The Top Trends of the Season! Looks for #Spring2013!

Spring is slowly dawning upon us! And that means it's time for some Spring cleaning; not only for your home, but for your wardrobe! Spring is an exciting time of year; inspiring renewal, growth, and newness with the birth of a new Season. 2012 is gone and it's time to actively embrace all that 2013 can offer for you! An updated wardrobe is a personification of that energy; and not to mention a flattering way to appear on-trend, significant, and socially aware.

So, with that being said, what should you look for this Season? This Spring we are seeing a lot of fantastic trends start to materialize in a variety of diverse ways! Straight from the Runways of some of the greatest designer showcases last Season to even the re-emergence of some 2012's most popular colours. Gone are the days of single trends and single looks. Here is my list of some of the Top Trends of the Season! What are the hottest looks for Spring 2013?

1  /  Jail Time

Monochromatics couldn't be hotter this Season. Black and White are back with fearlessness in a new way; with stripes, blocks, geometric shapes, and eye-catching orthogonals. The colour combination itself is probably the most iconic of Spring; having been the tones of choice for the last few seasons during most of the Fashion Week circuit. However, the patterns are certainly new! From Marc Jacobs to Michael Kors; stripes, lines, and lined prints of all kinds are perhaps the most prominent visual trend this Spring.

2  /  Paintbox 

It's All Colour Everything girls! Pops of colour here and there to add visual boldness will always be in style; but what's the hottest trend for colour beyond that? Match on match, bold on bold, pop on pop! We absolutely adore these bright, bold, paintbox hues that are layered and layered on one another. A total appreciation of the brilliance of colour - we are seeing Reds on Reds, Blues on Blues, Yellows on Yellows, and everything in between. Colour on Colour is an extremely confidant and fearless appreciation of colour; it takes power to pull off, but I am a firm that everyone can do it with the right attitude. And, in a sense, Colour and Colour is a real nod to a retro-era look of matching hues with hues to create balance. Remember that time when your Mom would wear that lavender cardigan with those lavender nails and that lavender bracelet? It's back, just with more boldness! The bag, the coat, the necklace, the shoes! It works, and it's fierce.

3  /  Denim Nation

The Return of Denim is probably the most exciting Spring trend for me this Season! Denim has been an obsession of mine for a while; there are few other materials that can be equally unique, worn by anyone from any style story, and still exist as a classic neutral while constantly re-inventing itself. The birth of Denim, particular the Jean, is arguably the single most prominent and significant contribution to Fashion in Fashion history; at least medium-wise! We are seeing Denim on Denim everywhere - in dark, light, acid, grunge, torn, and ombré! It's 90's, a little retro, youthful, and energetic! A throwback to a simpler time, Denim is both nostalgic and totally new. Experiment with cut-offs, embellishments, Denim accessories, and even layering Denim onto modern looks with more chic fabrics! The most versatile fabric of this Season.

4  /  Sheer Brilliance + Heavy Metals

It's all Sheer and it's all fabulous! Sheer was especially popular during much of the Fashion Week circuit for the Spring 2013 Showcases last year. Light, flowing fabrics that were opalescent, translucent, and soft; in dresses, blouses, and pants (and even creeping into the creation of some ultra-modern transparent accessories!). We absolutely love the femininity of Sheer - it's brash, uninhibited, and sexually powerful though it remains itself a very soft touch. Perfect for layering for Spring, Sheer allows endless ways to layer tones and textures upon one another; while providing every opportunity to show some skin for the Season! And what's Sheer without Metal? Metallics couldn't be hotter for Spring! We've seen them the last few seasons but they are back in a brash display! Foiled, bright, and in full head-to-toe glam; Metallics have managed to take centre-stage beyond just accessories alone.

5  /  The Mod Club

Remember all that retro we keep talking about for Spring 2013? Yeah, it's real, and it's more than just the 90's and the 80's. Designers are also pulling out fantastic Mod elements from the 60's into bright, bold, graphic design palettes for the Spring 2013 Season! Boldly cut, graphic dresses dotted with geometric lines of equal boldness are dominating, powerful elements directly from the Mod era. From Balmain to Vuitton, we are seeing Paintbox tones and Mod shapes - it's about confidence, colour, having fun and being young at heart. Yet another bold and powerful way to bring in the newness of Spring for 2013.

6  /  Leather Vision

It's Leather baby, and it's back! The single hottest material for Fall 2012 is back and totally new for Spring 2013! Yes, that's right, Leather AND Spring! Could it get any better? Designers are using the medium in new, lighter ways - Leather t-shirts, skirts, maxi dresses, and Bermuda shorts! It's all Spring, it's all athletic, and it's all glossy, rich, seductive, and brilliantly Leather. We absolutely adore this trend. Our favourite Fall fabric re-creating itself in a Spring wardrobe? What's not to obsess over? And it's not just the material, it's the boldness! Just like Denim and just like Paintbox Colour, we are seeing Leather layered on Leather take centre stage! It's about bold, bold, bold this Season! Don't hold back.

7  /  It's Too Big

Over-sized, over-dramatic, and too big! We love it when that top is a little too big; bagging over those great skinny-cut pants or that fantastic skirt. Over-sized shapes have been trendy since last Season and there's no shortage of the awesome. Another retro-nod to an 80's-90's era aesthetic, over-sized shapes evoke youthfulness in a more modern, stylish, and chic way with blouses, dramatically-cut overcoats, and perfect trenches. We love it big! And that's what she said...about her clothes!

8  /  Emerald City

Emerald is THE Colour of the Season! So much so that we can't fit it all in here! This is here to remind you that it's ALL Green and it's ALL fabulous. Stay-tuned for a full forecast about the brilliance of Emerald and the many different ways you can sport this iconic colour on my next Trending for Spring 2013 Post! For now, here's a taste of Oz.

Remember, it's not just what you wear, it's how you wear it! Look for ways to make these fantastic Spring 2013 trends uniquely yours! You will always look your best when you feel your best. Happy Spring!

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Olivier Rousteing, Balmain, and the Fierce Metallic / Fall 2013

Ever since the young, brilliant, and mysterious Olivier Rousteing took over the House of Balmain in 2011; the entire aesthetic of Balmain had re-imagined itself in super-luxury opulence; a look more synonymous with that of it's original creator of which Balmain is named.

This Season, at Paris Fashion Week, Rousteing's Fall 2013 Collection for Balmain was no exception to the rule. A sparkling, highly-detailed, exaggerated, and extravagant showcase grounded by heavy forms, rich metallics, and stark shapes; Rousteing's aesthetic boasts a confidence and power equaled only be the era it clearly reflects; the affluent 80's. "More Balmain than Balmain has ever been before..." is a totally accurate sentiment.

We are smitten and inspired by the atmosphere and presence of these incredible clothes; evoking an ideal that moves beyond just the clothing itself. It's identity, it's magnificence, it's gauche, it's gaudy, it's too much, it's over-powered, and it's fabulous. From the glistening satin of the material, to the tightly cinched, belted waists, to the rigidly formed shoulders and geometric coat forms - it's, once again, architectural, iconic, dramatic, and brilliant in almost every visual sense. There is only one type of woman who could wear clothing this powerful, and that, I assure you, is a rare woman of an unparalleled, enigmatic beauty. A showstopping presentation! Bravo, Olivier!

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Haider Ackermann Rules Paris / Winter 2013

There are few words powerful enough to properly describe the aesthetic, power, and presence of a designer like Haider Ackermann. Often admired for his talent of creating harmony through contrasting elements of medium, inspiration, era, and even social class; Ackermann has even been compared to the late and legendary Yves Saint Laurent himself, who did much the same during his time. He is regarded as one of the most notable and interesting designers to ever emerge out of France; debuting his first Collection to significant praise in 2001, having even been approached by powerhouse mavens the likes of Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel), Margiela, and Dior.

This year at Paris Fashion Week, Haider Ackermann presented his brilliant Winter 2013 Collection following the same vein of power and presence in the industry. A beautiful, slick palette of Winter greys, charcoal blacks, shiny leathers, and gunmetal elements dominated the aesthetic. It was architectural, stark, and brilliantly composed through variations of textural layering, contrasting prints, and large, billowing, and flowing forms.

As usual, I absolutely adore the wrap forms. The hottest trend this Season is in full swing and I couldn't be happier! The draping knitwear is so tundra meets glam, and so super chic in a really lax way. It takes street wear into high fashion territory and is a celebration of the coolest silhouette of the year - over-sized, over-shaped torsos with those fantastic long and lean legs. A retro nod to an 80's-era fabulous while maintaining the urban, modern, youthful street style that is so trendy into today's evolving Runway scene. Androgynous, baggy, masculine-inspired suit pants ground some of Ackermann's strongest forms; accented by easily the most powerfully cut coats this season. A masterfully composed presentation!

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Céline, Automne/Hiver 2013 #SuperLux

Phoebe Philo is a visionary. In a celebration of the truest simplicity of form, line, and colour; Céline's Winter 2013 Collection is a pristine example of the anti-cluttered, anti-printed, and anti-textured timeless beauty that is the ultimate form of super-luxury. And we couldn't be more smitten!

There is something so compelling about this Collection. The forms are so obtuse and interesting, but the lines are so pure and clean, in true Céline form. It is totally Seasonally incredible yet it discards so many of some of this Season's most interesting trends - that is; overlaid textures, geometric, stark patterns, and prints. The knitwear and clean palette take the clothing to the most prominent level, without the need of any further visual interest; it's all in the shape, the line, and the way it sits. Effortlessly chic, opulence in pure minimalism. Only the best from Céline. 

Photos borrowed from The Front Row View

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McQ Alexander McQueen / Winter 2013 FILM

Alexander McQueen takes us on a journey of metamorphosis, reflection, and motion. In a compelling composition of shadow, light, and movement; McQ celebrates a diverse collection of monochromatic textures and haunting visuals for their highly anticipated Winter 2013 Collection. We love you McQueen!

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