Go for the Gold

After seasons of silver and platinum being the metal of choice, gold has made a serious comeback for fall, with baroque ornamentation and disco bling heavily featured on the runways. Designers as different as Dolce and Gabbana and Viktor and Rolf used ingots of gold in their fall collections. Here are some of my favorites:

This Badgley Mischka outfit is pretty heavy on the bling, but the pieces are much more wearable separately (of course, for those of us that like sparkle, they are great together as well).

Christian Lacroix has created a fantasy dress fit for a princess or a Czarina - which is fitting, considering his inspiration for this collection came from Russian royalty and their lavish clothing.

That same princess would also covet Dolce and Gabbana's gorgeous gowns with a baroque feel.
Taking their stylistic cues from Napoleon and Josephine, the duo's latest work is fit for fashion royalty.

For those days when you don't want to do head to toe glitter, Dries Van Noten has the perfect thing - a sleek black wool coat with touches of gold embroidery. It's an instant classic that would definitely brighten up a gray winter day.

On the other hand, sometimes you just need a big dose of bling, an for that, look no further than Gucci. Seventies disco glam ruled the catwalk, with sparkling minidresses, metallic platforms and clutches, and these showstopping satin pants.

At Yves Saint Laurent, Stefano Pilati used gold to evoke the image of the utterly chic, elegant YSL woman. From dresses trimmed with Byzantine motifs to subtle gold bands, this was gold done the French way - glamorous without ever being over-the-top.

Gold was also elegant at Viktor and Rolf. Famous for their theatrics, the Belgian duo showed a surprisingly feminine and wearable collection with plenty of heavy metal. They didn't give up their avant garde ways completely, however, the models walked the runways wearing modified fencing masks.

Gold doesn't have to be blinged out or majorly eighties. It can be ladylike, baroque, rock and roll, or sleek and modern. Look to the fall collections for inspiration when it comes to working gold into your wardrobe.