Anyone as excited as I am?!

Refinery 29 is a great resource for fashion trends, if some of you haven't heard of it yet. So I'm passing along the Spring '11 Trends listed on their web site, along with my comments on each of the trends.

The '70s:
Okay, as many of you know, I love the '70's style and am always right behind the band wagon when it comes to flared pants, high-waisted trousers, jumpsuits and vests, so as the '70's style seems to "come back" every other year, it never gets old in my eyes.

'70s Style

Any favorites so far? As usual, I'm loving Marc Jacobs.

Minimalism:
Funny this was on the list (and many others) because I've naturally been gravitating towards the "less is more" approach recently when it comes to embellishment, severity and glitz. I've just noticed a literal push in my torn and paint-splattered pants, embellished tops, and ornate blazers and a push in the direction of dark denim (no whiskers, distressing, nothing), flat front, clean slacks in neutral colors, and flowing, detailed tops, with pleats and buttons instead of stones.

Minimalism

I think we've just had this severe look for the past year that we're now craving a flowing, more "neutral" look. It's not about "boring," as some would assume when hearing the word "minimal."

The example below is showing a sheet ruffle tank with a black cardigan over top. Now, the black cardigan has sheer arm and a sheer back as well, and when paired with dark blue jeggings, it appears minimal and refined, yet fun and different. It's a bit hard to see, but I hope the explanation helped.

Long:
Aaah - length. The maxi dress began coming back into style a couple of years ago, in a big way at first, and now it's planned to be big in a different way. This year it's going to be a bit more elegant, refined, dare I say, more mature.

Long Dresses and Skirts

Though I believe that each of the designers shown on this page have their own wonderfully unique styles, Diane is sticking to the '70s feel with hers, Jill is making hers a bit more modern with a full skirt and simple tee, and Calvin, well, is being Calvin with his genius of cut and detail. Loving DKNY and Givenchy as well.

Prints:
Prints are always fun, but are you finding this mixing different prints and colors right for your lifestyle? That's the problem I see with this trend. I love how it's done by Diane, Suno, and Proenza, with either the same print in different colors or different prints in similar colors, but Burberry could look messy if not done exactly right or worn by someone who has the personality to match it.

Would you wear mixed prints like these?
Mixed Prints

Here's a video I made for a colleague of mine that shows a "How To:"
Mixing Prints with Amanda Winters

Color-blocking:
Color-blocking is back in another way this season, using each piece as a unique color rather than blocking off separate parts of one item, like we saw a few years ago.

Colors

Are you loving? Would you wear this many brights at once?

Pajama:
We saw the start of this popularity last year, and I haven't seen it take full steam, and honestly? I hope it doesn't. It's just not flattering and takes me back to the '90s in a bad way.

PJ Game

Keep it in the bedroom ;)