New York Fashion Week Spring Summer 2013

Monochrome black and white, stripes and florals were amongst the trends on the catwalks at New York Spring/Summer Fashion Week last week. Other trends that came through were the return of revealing the midriff, pops of colourful brights, subdues sorbet tones and prints with an ethnic twist.

Longer and fuller skirts feature at most shows and trousers and sports inspired apparel were popular as well.  And whether you have an hour-glass figure or are straight up and down, the waist pinching belts will help to accentuate, or give the illusion of, a tiny waist.

Here we look at the top trends from New York that we are likely to be wearing next Spring.

Monochrome

Whether it was all black, all white or a combination of the two, monochrome was one of the biggest trends on the runways.

Alexander Wang used black leather to give his collection an urban look but kept his colour pattern to just the two hues while stylist turned fashion designer Rachel Zoe went for a preppy look but we loved the return of the locked waist belt. Monique Lhullier added to her ‘Life of the Sea’ collection with wonderful monochrome prints. Calvin Klein, Max Azaria for Herve Leger and Naeem Khan also incorporated the look into their collections.

Florals

It was another Spring Summer where florals were big on the runway. From pared down representations to a burst of blooms this feminine trend is set to continue.

Sending blossoms down the catwalk were Brood, Zac Posen, Oscar de la Renta, Nanette Lapore and Anna Sui.

Crop Tops

This is one trend that anyone over 22 may well have been dreading, the return of the bra top. Showing off your midriff is great when you’re young but unless you are an aerobics instructor or seriously sporty, it can be a daunting trend to follow. Don’t despair, wear it with a part opened shirt or a sheer top for a hint of flesh.

Stomach baring was popular in the Charlotte Ronson, Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti, Edun, DKNY and Victoria Beckham shows.

Ethnic Inspired

Patterns always add a summery feel and SS13 saw a mix of ethnic inspired prints.

While Marchesa took the Indian sub-continent as her inspiration, Custo Barcelona’s seemed to represent a more native American or Aztec style. Vera Wang, Prabal Gurung and Helmut Lang also used prints to their full effect.

Stripes

Stripes with this much impact haven’t been big since the late eighties but they were popular with all the big guns.

Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger all went big and bold with stripes in their collection.

Colour Pop

Bright colours were also prevalent on the catwalk with burnt oranges, hot pinks and bright turquoise blues the shades that lead the way.

Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, J Mendel, Diane Von Furstenburg, Ralph Lauren and Pierre Balmain showed that  any colour goes, as long as it’s bright!

Softly Muted

If you don’t like your outfit to grab the attention, sorbet colours, particularly nude shades, continued their dominance on the runway.

From peachy fresh and cafe au lait to mocha and soft aubergine, this trend is all about luxury with the fabrics to match.

Donna Karan, Badgley Mischka, See by Chloe, Jenny Packham and Jill Stuart all gave us outfits to inspire and lust after.