Key Trends For Spring/Summer 2012

Retro Vintage

With designers taking inspiration from both the ’20s and ’50s, as well other midcentury fashion, the vintage trend has never been bigger.

It can be embraced in so many ways, from out and out styles such as the ’20s dropped waist dress, or the ’50s full ‘New Look’ skirt.

Or simply add a print here and there such as graphics, stripes or florals.

Feminine Lady

The super stylish suburban housewife from the ‘50s is an idea that’s cropping up again on the High Street this spring.

Try wearing a mid-century graphic print, a floral print, a chic shirtdress, or the full skirt. Team with flatter or kitten heel, pointed toe pumps to make this trend stylish and comfortable.

Sporty

Sporty this season is fresh and womanly, bold and luxurious, simple and functional.

Nylon windbreakers, mesh panels and elastic drawstring details give a sleek and stylish look to many of the spring collections. Opt for outfits that are comfy and feminine – this will make the overall look stylish, chic and interesting.

Go for form-fitting and sleek pieces, and avoid the sporty/slouchy look from head to toe.

You can wear this trend to the office too. Look for great, high quality fabrics (steer clear of the the ‘80s shell suit route), such as leather, silk and jersey. And add a little sheerness for dressier looks.

If you invest in just one sporty piece, make it a windbreaker jacket – the key sporty item on the catwalks and something that is perfectly suited to the British summer.

Art Deco

The ‘20s Deco era comes in many guises in the spring/summer collections. It may be a simple dress with a drop waist or it might be a print in the form of a bold stripe, chevron or a graphic print.

The drop waist dress is ideal for slimmer-hipped ladies with longer torsos and those who are taller.

Petite ladies should steer clear of this style and stick to other ways to wear the trend: focus on printed pieces such as blouses and shirtdresses.

Key Pieces For Spring/Summer 2012

The Floral Piece

Floral prints are such a huge trend for Spring/Summer 2012 that it’s worth buying a couple of classic pieces that will last you for years to come.

Florals are on everything form dresses, blouses and tops, to bags, shorts, trousers and shoes; so there’s no shortage of choice. The best items to choose could be a silk blouse or shirt that is form fitting but not too tight; a piece you can wear with trousers, jeans or a skirt. If you’re feeling bold, go for a multicoloured palette; or if you’re feeling less so, choose a monotone colour scheme such as red tones, or blue tones, or green tones, etc.

Another great purchase could be a printed shirtdress with a nipped in ‘50s shape silhouette. And if you’re not feeling an affinity with the floral trend, go for a printed bag or shoes instead.

The Cropped Top

The cropped top sounds scary, but it can look fantastic if worn in the following ways.

By wearing the cropped top with high-waisted trousers, a high-waisted skirt or even a dress, this trend can be worn without bearing any midriff.

Wear it over a fine silk camisole in a contrast colour, or opt for a cropped cardigan instead of a top so you’re layering rather than making a feature of the crop.

Keep the crop long enough that it doesn’t cut you in half and avoid it if your legs are very long compared to your body.

The Full Skirt Shirt Dress

The shirtdress is easy to wear. This season’s styles have a more fitted bodice and a fuller skirt, nodding towards a subtle ‘50s shape.

Worn with a slim belt in a contrast colour, all bodyshapes, from the most curvaceous to the least shapely bodies, will look good in this style.

With so many variations to choose from such as sleeveless, short sleeved, long sleeved, mini, knee-length, midi and maxi, there’s an option to suit everyone.

The Summer Suit

This spring/summer, the women’s suit trend is all about a fresh, breezy and casual look, helped along by a palette of pastels and pale colours.

White is the main colour de jour but any pale neutral such as grey, lemon, mint, peach or champagne will work perfectly.

For less formal looks, mix and match as separates, wearing a jacket with a different pair of trousers and vice versa. Mix jackets with jeans too.

The cut and fit should not be too tailored or fitted, instead go for soft and relaxed tailoring to avoid the ‘wedding suit’ look.

The Round Shouldered Jacket

Another nod to the vintage and retro trends emerging this spring are the classic ’50s and ’60s couture silhouettes of Balenciaga and Dior. These were out in full force in the form of round-shouldered jackets.

Wear these as slimmer fitting rather than oversized styles, unless you are very tall and have narrow shoulders.

The most flattering styles to look out for are jackets with raglan sleeves.

The Sheer Top

The sheer top has repeatedly appeared this season in sporty, vintage, futuristic and feminine looks. It can we worn in many ways and is a great piece to suit everyone.

The easiest way to wear this trend is to wear a sheer blouse or crew necked sheer top over a camisole.

For the more adventurous, wear a sheer top over a cropped or bra top – the darker the colour of the sheer fabric, the less you’ll see underneath.

For the more conservative, layer a sheer masculine cut shirt under a looser, pastel coloured or printed blazer for a real nod to other trends this season.

The Peplum

Desiring a more feminine look has most certainly influenced this trend. A peplum is a short flared, gathered or pleated strip of fabric attached to the waist of a garment to create a hanging frill or flounce.

Not only does the peplum create a curve-friendly silhouette, it is also very flexible and wearable. It can be found on tops, jackets, skirts or dresses and suits all tastes from the demure to the very trendy.
To ease yourself gently into this trend, start with a blouse with a gentle flare or a dress with small peplum inserts.

Wearing a peplum top with a pencil or other fitted skirt will help show off your figure. This style is also good for shapeless ladies, as it will help create the illusion of a curvier silhouette. The more dramatic the peplum, the more shape it will create.

The Pointed-Toe Pump

After years of rounder toes, the point is back. Flats, kitten heels or maxi heels are everywhere so there’s something for everyone and every occasion.

For the most up to date styles, go for pastel tones and a soft, suede finish. For edgier looks, opt for patent leather, and black or darker tones.

Key Colours For Spring/Summer 2012

Pastels

Lemon Yellow/ Mint Green/ Baby Pink/ Coral/ Peach

Pastels are everywhere. If pastels suit your colouring, dress in pastels from head to toe. The pastel palette is one of the few that can be worn with just about any other shade of its family.

If pastels are not flattering on you, mix them with brighter tones and bold neutrals.

Neutrals

Black And White/ White/ Caramel

Black and white was out in force, both in geometric, stripe and deco prints but also as paneling, colour blocking and in separate pieces.

Dramatic contrasts tend to suit certain colourings and not others. If you know this is not for you, use accessories such as bags and shoes to work this trend.

Caramel was the other big neutral trend for Spring/Summer- a slightly stronger take on the nude tones of last year.

Brights

Tomato Red/ Klein Blue/ Orange/ Turquoise/ Fuchsia

Last year’s colour blocking with bright tones was everywhere this Spring/Summer.

The difference from last year is that brights were more commonly worn on the catwalks as single tones, in complete outfits or in the form of prints in a cacophony of colour.

Florals are a great way to wear brights, or team the brights with pastels.

Texture

Lace/ Super Gloss/ Sheer/ Mesh

Update your wardrobe with textures this season.

Lace is always a winner as it comes in so may colours and cuts. This season’s offerings range from old vintage Victoriana to geometric crochet. A simple lace top worn over a camisole with jeans or for work is always a winner.

The super gloss trend was seen in the form of PVC and other high shine synthetic fabrics. Not to everyone’s taste, compromise by wearing as accessories or shoes.

Mesh and sheer were the other big texture stories. Both fabrics featured heavily in the sporty and styles futuristic looks seen on the catwalks. These are perfect for layering, or wearing on their own as statement pieces.

Print And Pattern

Florals/ Checks/ Geometric Stripes/ Tribal/ Bird

Florals are one of the biggest trends this season as discussed earlier but if they’re not to your taste try one of the other print options around.

Geometric bold stripes featured heavily on the catwalks, in vertical, horizontal, diagonal and chevron designs.

Checks and gingham also cropped up in traditional colours such as blue and white but also in clashing brights and pale pastels.

The tribal look will be very prevalent this Spring/Summer and best suits taller ladies as it can often be too bold and loud for more petite frames.

The other popular print was in the form of all manner of birds – small whole birds, peacock feathers, birds’ heads – all cropped up on the catwalks.

And finally, there was a real mixture of all styles of prints being worn together – tribal with geometric stripes, birds with florals, and checks with stripes. The
busier and crazier, the better.

Just remember to keep the print size in line with your frame – smaller prints for small ladies and larger, bold prints for taller and larger ladies.