This may not be the biggest trend for spring 2012, but it just may be one of the hottest. Whether you’re into hot rods or elegant luxury vehicles, fashion and jewelry is finding inspiration in the auto industry.
These designs are necessarily quite literal in their reference, as vehicles serving as inspiration themselves have drawn from any number of style influences over the years. At the same time, they have so much pizzazz that they deserve the spotlight.
The January 2012 issue of Vogue presents on its coveted “Last Look” page a Prada slingback shoe sporting the taillight detail of a vintage Cadillac: “With the advent of the jet age in the 1950s, American car manufacturers elevated their automobiles with aviation-inspired features. Some, like the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, had bold designs with taillights reminiscent of rocket flares. Prada’s slingback wedges are fashioned after those retro-future silhouettes, and their sculptural heel drives masculine mid-century forces to feminine new heights. The hood ornament for such a glamorous vehicle? A crystal-encrusted rose in full bloom.”
The January 2012 issue of Marie Claire highlights another style of Prada taillight footwear.
In a styling that tries to encompass everything new from Prada this season, the January 2012 issue of Glamour combines Prada’s three-dimensional flower theme with the designer’s vintage automobile theme, perhaps inspired by the floral “hood ornaments” on the Cadillac fin shoes. Without a single neutral garment or accessory to anchor it, the look is entirely over-the-top. The floral earrings and necklace are crystal and resin.
A collage of car-related fashion appears in the February 2012 issue of Elle. Prada’s shoes, including the style seen lower left, are not the only designs referencing classic cars. The large image on the page is a close-up of a sterling silver hot-rod ring from Hi Octane Jewelry.
The model to the right wears a yellow gold and diamond wristwatch from Dior Timepieces and pendant earrings from Prediletto in a design of white gold, diamonds, and enamel in the shape of martini glasses. Her skirt, from Prada, includes a design of the back end of a vintage car. With her combination of pop culture symbols, her ensemble seems to visually thumb a nose at warnings about the combination of drinking and driving. Or maybe she’s just thumbing a ride.
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