion world, as class and elegance replace the glam-grunge rebellion that has owned catwalks for over a decade. Wholesale ladies clothing manufacturers and continental fashion houses alike are championing this mature style as a centrepiece of their collections for late Winter 2011, as it provides a welcome change in a world in which dressing up has become synonymous with sexing up.

+Jonathan Crewe