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What's Hot:
Paris vs. New York & how to wear the latest trends...
Spring is upon us – well, maybe not weather wise – but retail stores are starting to look bright and colourful as we long for those warm summer days. This season, when discussing the latest trends, I thought I would juxtapose two trend-setting cities, New York and Paris. While Paris is considered a fashion capital, New York designers take inspiration from Parisian couture.
Paris
The Paris runway shows displayed lots of opulent details like feathers and beading. The sparkle was a huge trend for designers. In addition to all the little details, polka dots, both big and small, could be seen on Givenchy’s and Sonia Rykiel’s runways. Stars and bows were two other feminine details that designer Valentino, amongst others, did beautifully. It wouldn’t be summer without floral prints, but instead of the same old same old, they are bright and very colourful and being shown in dresses, jackets, and flowy tops. Designers have taken this very “typical” print and made it modern and hip. Look for your favourite celebrities to be rocking this trend. Lastly, a big trend last season was black and white dressing, and it seems to be back and better then ever.New York
While Parisian fashion is seen as more couture and less ready-to-wear, the opposite seemed to be the case in New York. The fashions walking down many designers’ runways looked as if they could be plucked off the catwalk and worn right onto the streets of New York. Many trends from Paris seemed to also spill into New York’s fashion week. Tropical, very floral and bold prints, as well as lots of black and white, were shown. But New York had a very different take on everything else. There were a variety of safari-inspired pieces, both in the shape, style and colour (lots of khaki), as well as tribal prints in browns and beiges, which were done best by Michael Kors and Donna Karan. One-shoulder dresses and tops were also featured on many designers’ runways.All right, so what does all this mean for you as the consumer, and what should you be looking for this spring/summer? Simply put, prints and bright colours will be flooding the marketplace, so take advantage of the bright and colourful designs of spring and embrace this trend in a way that works for you. Choose a solid colour if you are not a fan of the prints, or just do a beautifully printed top and solid bottom if you don’t want to overdo it. Enjoy mixing your favourite black pieces with a crisp white jacket, or maybe explore your adventurous side and try a safari-inspired piece or tribal print. Whatever the trend you choose, make it yours. Mix and match with the items that you loved from last spring and enjoy. ¤ Erin
