'Spring' into the new year with these stylish trends
Photo credit: A model poses at the Nicole Miller Spring 2012 fashion show. (Getty)
There's a
lot to look forward to, fashion-wise, in 2012. amNewYork's style editors
were on hand at September's New York Fashion Week, which showcased the
spring 2012 collections, to suss out trends sure to hit stores (and
closets) in the season ahead.Athletic-inspired
Runways turned into racetracks at a number of shows, leaving us to anticipate a spring filled with sporty styles. Alexander Wang jump-started the trend with
his NASCAR-inspired collection, while others interpreted the idea in a more "everyday" way - such as Nicole Miller, who paired a striped hooded sweatshirt with a slouchy skirt.
Bold florals
Expect florals to be big and bold instead of demure and romantic this spring. At the spring 2012 shows, prints ranging from Pop-inspired petals at Diane von Furstenberg to softer yet still-powerful buds at Peter Som caught our eye.
Peplum
Don't count on fall's prevalent peplum detail to fade into obscurity for spring. Rather, it looks like puffs of volume around the waist - which made a splash at the Jason Wu, Cushnie et Ochs and Thakoon shows - are here to stay, adding a bit of structured dimension to jackets, dresses and ladylike skirts.
Peekaboo fabrics
The strategic use of chiffon and other diaphanous fabrics should take center stage this coming season. Designers such as Vera Wang and Tracy Reese embraced sheer, while others, like Prabal Gurung and Olivier Theyskens for Theory, played it coy with subtle flashes of skin. Either way, the results for spring are sexy, not salacious.
Green gowns
Evening wear is set to go green this coming season, with a staggering number of designers - notably J. Mendel, Christian Siriano and Jason Wu - using the intriguing hue in several incarnations for floaty, formal gowns. Most prevalent was the use of rule-breaking acid green, which shifted our perceptions about black-tie dressing.
Sherbet shades
For spring, expect to see mix-and-match separates in lavender, mint, canary yellow, ballet pink and sky blue paired together, evoking girly visions of candy hearts and scoops of rainbow sherbet.
Modest hemlines
Gals who like to cover up a little can rejoice, as longer hemlines are sure to take over for shorter lengths this spring. Several runway styles also hung a bit more loosely than the pencil style of recent years.
