Summer Florals by hallie mckay This season pay tribute to those warm weather months with garden-inspired frocks that show off your girly side without all the fuss. From light and airy to bold and structured, seasonal foliage adorns everything from slips to suits this season. Pastoral/ Rustic Ralph Lauren’s look this season can best be described as rustic American. Charming calico dresses in bubblegum pink and robin’s egg blue are a few of the standouts among the designers Spring/Summer10 collection. The sweet frocks, accented with white ankle socks and oxfords with heels, are destined to reappear this fall. The mix of masculine and feminine elements is a winning combination. Try matching shoes with a tough personality to the more delicate frocks in your wardrobe. Coming up with new combinations can be fun as well as give new life to your wardrobe. At Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld’s representation of the French countryside gave new meaning to rural modesty. The S/S 10 collection presented an entourage of 17th century country coquettes whose daring hemlines were soon forgotten by the innocent poppies that were sweetly embroidered on dresses, purses, a crochet sweater and everything in between. The poppy in national colors of red, blue and white, was seen on the chiffon baby doll dresses at the show as well. Here, the print was flat and blurred through a painterly effect. The mainstays among the collection involved an array of delicate materials that hardly could have made sense on a farm if not for Lagerfeld’s homespun technique in his fabrics. Romantic/ Soft The gowns at Alberta Ferretti are like those from a love story. Draped in lingerie pink, ivory, or beige, the gowns’ subdued color works well to bring out the cascading floral embellishments. Noticeably, the prevalence of the three dimensional trend is increasing with each celebrity who wears it to a red carpet event. Expect to eventually see this trend at a consumer- friendly price point. Etro’s S/S 10 collection is full of ruffled necklines, billowy sleeves, and loose draping in floral print. Colored in faded hues of pink and violet, the 70’s-inspired designs are most characteristic of a bohemian flower girl. To get the look, choose light fabrics, like chiffon, satin and voile, which add a romantic flutter to dresses and easy comfort in sticky summer heat. Other romantic looks were seen at Christian Dior and Dennis Basso.
Mixed Prints by halliemckay Buy Now Wear Later Oscar de la Renta shows us that an ankle-length floral dress paired with smart accessories is a must for those romantic late-night summer walks. The jewel-toned shirt-dress is similar to those at Ralph Lauren; however, this dress can transition easily from summer to fall because of its darker hue. Dolce & Gabbana spice things up this season with bold satin and a Latin rose floral motif. A blood red permeates throughout most of the collection, appearing in shorts, blouses, dresses, and cropped jackets. The rich color is made even more vibrant in its pairings, however. The look was floral on floral, and nowhere was it worn more elegantly than at Dolce & Gabbana. This year you’ll get the most bang for your buck with floral designs that are in rich hues or jewel tones. It only takes a little accessorizing and you’re favorite summer piece is ready for fall in no time. Oscar de la Renta and Dolce & Gabbana succeed in making looks this season that are both immediately relevant and easily transitional. Bold Color and Fun Matching If a little pop of color is all your looking for, check out the collections of Erdem, Anna Sui and Thakoon. The bright prints go excellent with summer day dresses as well as offer a pop of color in separates worn with neutral suits. For other ideas on how to wear bright prints check out these fun ways in which designers chose to mix and match the print. At Peter Som, the look is brightly eccentric with unexpected fabrics and large floral motifs that give off an almost tropical vibe. At the designer’s S/S 10 fashion show, surprising combinations with the floral print included striped tweed, animal print, and neon accents. Moreover, nearly every look had an element of shine. While it might be challenging to pull this look off all at once, a more modest attempt in the form of an animal print scarf or tweed sweater might suffice. At DKNY, breezy harem pants in navy and pink peonies are downtown cool paired with loose striped tops. Playing with proportions, the designer showed tops with fewer or larger floral prints paired with bottoms in smaller and busier floral prints at the S/S 10 fashion show. The different patterns give texture to the prints. For a look that’s similar, start off pairing floral print with stripes. Horizontal stripes, especially in black and white, are one of the easier patterns to mix and match. Other designers who used contrasting patterns with floral print include the S/S 10 collections by Derek Lam and Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Written by Skimbaco’s Fashion & Trend Expert Hallie McKay. Hallie has also written for the Seventeen Magazine.
