Clockwise from above left: Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Wu, Nina Ricci, Jason Wu (again) and Isabel Marant demonstrate a high low hemline.

Do not adjust your computers. A bevy of designers have turned out cock-eyed…er…rather high/low hemlines for S/S2012. Mullet dressing (party up front and business in the back) is when the bottom of a skirt, dress or even a shirt is cut short in front and flows longer in back. This is in not in any way a new trend.

Celine A/W 2011: No buttons?

Dear Mr. Al Gore:
I have never been one to participate in conspiracy theories but today I am writing to report that I believe a woman by the name of Phoebe Philo, very hip designer for the label Celine, has information about global warming the rest of us are not privy to. My case in point…for her A/W 2011 collection for Celine, most of her coats were lacking buttons. When I questioned the sales associate about this odd phenomenon, while trying on some of the Celine designs, she casually dismissed my concern and was quick to point out that Phoebe herself rarely does up buttons on a coat.

For those who know how to decode, few items tell as much about the wearer as the shoe. This S/S’s collections gave us the gamut…the good, the bad and yes, the ugly. From the heels that paired with the charming, sugary, ultra feminine trend to the sneaks that supported athleticism…before you choose, it helps to know your shoe speak.

Heels are for those who pay other people to do the walking or the driving. And whereas our feminist foremothers denounced heels of any kind as hobblers of women, today’s lipstick feminists extol them as an image of power. Givenchy, Calvin Klein and Gianfranco Ferre stated their belief that in the women vs. women world, heels will always spell authority.

From left: Givenchy, Gianfranco Ferre and Calvin Klein did sky high heels.

High tech sneakers are the choice of those who walk but are really on their way to something bigger. These women pair their shoes with an iPhone and a Blue tooth. They’re busy, caffeinated or raw, and know where to get the best massage, sesame noodles or vintage Chanel bags. Marc by Marc Jacobs and Y-3 were very much down with that.
High tech sneakers are the choice of those who walk but are really on their way to something bigger. These women pair their shoes with an iPhone and a Blue tooth. They’re busy, caffeinated or raw, and know where to get the best massage, sesame noodles or vintage Chanel bags. Marc by Marc Jacobs and Y-3 were very much down with that.

From left: Alberta Feretti, Matthew Williamson and Etro were among the lot of designers who saw orange for S/S12.

It’s a color that has often been associated with the lowly and the offbeat – think prison jumpsuits, Hare Krishna robes and Halloween decor. Unexpectedly, the color orange is growing up and stepping out. Etro, Matthew Williamson, Giambattista Valli and Alberta Feretti all had orange moments on their catwalks for Spring/Summer 2012. In fact, orange is so popular a hue, that it’s being dubbed “the color of the millennium” by the Color Association of the USA, a group that tracks universal color trends. 

Oh grow up Mr. Nick Caraway! The era of dreaming is far from over…as long as there are catwalks there will be dreams of trends to come. One of the biggest of these for S/S12 is dressing for a Jay Gatsby party. Designers from Roberto Cavalli to Ralph Lauren to Alberta Feretti were all about beating Baz Luhrmann to the punch (he’s redone the epic film in 3D with Leo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan). 

Get your pyjama dressing cues from Noel Coward and characters like those found in Private Lives.

If you want to be fashionable this spring/summer, get up, out of bed and put your pjs on. Pyjama dressing is a very big trend for S/S 2012. It’s more of a slouch chic than a full on nightwear gig, and although the phrase itself seems to be a bit of an oxymoron, it’s the ideal description for the new laid-back approach to dressing down. It’s less Jerry Seinfeld’s mother (a lot less) and more Noel Coward character. Think loose, baggy and body-friendly – these pieces have not lost in the tailoring department. It’s a simple silky tank with wide trousers as soft as pyjama bottoms. Alternatively, the bottoms may be ankle length and bold in pattern – something that begs for a library backdrop accompanied by a pipe and a brandy. Finish the look off with a smoking jacket (Hugh Hefner style) and you’re done.