Fresh as 4 Years Ago

The End of Neon

 (Christian Dior Haute Couture Dress,Agate)

Neon has never struck a chord with me. It always feels too much like a "trend," and regarded with disgust as a failing of the 80's.

While I did not jump on the neon bandwagon, as summer has faded out, I'm finding myself drawn more and more to refreshingly bold colors. It must be some sort of denial of the seasons actually changing.

The Christian Dior Haute Couture dress above in its amazing chartreuse is a sort of "non-neon" yet super bold color. The ring-like silhouette seem to soften the color so that it is nothing less than an exquisite work of art.

When I saw this picture of the multicolored agate slice, I felt like it paired back with the gown exquisitely. The central lime color draws you in, but the surrounding varied rings of other bright colors keeps your eye engaged, only to be overwhelmed by the intense details of the contours and color combinations.

Opulent Modernity

(Cynthia Rowley, Rodarte, and Suno)

One of the spring trends to emerge from the runways in New York, that I'm most excited about is Modern Brocade.

This season designers are taking brocade, which is a material most commonly used in occasion dressing during the fall and holiday seasons, and putting it into daywear for summer.

Because the material is being used in a new way, the silhouettes are staying simple and easy to wear. 

The other thing about this brocade trend that's really fun, is that it really is seasonless. Take the Suno skirt in the last picture. You can wear it styled as pictured in the warmer months, or throw on a sweater and boots to keep wearing through winter.

It's a lovely trend, that doesn't feel like a trend.

Is there anything more perfect?

How To Get The Most Out of Fashion Week: Part 3

Comprehension (but not the kind on standardized tests)

you can follow all my fashion week boards at pinterest.com/madelinejean

Once you’ve pulled the images from shows that you’ve liked, now is the fun part: digging into what you’re seeing. This is where you’ve seen everything and now you can really look and see what the trends will be for spring.

1. Color- are there stand out colors? New color combinations that seem new and interesting? Take note of the model’s coloring juxtaposed with the clothing she’s in. This should be a good indicator of what colors will work for you in spring.
2. Silhouette- what shapes are you seeing over and over? this should be just as obvious as color. Is it  a shorts season? Is it a maxi-dress season? I’m not giving any clues, just some general ideas of how to determine the silhouettes of the season.
3. Prints and Materials- Is it a print season? Is everything made of shirting? Are designers arguing suede for spring?
4. Design References- Is everyone referencing the 60s? The future? This makes for really open ended and fun forecasting. Most fashion reporters will write what the designer said their inspiration was. It’s always interesting so see how designers incorporate their inspiration into more abstracted concepts.

Repeat City by City. Fashion in New York is totally different from Paris, from Milan, from Rio. It’s important to first look at trends separated, before compiling and comparing across all the major fashion weeks. Each city has it’s own speciality in the fashion world, and each deserves equal attention. Once you dig into each city, it makes it really rewarding to compare all the trends from each city to each other to create a great big trend recap that you can reference all through Spring and Summer.

*also, don’t forget to look at street style surrounding the shows. this is often a good way to see how wearable (and unwearable) trends are.

Shirts With Words

Graphic T-Shirts are definitely making a comeback.

I've really been loving these super simple t-shirts with just words. In fact "shirts with words" is one of my favorite trends of the moment. They're perfect to pair back to a floral pair of jeans or bold graphic skirt.

Plus, they'll be super easy to layer once the cold fall weather sets in.

Check out these Ts and more shirts with words on my Svvply.

Vertical Turquoise

1,2,3,4,5

It feels like hurricane season is starting early on the East Coast. What should normally be the hottest weeks of the year has been dreary and wet.

All I want is to keep clinging to the last moments of summer. 

I'm definitely feeling the seasons change. I'm starting to think about my fall wardrobe and how I'm going to spend these colder months curled up inside.

One thing that might help me get through this coming fall and winter is COLOR. Color everywhere. 

How great are these turquoise walls? They're bright and cheery, but also surprisingly calming and versatile.

I love how well it lends itself to a "bohemian-modern collector" aesthetic.

Do you think my landlord would mind if I went Turquoise this fall?

mint mint

So the saying goes, "..... is the new black (or pink)," this summer the new color of the season is quickly proving to be mint. 

mint mint mint mint

A color that in the past was strictly reserved for children's easter dresses and mother-of-the-bride evening separates, is quickly become the sophisticated new color trend for the season.

Initially, mint seemed a bit preppy, but as it becomes more popular, it is becoming more of a bohemian middle-ground color between bold blues and stark whites. I think it's safe to bet that mint will be around for at least another season or two. It will be interesting to see how it changes from a feature color to an accent color, as the trend grows into the fall/winter season.

images (upper left-clockwise): 1,2,3,4,5