My top 5 trends for Spring-Summer 2012-3

I viewed A LOT of fashion last week. A LOT.

I was definitely in my kind of heaven.

Sure, many of the actual pieces I saw were never going to be things that I’d actually add to my wardrobe … mostly due to the smallish nature of the pieces hanging off the smallish natured models.

But what I do whenever I see fashion in this kind of environment is pick out the trends which I could translate to my wardrobe. The trends that would enhance MY personal style and work with existing pieces in my spring-summer wardrobe.

I don’t believe that any of us should wholeheartedly embrace every fashion trend that comes our way. It’s a process of selection. It’s a process of making a personal edit, if you like.

What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. This is a good thing. It would be a boring old world if we all dressed in cookie cutter versions of each other, wouldn’t it?

So, from the 12 shows I attended at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia last week, these are the 5 key trends that caught my eye. And I think you’ll be seeing lots of them in your favourite stores come September.

Prints

Plenty of sweet young things will be wearing head-to-toe prints this summer. My style personality is not feminine enough for floral prints but I do like me a modern graphic print. I’m also a fan of gorgeous prints styled into a shift dress for a modern work option (with a tailored jacket) or a great base for a Spring Carnival Racing outfit.

Colour

Hold on to your 1980s’ Wham hats. Neon is back. With a vengeance. No, I don’t plan to be wearing it in a Choose Life t-shirt this time around but I will be adding little injections here and there in accessories for fun and interest. Pastels are also huge (1980s again … hello lemon yellow jeans bought as a 16-year-old from Just Jeans). And there are brights but they’re more of toned-down Mediterranean shade … think gorgeous Greek Island blues and the orange/tangerine of buildings on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.

Cut-outs

I love this trend but advise to be careful where the cut-outs in the fabric actually fall My favourites featured the use of sheer fabric where the main fabric had been cut out, making for a sexy kind of stylish.

Structure

Structure on the catwalk took one of either two forms – soft or architectural. The soft styles featured tailoring in silk while the architectural was all about angular jackets or peplum shapes in skirts. BTW – architectural was a bit of a buzz word at fashion week this year. Which was kind of funny as we’re talking about clothes, not buildings but, hey, who am I to re-write the fashion glossary?

Kaftans

Kaftan shapes popped up in a number of the shows that I attended. And I, for one, was very happy about that. I could actually see me wearing a piece that was being warn on the catwalk. The key to choosing a kaftan shape is choose a fabric that is sheer and allows you to show your shape underneath. And then order a cocktail. Pronto.

Even men are doing them. They’re called Man-Tans. Don’t you know?

And they were even featured off the catwalk …

What do you think? Which trend or trends can you see yourself adding to YOUR wardrobe? Which trends fit your style personality?

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Thanks so much Maybelline NY Australia for having me blog all week about your fabulous makeup collaborations at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia 2012. I’ve loved every minute!