Spring is in the air! And for many (like me) summer is already underway. The Spring/Summer 2009 runway trends were plenty, fruitful and so inspiring! Many trends came back from the dead (hello jumpsuits!), while others died and went to fashion heaven (leggings anyone?) hopefully to be resurrected in the future. Although I promised myself I wouldn’t bring up the topic of the recession, I’m going to say that it didn’t dampen the creativity of our designers. It was like cleaning the fashion slate and creating whole new looks.
Below, I compiled what I thought were some of the most noticeable trends. They’re certainly not all going to be everyone’s favorite, but you’re definitely going to see a lot of them. Take a look and, as always, be inspired.
They’re baaack! What’s back you say? Denim in all its glory! The good, the bad and the ugly! The denim shirt, the bleached jeans, the baggy men’s style and the rolled cuffs. Though denim has been on everyone’s style radar for many decades now, many of these styles haven’t. Balmain has made bleached and torn denim trendy again, while Alexander Wang made the denim shirt cool. Who woulda thought?
I call them the mighty 80’s because they were 10 years of pure unadulterated dressed up fun! Colors were fluorescent and bright. Patterns were mixed and clashed. Everything was in abundance: materials, shoulders, midriffs, hair (and hairspray) and makeup. Though the spring runways have taken them down a notch, the fall runways did not. But this is a good start isn’t it?
The Americans have done it again. My favorite jet-setter looks were all from the New York fashion shows. Travel in style wearing big shades, big bags and strappy sandals. Adorn your head with a big array of hats and your shoulders with your finest knits, bejeweled cardigans and best jackets. Take inspiration from the above designers as well as Reem Acra, Donna Karan, Vera Wang and Narciso Rodriguez and go live your vida luxury!
You better get your gym memberships going, girls, because this is one trend you’re going to hate to love. I’m sure that almost everyone has a love/hate relationship with shorts. Every designer did it their own way, but the one consistent theme was that they were all loose-fitting. If you can’t stand going short-short, then go the Jason Wu way and choose knee-length ones.
Oh the shine, it blinds my eye! Sequins, studs, crystals and shiny shiny materials! Balenciaga was futuristic, Balmain was over indulgent, Chloe was foil-tastic, YSL was sequin-alicious, Alexander McQueen was, well, Alexander McQueen! To say that many designers did it is an understatement: Requiem, Stella McCartney, Giambattista Valli and Valentino to name a few. True that these styles are more appropriate for night-time, but when you have one of these in your closet, make your own rules! Stop traffic, become your own stop sign by shining under the sun!
Jumpsuits have made a very fashionable appearance off the runways last season, being worn by celebrities everywhere around the globe. For the spring/summer collections, designers took inspiration from these gals and headed to the drawing board to create their own versions of the jumpsuit. Seen everywhere from Chanel and Sonia Rykiel to Derek Lam and Stella McCartney.
White is to summer as Black is to winter. It never goes out of style. It goes without saying that it looks best with a tan. However, you don’t have to be baked to look good in this universal shade. Release the inner angel in you and wear your whites like they just came out of the laundry: crisp, clean and oh so fresh!
Make like the earth, and dress in the hues of the desert. Beige, nudes and dust are not the pale colors we once thought they were. Monique Lhuillier created frothy concoctions with her sandy colors, and Rodarte knitted up a storm with theirs. Gucci made khaki something to look forward to, while Paul Smith and Calvin Klein chose the palest of them all. To sum it up, this color is not meant for roughing it up in the desert anymore.
These designs are a girly girl’s best friend. Dressing up in one of these styles can feel like prancing on top of the clouds. Beautiful chiffons, silks and jerseys whether plain or printed were floating on the runways making the models look almost heavenly. Almost.
Images: Style.com
