Summer Paisley

The official kick off of Summer is right around the corner and retailers are pulling out all the stops to offer something new and familiar.  Paisleys rank among the highest in looks that are re-worked to fit into every season.  For women, Miss Sixty (above) offers a graphic and bold take on the classic motif, to give it an explosive charge for the young at heart.
For the guys (above), Cavalli stays with the formal intricacies found in ancient tapestry and opts to interject lively and vivid punches of color for a cool summer look.

My Fashion Valentine

Is it possible to maintain a sweet sensibility when merged with a slight hint of sex appeal? Marc Jacobs seems to have answered that question with a definite "yes" season after season. Below, the heralded designer has captured Sofi's innocense and still managed to incorporate a flirtatious innuendo that is lively and cheerful. You have to love the feeling of this look from the Resort '09 collection and the asymetrical scalloping that reinforces the heart shapes and makes a complete departure from the predictable use of eyelets and lace.

No Lines On My Stripes Please,...

A print is intended to evoke an emotion and then to pinpoint a collection's focus or drive a Brand's direction. By implanting a definitive element to create the effects of contrast and texture, this same strategy is adopted for the placement of a stripe and a plaid. Simple geometry it is not, because it is every designer's challenge at one point or another to get their creative juices jammed with linear formatting.

This pattern is fashioned and referenced by vintage Ikats designed to explore surreal impressions of a stripe by Coloured Zebra Print Studio Paris, France. It will be a refreshing way to approach the abstract & tribal trends that will dominate the editorial features for the transitional mid-season deliveries.

Let's define this to be a forward look that allows some freedom to flow within the theorems of engineering skirt borders. Besides the obvious Missoni House of Milan, I know there will be some prominent peices rendered by adopting this look to interpret the retro mood for Spring 2009. RTW Separates, Accessories, & Home will be key markets guiding the trend.

SPRING, AGAIN?... 2009, ALREADY!!!!

Soon after talking to several high end and moderate market designers, the verdict is in...Holiday is a wrap, and let's move on to Spring 2009 with something special to wow the buyers. The age old dilemma of delivering a collection that is fresh, and focused on leisure is still the task at hand, and with all of the intricacies entailed. Basically, let's design for a customer that will be touring the sunbelts of the world, while the rest of the shopping floor is reflective of the weather at hand.

With so many ideas flying about the circuit of market & private label designers, it is impossible to tell what will skyrocket to design stardom and make every editorial feature and claim the illustrious title of TREND. Fractured geometrics, photoreal florals, & safari skins infused with pretty peaches, oranges, & magenta tonals seem to be on the boards at prelimenary go-sees.

The Print highlighted above is one of the most forward out of Europe & quickly making a splash on the boards in the contemporary market interpreting, "Opulent Oasis: Safari." Even if reduced to a mere 4 tones, this print still creates a forward appeal to take the obvious floral a step further in demension and style.

This upcoming season of the vernal equinox will definiely be a colorful display of modern delicate lines playing background to the charactrization of organic shapes and references. But... lets remember, those of us with holiday & resort deliveries...EMBELLISH, EMBELLISH, EMBELLISH!!!...and start planning a winter vacation with a firm Spring direction to build on for a crisp & comfortable new collection.