Seeing Stripes for Spring

Christian Siriano resort 2014.

There are definitely no blurred lines when it comes to one of spring 2014's biggest trends- stripes.  This nautical look comes full swing for both resort and spring/summer season.  This time around the classic stripe has been taken to a whole new level.  Not just simple black and white, but combinations of color, various thickness and angles creating a refreshing look and feel.

Joseph Ribkoff spring 2014
(Photo: courtesy GPS Radar)

Christian Siriano featured a few smart pieces in his resort collection with bright stripes in pink, yellow and green.  Wearing interesting color combinations is the way to keep it modern and playful.




Of course, sticking with traditional black and white or navy stripes maintains a classic nautical vibe and makes for an easy look for the office or other corporate environments.  Despite Siriano using brighter shades in his resort collection, he chose to stick with the traditional palette in his spring 2014 collection.

If you want to break tradition mix it up with a bold color like how Josef Ribkoff adds red stripes to the classic black and white.  This makes it both interesting and keeps it simple.  Top a dress like his with a blazer in white or black and your look is fresh.

Left to Right: Narcisco Rodriguez, Louis Vuitton, Diane Von Furstenberg, Valentino (Photo: http://www.annexmagazine.com/)

Get Happy With Spring Florals

Michael Kors spring 2014.

Spring is so delightful because it's a time to embrace change and new beginnings.  That's what makes fashion at this time of year so much fun.  This season, flowers are not only in full bloom in nature, but in fashion too.  Floral patterns always make an appearance in designer collections with the arrival of spring.  This season the tradition takes on a new modern take by way of saturated color, texture and unexpected combinations.  

Vibrant color palettes of pink, yellow and orange make bold statements especially with dresses using modern cuts, necklines and cinched waists.  By contrast, dark florals in black and navy give the woman with edge an opportunity to be feminine without sacrificing her taste for deeper more masculine hues.  

Michael Kors had a very ladylike collection of dresses, skirts and matching tops in patterns that ranged from tiny delicate flowers to large petals.  Collections like Red Valentino and Josef Ribkoff incorporated big flowers in bright colors like fuchsia, bright blue and yellow.

Red Valentino spring 2014.

Floral printed pants, blazers and shirts are also a way to mix the pattern into your wardrobe without going overboard.  Wear the pant with a simple top and solid jacket.  Or choose a floral, tailored blazer to wear with a pencil skirt to the office.  That way you can capture the feeling of spring without being to extravagant in a conservative office environment.  

J.Crew Spring 2014 floral pant.

Lupita Nyong'o in Miu Miu Spring Campaign

Lupita in Miu Miu's spring 2014 campaign.

Lupita Nyongo's star just keeps on shining brighter and brighter.  As she continues to become the fashion industry's muse, things just got better for the actress and star of 12 Years A Slave.  Miu Miu recently debuted their new spring campaign with the Kenyan beauty featured alongside other notables Elle Fanning, Elizabeth Olson and Bella Heathcote.  The campaign is certainly a bold expression of diversity both in beauty and in the way they convey the fashion sense of the brand.

Clockwise from top left: Elizabeth Olsen, Lupita Nyong'o, Bella Heathcote and Elle Fanning.

STYLE | H&M Spring Preview

Escape the dullness of winter by embracing the looks for next spring by H&M.  It may be cold and dreary outside but taking a peek at what is to come when the temperatures climb back up again is kind of fun.  Check out this spring lookbook video from H&M featuring some the items we can expect to see in stores as early as late January.

STYLE | VERSACE SPRING 2014

STYLE | MILAN FASHION WEEK 4 HOT TRENDS

STYLE | CULTURE | NORTH AFRICA CLASHING WITH JAPAN?

Designers always talk about the references and influences in their collections. But this was quite interesting to me because it was being described as a clash between North Africa and Japan. Quite a contrast of culture and style aesthetics if you really consider that combination. It was quite grim, in my opinion, that a car crash was the centre of attention for the runway show, but every artist has their own creativity in how they want to present their work. The pieces actually were quite interesting in the way the two cultures were mixed together in the design, draping and details of each piece. Take a look at the video and see what you think about the spring 2014 collection for Givenchy.

STYLE | MICHAEL KORS - SPRING 2014

Michael Kors runway show at New York Fashion Week presented a collection that was the perfect combination of sophistication, elegance and classic American style.  His show is usually one of the highlights of Fashion Week and Kors didn't disappoint with his spring 2014 collection.  It was perhaps one of my favorites.

The show opened with a female model wearing a white blazer and sheer fluid skirt.  Her counterpart wore a beige trouser and top with a double breasted white jacket.  They were a perfect pair. It felt like they were heading to a resort and going to sit down for an afternoon drink filled with relaxed conversation.   Throughout the show there were delicate georgette blouses with bows, pleated skirts and below the knee hemlines which all made for the femininity of being a woman.  Kors paired a snake printed top with a pencil skirt and a snake a-line skirt with a navy crop top that offered just a small peek at the model's midriff.  The double breasted short suit was a modern take on a safari inspired look.

Kors said that this collection was a complete contrast to his last one which was much more urban and very sharp.  This time it was more about being soft, relaxed and learning to slow down the fast paced life we live.

(SCROLL BELOW FOR FULL RUNWAY SHOW)

STYLE | (Video) TOP TRENDS FROM LONDON FASHION WEEK

STYLE | CULTURE | RED CARPET AT THE EMMY'S

Top row L to R: Rose Byrne in Calvin Klein, Laura Dern in Naeem Khan, Jon Hamm from Mad Men brought his partner Jennifer Westfield who looked elegant in this red dress and Carla Gugino in Georges Chakra.
Second row L to R: Heidi Klum in Atelier Versace, Kaley Cuoco in Vera Wang, Michelle Dockery in halter dress from Prada, Sofia Vergara in red hot Vera Wang gown.
Third Row L to R:  Linda Cardellini in ruffled Donna Karan Atelier, Alyson Hannigan in Marchesa, Melissa Rauch in purple dress and Mindy Kaling in Georges Chakra.
Fourth Row L to R: Allison Williams in Ralph Lauren, Tina Fey in Narciso Rodriguez, Guiliana Rancic in Mikael D., and Zooey Deschanel in powder blue J. Mendel dress.
Fifth row L to R:  Anna Chlumpsky from Veep wore emerald green from Badgley Mischka, Sarah Hyland in CH Carolina Herrera, Mayim Bialik in Oscar Tolentino and Julianne Hough in Jenny Packham.

As usual people looked to the red carpet for the actors to bring out all the stops when it comes to style.  Many trends seen on the runways for both spring 2014 and the current fall season were showcased on the red carpet.  There were the favorites and of course the not so good choices.  All I will say is everyone has been talking about Claire Danes being the best dressed but I disagree.  To be honest, I thought her dress was absolutely lovely but her figure isn't curvy enough to fill out the upper bust area.  To me it looked too much like the top was not fitting her well.  

I honestly didn't have one standout favorite from the event this year.  What was yours?   

Julie Bowen in Zac Posen.

Claire Danes in Armani Prive

House of Cards' star Kate Mara in J. Mendel.

Kerry Washington in Marchesa.

STYLE | NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

Naomi Campbell struts down the runway at New York Fashion Week to round-out Diane Von Furstenburg's
runway show for spring 2014. (Photo: AP/Jason DeCrow) 

This year New York Fashion Week was surrounded by talk about whether the shelf life of runway shows was over.  The New York Times published an article questioning the relevancy of Fashion Week.  More and more fashion insiders have been expressing discontent at the chaos surrounding the events.  Too much focus has shifted from the garments to 'which celebrity is in the front row'.  What started out as Press Week in the 1940s has turned into a chaotic mix of celebrities, bloggers, street style photographers and people who just desperately want to be part of the action.   (CLICK HERE TO READ NYTimes article)

All in all, it was a whirlwind ride of over 300 collections shown at New York Fashion Week for spring 2014.  Despite the chaos, designers had the opportunity to show the world what will be in stores next spring. With so many collections it can be difficult to pull out what the big trends were.  Especially when many designers have their own design aesthetic.  Some of the significant trends we saw included black & white, mesh fabrics, lace details, crop tops, white leg trousers, graphic prints and patterns, fringe, sheer and of course denim.

Calvin Klein, Phillip Lim and Herve Leger were among the designers to mix fringe into their collections.  It was done in a way that was modern and never borderlined on tacky.  Meanwhile graphic patterns were seen at Diane Von Furstenberg, Ralph Lauren and Zimmerman.

Herve Leger spring 2014 collection mixed in fringe into its sexy runway show.

Thom Browne's Elizabethan references were focused on the clean palette of white mixed with hints of black and grey.  Details using stiff white lace, pleated silk and pearl-like buttons were important in this collection while models were done up with hair and makeup that was enough to spook anyone.

Thom Browne's spring 2014 collection was full of Elizabethan refrences. 

Black and white looks from the NYFW runway. Photo Getty Images

Derek Lam spring 2014. (Photo Imaxtree & Alessandro Lucioni)

The athletic look of netted mesh was a trend embraced on the runways of Vera Wang, Rachel Zoe and Nanette Lepore.  Not just for jerseys and casual clothing, it was mixed in with other textiles to create a more sophisticated look yet maintained a relaxed feel.

Vera Wang spring 2014 collection.

Nanette Lepore spring 2014. 

When it came to beauty, it was a mixture of barely there makeup with the bold and beautiful.  Bright orange lips were the highlight at Rag & Bone, Prabal Gurung and Marissa Web.  It was clear that Salmon, melon and tangerine orange will be bringing a punch of citrus to our cosmetic bags next spring.

Sheer fabrics in organza, lace and chiffon were leaving little to the imagine on some runways while others carefully had panels of sheer with fabric that covered just the right places.  Emphasizing the waistlines, legs and other body parts, sheer is definitely a trend for spring.  

And let's not forget the crop top of this past summer.  Once again it will be a key item for the season next spring and summer.  Get your abs ready to show off your midsection.

Jason Wu, spring 2014. 

Lacoste spring 2014 collection.

Lela Rose organza dress with a romantic feel for spring 2014 collection. 

Crop top trend. Narciso Rodriquez spring 2014.
(Photo: Imaxtree and Alessandro Lucioni) 

Other Reading:
The New York Times: Is New York Fashion Week Near the End of The Runway?

STYLE | (Video) New York Fashion Week Trends

BEAUTY | Orange You Beautiful

Rag & Bone. (Getty Images)

 New York Fashion Week is well under way and there is no shortage of trends starting to pop up at all the shows and in the streets of New York.  One beauty trend making a statement is the color orange.  Orange lips were on most of the models at the Rag & Bone show.  Dark skin, light skin and bronze skin - all shades had the bright matte painted orange lip on the runway.  Scoot down to the Suno show and orange painted nails were also the highlight.  The color of choice was Maybelline Orange Fix.

This citrus colour is not for the shy and introverted.  Wear this and you'll have all eyes on you everywhere you go.

Rag & Bone show. (Getty Images)

Rag & Bone (Getty Images)

Suno show backstage where model shows off the orange manicure. (Getty Images)