Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone had a marvelous Christmas!  Sorry for the gaps in blog posts....Like most folks, I've been quite busy this season.  I did want to get some evening looks up here, though, so I'm going to share some of the fashion layouts that I've done recently on Shop Style.  Hope you like them!

Pumps by Giuseppe Zanotti
Clutches by La Regale

This is actually my newest layout.  Entered in a challenge to style this Kelly Ewing dress.  Isn't the dress jawdropping gorgeous?

Evening Dresses by Vivienne Westwood
Sandals by Camilla Skovgaard

This is another of my recent layouts.  As winner of the previous "Nature Inspiration" challenge, it was my duty to set the next one.  I chose hummingbirds as the new nature inspiration and this is the look I created.  I love how the Vivienne Westwood dress picks up the subtle color of the birds and the irridescence of their incredible plumage!

Coats by IRO
Evening Bags by Valentino

Party look featuring another Vivienne Westwood dress, Betsey Johnson jewelry, and my all-time favorite fragrance, Gardenia Passion by Annick Goutal.

Pumps by Lanvin
Clutches by Alexander McQueen

Lanvin dress and pumps.  Embellished clutch by Alexander McQueen.

Fur Coats by Zhor & Nema
Pumps by Ballin

New Year's look featuring Zhor and Nema mink coat and Lanvin gown.

Seasonal Decor by Gump's
Pumps by Georgina Goodman

Evening holiday look featuring yet another Vivienne Westwood dress.  This one in irridescent blue!

Cocktail Dresses by Alberta Ferretti
Platforms by Steve Madden

Festive look in nude tones featuring an Alberta Ferretti cocktail dress.

Cocktail Dresses by Herve Leger
Wedges by Alejandro Ingelmo

Layout highlighting a Bex Glover illustration; Herve Leger dress and Judith Lieber egg bag.

Evening Dresses by Badgley Mischka
Pumps by Christian Louboutin

This layout is called, "Desire."  It features a Badgley Mischka gown and Christian Louboutin pumps.

Black Dresses by Alexander McQueen
Boots by Jimmy Choo

Layout highlighting the designs of Alexander McQueen and extraordinary photography of Tim Walker.

Seasonal Decor by Sur La Table
Sandals by Giuseppe Zanotti

Masquerade ensemble featuring Alexander McQueen gown.

Stylishly yours,

Trending for Spring Part VII - Nearly Nude

Finally, we arrive at the number one spot of the spring and summer 2012 color trend countdown. Here's a recap of the previous listings:                10.  Lady Sings the Blues                  9.  Purely Pastel                  8.  Garden Party Florals                  7.  Neutral Territory                  6.  White Hot                  5.  Back in Black                  4.  Shades of Gray                  3.  Black & White Mix                  2.  Citrus Explosion And now for # 1:  Nearly Nude No, no, no.  I'm not talking about quantity of clothing here.  I'm refering to the flesh-tone color or color group commonly referred to as "nude."  This non-color, appears to be the hottest shade on runways across the globe!

Valentino Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photo: Yannis Vlamos/gorunway.com

1.	Nearly Nude Calvin Klein appears to be the leader of the pack in regard to this trend.  A large portion of his spring and summer collection featured filmy dresses in flesh-tone silks; most in stunningly simple lines. He was far from alone in his vision, however.  Dozens of designers have presented myriads of "nude" dresses in just about any style and fabric imaginable. While the citrus tones of my last post may be the most wide-spread color trend of the season, "nude" certainly qualifies as the most original and unexpected, and therefore takes the number one billing in this countdown.  Not that there's any shortage of "nudes" at the prominent design houses.  Let's take a look at some of the surprising designs that await!
		Alberta Ferretti Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photo: Elle magazine
Calvin Klein Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
'Sweet nothings' such as these floated across the runway as Calvin Klein unveiled his latest spring and summer collection.  It is largely based on an assortment of filmy silks such as the ones above in a most realistic flesh-like nude tone.
Calvin Klein Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
More magical dresses from Calvin Klein.
Slide 9 - Aganovich, Slide 10 - Alexandre Herchcovich, Slide 11 - Albino, Slide 12 - Aquascutum photos:  Elle magazine Four very different dresses, but each sharing a common thread in the barely there non-color.
Slide 13 - Badgley Mischka, Slides 14 - 16 - Christian Dior; photos Elle magazine
Elegance was the order of the day at Badgley Mischka and Christian Dior when the designers revealed these stunning "revealers."  Note the metallic accents on two of the designs.
Slide 17 - Givenchy, Slide 18 - Charlotte Ronson, Slides 19 & 20 - Chado Ralph Rucci; photos:  Reuters, Elle magazine
The many faces of 'Nearly Nude' come side by side in this slide.  At Givenchy, leather takes a skin-tone tint as it tops a shimmery dress of the same color.  Charlotte Ronson tops a casual striped skirt with a sheer nude color tank for a look both playful and dramatic.  Chado Ralph Rucci demonstrates polish and sophistication in his A-line and sheath dresses.
Slides 21 & 23 - Valentino, Slide 22 Chado Ralph Rucci Collections, photos:  Yannis Vlamos/gorunway.com, Elle magazine
Prim and proper lace-trimmed dresses with the 'nearly nude' edge hail from Valentino.  Chado Ralph Rucci combines sheer and opaque in a stunningly modern pantsuit.
Slides 24 & 26 - John Rocha, Slide 25 - Calvin Klein; photos:  Elle magazine
The edges of this slide feature two fanciful 'nudies' from John Rocha.  In the center, Calvin Klein's 'nearly nude' dress is both daring and demure.

Christian Dior Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photos: Elle magazine
Who'd have thought 'nudity' could be so lady like?

This wraps up the countdown of my predictions of Spring's most important color trends.  It will be fun to watch as the season unwinds to see how many trickle into the mainstream retail market. The parting shot I'll leave you with is an intoxicatingly gorgeous design by Badgley Mischka. Now that the countdown is finished, I have a number of projects on the table that I hope to be blogging about soon, as well as looking into more spring and summer fashion and the holiday season that's just around the corner.  I hope you'll drop in and join me for all the fun.  Until next time... Stylishly yours,

Badgley Mischka Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photo Elle magazine

 

Trending for Spring Part VI - Citrus Explosion

We've finally come to the number two spot on my color trend countdown for Spring and Summer 2012, and if you love bright, vibrant color, this post will put a smile on your face.  Citrus colors, orange, lemon, lime, and tangerine -- espescially tangerine will be everywhere for Spring and Summer 2012.  But before we take a closer look at the sunny citrus colors awaiting, let's review trends 3 - 10.               10.  Lady Sings the Blues                 9.  Purely Pastel                 8.  Garden Party Florals                 7.  Neutral Territory                 6.  White Hot                 5.  Back in Black                 4.  Shades of Gray                 3.  Black & White Mix As you've probably noticed, many trends tend to overlap, and as such are difficult to categorize specifically.  For instance, the dress on the left would certainly qualify as a Garden Party Floral, but I decided to include it here because of the glorious yellow color.  You'll also see overlaps with style trends such as colorblocking and "lady chic."

Oscar de la Renta Collection Spring 2012; photo: Elle magazine

2.	Citrus Explosion In every concievable manner citrus colors have literally exploded onto the fashion scene for spring and summer.  As solids, in prints, combined with each other, combined with black, combined with white, paired with turquoise and other bright hues, citrus is one color group that we'll be seeing a great deal of.  Countless designers based their collections around the citrus colors, and few designers failed to include at least one or two designs in these summery brights. Tangerine appears to be the hottest color of the season.  Just a little darker and bolder than orange, it has probably been featured in more designer collections than any other color save black or white. Since there's so much to see, and as the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words," I'll keep my comments brief and minimal for this group, and move forward with our photo gallery of the "Citrus Explosion."
		Dolce & Gabbana Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photo: Marcio Madeira/First View
Alberta Ferretti Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
AKRIS Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Vladimir Potop
Slides 9 & 10 Helmut Lang, Slides 11 & 12 Jaeger London Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos Elle magazine
Slide 13 - Alberta Ferretti, Slide 14 - Agnes B., Slide 15 - Oscar de la Renta, Slide 16 - Michael Kors Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
Slide 17 - Donna Karan, Slide 18 - Betsey Johnson, Slide 19 - Bill Blass, Slide 20 - Agnes B. Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
Alice + Olivia Collection Spring Summer 2012; photos Elle magazine
Bluemarine Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
Slide 27 - Aquascutum, Slide 28 - Amanda Wakely, Slides 29 & 30 - Badgley Mischka; photos:  Elle magazine
Slides 31 & 32 - Christian Dior, Slides 33 & 34 - Emanuel Ungaro Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
Slide 35 - Lela Rose, Slides 36 & 37 - Oscar de la Renta Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
Slide 38 - Badgley Mischka, Slides 39 & 40 - Carlos Miele, Slide 41 - Lela Rose Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos Elle magazine
Slide 42 - BCBG Max Aria, Slide 43 - Celine, Slide 44 - Rag & Bone Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine, Vladimir Potop
Slide 45 - Alberta Ferretti, Slide 46 - Elie Tahari, Slide 47 - Jaeger London, Slide 48 - Hermes Collections Spring/Summer 2012 photos:  Elle magazine, APF
Slide 49 - Agnes B., Slides 50 & 51 - Jason Wu Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
Slide 52 - Amanda Wakely, Slide 53 - Bluemarine, Slides 54 & 55 - MARC by Marc Jacobs; photos:  Elle magazine
Slide 56 - Agnes B., Slides 57 & 58 - Alice + Olivia, Slide 59 - BCBG Max Aria Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine
Slide 60 - Carlos Miele, Slide 61 - Elie Tahari Collections Spring/Summer 2012; photos:  Elle magazine

Wow!  What a delicious assortment of vibrant, delectable citrus!  There's bound to be a style and shade that appeals to nearly everyone here.  Naughty or  playful, sweet or sexy, innocent or daring, trendy or classic, sleek or frilly, I think all the wonderful feelings these colors invoke  are represented in abundance. When I was ranking and rating the color trends for the coming season, it was really a toss up as to which one deserved the number one spot.  Though probably the most widespread and highly visible color trend of the season to come, the "Citrus Explosion," was just barely edged out by another emerging trend.  Something we haven't seen a lot of before.  Therefore, I placed citrus in the # 2 spot and reserved the #1 position for something that will probably come as quite a surprise unless you've been closely following the runway stories. I hope you'll join me next time when I reveal what I believe will be the most surprising trend of 2012.  Until then...

Jason Wu Collection Spring/Summer 2012; photo: Elle magazine

Stylishly yours,