Spring 2012 - Channel Your Inner Fashionista

For any of you seeking a career in fashion merchandising, having   your eye on the latest trends is essential. Last week, we shared with you some of the exciting up and coming trends for Spring 2012. Stunning vintage pieces like cloche hats, classic pearls and fascinators, along with bold, tropical prints, boxy silhouettes and earthen toned accessories. As we inch closer to the transition from thicker winter fabrics and into breezy Spring prints, we start to get a more realistic idea of trends that actually have a fighting chance of making it from the high flying catwalks of London and New York, to the mean streets Los Angeles, Chicago or Toronto.

All About the Midriff! Dolce & Gabbana, Anthony Vaccerello and Emilo Pucci are all about abs, abs ABS! Long flowy skirts, and undersized embellished bandeaus strutted their way down the runway. So you might want to grab yourself a copy of insanity ladies and start working on those six packs ladies. Or you can flip off this trend, happily sip away at your full fat Americano and stop freaking about losing a million pounds before the summer. This look isn't for everyone, myself included! Keep the long flowy skirt, and pair it with a pastel tank or fitted corset.

How about a trend all of us shapely gals that doesn't require us to skip lunch everyday! Thank goodness for the mavens of the roaring twenties! Flapper frocks are all the rage this Spring season and guess what, you don't have to be a triple zero like the waifs pictured above, to look look the part! The subtle, yet sensual boxy, low waisted silhouette is wearable by all! Let Alberta Ferretti, Roberto Cavalli and Gucci be your muses this season. Sequins, sateens, even jersey, the fabric matters not, it's all how you accessorize it.

Is there anything sexier than a woman in a suit? Yes, a woman rocking her confidence in a short-suit! This is a favourite trend of mine that, thankfully, designers keep reinventing. A girl can never have too many suits, and in every colour. Linens are always a favourite for spring and transition beautifully into sultry summer eves. 

We're seeing stripes! A splash of colour and dash of chevron and you've got a recipe for show-stopping look. Classic design houses like Dior and Burberry draw from the Art Deco movement of the 1930's and translate the geometric shapes of the era onto frocks, crop sweaters, capes and blouses. 

Keep Chic for Spring 2012

Alright, perhaps it's tad early to start getting excited for the Spring melt, but nothing drags me out of my post-Christmas blues like curling up in my favourite over-sized armchair, a pot of my favourite jasmine tea steaming in a pot nearby whilst being comforted by old friends like Vogue, In-Style, Elle and Marie Claire. Spring 2012 is certainly shaping up to be a bright, soft, sleek, edgy and as always, vintage-inspired season. Personally, I'm an avid fan of the sleek, shapeless silhouettes of the sultry 1920's. So rouge your knees ladies, put your stockings on, and take yourselves back to the elegance of the days of prohibition. Low-waisted silhouettes, luxurious cloche hats and silk panty hose make for fashion splendour. You don't need to learn how to become a fashion designer to dress like the great Louise Brooks or Clara Bows. But you can surely use use them as inspiration. After all, copying style is the greatest form of flattery. 

Warm, sumptuous tropical prints are heating up the catwalks. What girl doesn't want to sway down the street imagining a caribbean breeze flowing through her hair, looking sun-kissed and ready for a day at the beach. Everything from matte sheens, to canvas, bright silks, breezy jersey's and tulle and organza all make their appearance in this year's Spring's line up. This stunning tropic isle dress is from none other than Dries Van Noten. It may be a hair out of the price range for the average budget conscious fashionista, however, don't let that stop you for hunting around for tropic prints at penny-pinching prices. 

If you didn't get your fill of tribal and native prints this seasons past, they are back with a vengeance, and even more exquisite then before. Fine beading, rich fiery reds, deep golds and earthy browns illuminate the runways with classic cuts and indigenous patterns, once again, creating the perfect marriage between the past and present. This fabulous turquoise ring by Kelly Wearstler is just one example of the exceptional accessories you can find this season. 

Shoes, shoes, glorious shoes. How I adore thee. Tropical pinks and cool peaches will be strutting down Madison Ave soon enough. Diego Dolcini's ultra sexy strappy sandals scream spring flings, and soon after, summer fun. It's time to break out of your dreary post-holiday blues girls, snap some spring colour into that sad winter wardrobe and rest assured, the warmth of Spring is on its way!