 "Photo: Photo Courtesy of Teen Vogue")
Spring is finally in the air and as the weather becomes hotter and hotter so do this season's trends.
The recent economic downturn equaled an unexpected turn for the better for fashion design this spring. The economy has had obvious negative effects on the fashion industry, but an unpredicted positive result comes in the form of one of the most popular trends this spring season, cleverly referred to as "depression chic." "Depression chic" is the fashion world's straight stab at bringing back the glamorous dresses and floppy hats popular during the decade of the big crash of 1929. In the 20s, hemlines rose, waistlines dropped and flapper fashion took over with colossal force.
This inspiration was obvious in the spring 2009 collections of fashion favorites Alberta Ferretti and Roberto Cavalli, where frills and feathered fringe transported us back to the roaring 20s, and metallic beading and plush fabrics like chiffon and lace nailed this look down to a tee. In a fashion world far away from 1929, geometric dresses have also established themselves as another major trend this season. Designers added deep dimension to clothes for spring, and the end result was nothing short of contemporary.
The collections of design greats like Fendi, Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld showcased a folding-fabric effect reminiscent of Japanese origami. These designers manipulated and sculpted fabric to make their mini-dresses miniature works of art, and the obvious level of time and difficulty spent crafting these garments was almost inconceivable.
Alexander McQueen sent a geometric mini sashaying down the runway that took the female figure to new heights. The texture of the dress was reminiscent of sleek industrial steel, and the garment had an extremely chiseled hour-glass shape that made an even stronger statement.
Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, designers behind the popular brand Marchesa, also whipped up dresses following this geometric trend, but through sharp sculpting they managed to keep their dresses feminine, light and flirty; all important factors for any spring season.
Marchesa's most memorable runway design was a floral number with crisp fabric folds that showcased draping expertise. The dress' delicate pattern and color palette perfectly contrasted its severe structure, making it the ideal dress to get inspired by and the look to replicate this season. When it comes to fabric and textile trends, this spring there are two major standouts: florals and graphic mix-ups. Floral fabrics, hugely popular last season are back, and this time around, floral patterns have moved beyond flirty dresses and onto almost every garment imaginable. Flowers are being seen on shorts, tank tops, hats, jumpsuits, bags and bathing suits, and one of my favorite accessory trends this season is the floral-patterned stiletto.
Graphic mix-ups, meaning unlikely fabric and pattern combinations also invaded spring runways. Imagine striped tops combined with polka-dot shorts and any other kind of fabric combination you wouldn't expect would go together… ever. This trend can be tricky to get just right, so it's a good idea to stick to muted colors like black, white and grey when trying to work with it. Color simplicity with this trend is key.
Teen Vogue styled a gorgeous graphic mix-up by pulling together tribal-patterned shorts and a silk striped top all designed by Sunshine & Shadow. The black-and-white color scheme of both the shirt and shorts makes each piece simple enough to combine together tastefully.
One easy way to make sure your graphic mix-up blends is to try to pull together two separate pieces from the same designer collection to ensure the color palette of your outfit remains fluid.
The final spring trend making a statement this season is the jumpsuit. Jumpsuits came in all different colors and styles on spring 2009 runways, and they're bound to become a staple in countless closets over the next few months.
Jumpsuits are not only pretty but practical because they can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the time of day. Derek Lam presented a gorgeous one-shouldered pant jumpsuit for spring that had a "goddess" effect, and on the Chloé runway, ruffled embellishment on a sweetheart neckline gave the pant jumpsuit a more feminine twist.
British fashion retailer Topshop has a sleek collection of jumpsuits available online at Topshop.com. Topshop refers to jumpsuits as "Playsuits" and they are worth browsing through. My choice is their Silk All In One Playsuit, available in black for $80.
It's always fun to add new things to your wardrobe to switch between seasons. Trends are great, but don't get overly caught up in following them. Look to a few trends for fashion inspiration and find a way to put your personal spin on whatever you wear. Make it your own so you can make it work for you.
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