SPRING 2012 hot FASHION TRENDS

BY Erinn Morgan

Ladylike chic takes center stage in Sping fashion. Above is a neutral look from Dior. To the right, Jason Wu shows (l to r) a Feminine 50s look, a Strong Crop, and a Graphic Artist take for the days leading to summer

determined to deliver upbeat and inspiring fashion for the Spring 2012 season, designers are presenting a bursting palette of cheerful hues along with bold and wild prints. The fashion world also is channeling some of the last century’s most fashionable decades for inspiration, from the roaring 20s to the fab 50s.

Here are the top trends for women’s wear this Spring.

FEMININE 50s: The hit TV series “Mad Men,” which follows the notorious lives and glamorous wives of early 1960s ad men on Madison Avenue, is a fashion tour de force inspiring designers across the globe. For Spring 2012, early 60s-flavored clothing crops up with cinched waists, full, flowing skirts, and a bevy of ultra-feminine, tailored silhouettes.

KEYMEN’S TRENDS

The key new direction for Spring 2012 is that men’s tailoring is getting much more relaxed. Looser jackets and pants, sometimes in flowing shapes, suit more daring wearers. While some say this new direction heralds the end of the skinny trend, a few important designers maintain slim silhouettes in their collections for men. 1 Relaxed is the New Skinny: Designers loosen up for the Spring 2012 season, showing silhouettes for men that are a 180-degree turn from the skinny silhouette of seasons past. Key looks include loose-cut jackets with seamless shoulders, and longer, wider, and more flowing silhouettes in shirts and pants, some of which are pleated. 2 Bold Colors: Designers include popping color accents across the board in menswear. The standout hues include oranges, greens, and mustards. 3 In the White: White also shows up as a prevalent color in menswear, including incarnations from crisp white to off-white, bone, and “dirty” white. 4 Gentlemen’s Club: Revisiting the posh world of Savile Row during the 1960s and 1970s, this trend channels a flamboyant and eccentric man as muse. It includes slim silhouettes with an aristo-sport attitude, distinctive graphic hints, and unusual fabrics.

ATHLETIC INFLUENCES: A host of designers serve up sports-inspired pieces with a sophisticated edge. Motorcycle- and motocross-inspired jackets are paired with slim-fitting pants or next-to-skin leggings.

Sexy, body-hugging tracksuits also hit the mark, along with graphic dresses in color-blocked black and white (some with transparent cutouts) channeling 1970s bathing beauties and neoprene-clad goddesses.

ROARING 20s: Designers look back to the über-stylish and supremely glamorous 1920s for inspiration for the spring season. The decade evokes drop-waists and an abundance of embellishments like sequins and fringe. It also inspires chic head wraps, bold art deco patterns on pleated dresses, and sensual lace paired with flirtatious short swing skirts.

LADY AND THE VAMP: The ladylike trend that has become an international sensation continues this season, but the look gets amped up with sex appeal for Spring 2012.

Special touches include sheer details, intricate embellishments, and standout accessories such as elbow-length leather gloves and skinny belts.

OUT OF AFRICA: Bold and beautiful safari influences are abundant in Spring 2012 fashions. Style gets wild for the season with animal print dresses and fitted skirts, flowing and embellished caftans, and bold tribal stripes emblazoned on tight-fitting miniskirts paired with baring bandeau tops.

Soft colors and sporty shapes add a lively accent to spring looks. Shown left top to bottom, Marc Jacobs’ Softer Side, Lady and the Vamp by Derek Lam, and Athletic Influences from Marc Jacobs. Above in sidebar, men’s looks from Gucci and Dior Homme

LIght and chic are significant trends for Spring. Shown here, Philip Lim’s take on White Out (l) and Marc Jacobs’ Roaring 20s interpretation

WHITE OUT: White is the new black for Spring 2012. This season, it shows up in looks such as flowing, angelic frocks and it also is refined in tailored, structured silhouettes such as all-white blazer-and-jacket combinations and monochromatic vest-and-pant outfits.

CHEERY COLOR: Fun, bright colors are splashed onto simple pieces with graphic color blocking. Simple, silky, belted dresses are livened up with bright red and saturated navy hues. Flowing knee-length skirts sewn in two hues are paired with a buttoned top in a third hue. Most designers set the limit at three hues per outfit to maintain a sophisticated look.

GRAPHIC ARTIST: Stunning, artful pieces illustrate Spring 2012, including dresses with watercolor prints, suits enlivened with digitized artwork, and pant suits featuring bright, bold plays of color (like saturated turquoise tops paired with boldly patterned red pants). Head-to-toe prints—from mod paisleys to refined florals—were also a notable trend.

THE SOFTER SIDE: Pink is the hue du jour on runways for the spring season. This lovely, feminine color shows up on silky trousers, flirty and fitted suits embellished with tiers of ruffles, chic and easy short suits, and supremely hip drop-waist, belted pantsuits inspired by the 1970s.

A STRONG CROP: A trend that will, no doubt, be more feared by the over-30 crowd than skinny pants, cropped tops are popping up Spring 2012. This is no 80s redux, however—these crop top shapes, colors, and prints are highly sophisticated. FB

EYEWEAR STYLE
Eyewear and sunwear follow in fashion’s footsteps for Spring 2012 with bold and feminine silhouettes for women that look to history for inspiration. “Spring 2012 can truly be summed up as a mixed bag of vintage-looking shapes and colorations that have been reinterpreted for modern times,” says Eden Wexler, director of public relations at Safilo USA. “We are seeing aviators and preppy round shapes, as well as new takes on the Jackie O, cat-eyes, and 80s looks.” Color is also a standout feature for eyewear this season— it is both strong and sophisticated. “Color is still trending upward in eyewear,” says Timm Parker, vice president of product development and design at Safilo USA. “Beautiful multi-laminate and rich block acetates are driving this trend. It's not so much about the ‘showy’ colors, but the depth and richness of ‘wearable’ colors.” For men, Parker also notes that plastics are becoming more prolific, even beyond the trendy geek chic look. “Plastics are beginning to develop in markets other than the ‘downtown’ customer where it began,” he says. “The suburban guy is now beginning to feel comfortable in plastics as he has seen so many of his counterparts on TV, movies, and magazines wearing these cool frames.” Here, we sum up the key looks for men and women in the eyewear world for Spring 2012:
Women’s Eyewear Trends ■ Key shapes include cat-eyes, shields, aviators, geometrics, ovals, and rounds. ■ Luscious colors are trending, including pastels, honey hues, two-toned looks, and clear or colored translucents. ■ Sunwear provides head-turning appeal with mirrored, blue, amber, or rose lenses. ■ Fun details such as bold prints and patterns, glittery accents, and bold brow bar additions bring eyewear to life. Men’s Eyewear Trends ■ Key shapes include vintage-inspired rounds, chunky plastics, aviators, and shields. ■ The colors of the season are clear or colored translucents, two tones, and milky or spotty tortoise. ■ Details that provide uniqueness include wood, leather, and bold browbar accents. ■ Sunwear lenses stand out this season in blue, green, mirrored, or blacked-out looks.	(From top) Safilo’s DiorGraphix 1, DiorGraphix 3, and Balenciaga 0125; Gant Michael Bastian style Brady from Viva International Group