How to Wear: Knee-Length Hems

Aside from white suits, another Spring trend is the dropping of hem lines.  While maxi lengths have been popular the past few seasons, this Spring is all about the knee-length hem.  The look exudes a bit more modesty and femininity than a mini skirt and is more universally flattering that a mid-calf length.  Best of all, the trend is easily adaptable to any woman's style.  In generally, you'll find knee-length skirts and dresses in either a pencil or a full silhouette.

From there, the your style options are endless...

Colorful, Minimal Neutrals, or Spring-Time Pastels:

Or you could select a more historical look in either Betty Draper Retro or Clara Bow Flapper:

These looks will be easy to achieve because retailers like Banana Republic and J. Crew are also jumping on this trend.  Both are offering knee-length looks in their Spring collections, which are soon to hit stores.

The trend is likely to remain popular for the rest of 2012, as many Pre-Fall collections are including knee-length pieces.  It is generally a popular length for fall and winter, so we're sure to see more of this length in the upcoming Fall collections.

If you're still unsure, one of the best places to look for trends is the red carpet.  Everyone wants to emulate their favorite celebrity and retailers often create one-off looks of red carpet pieces.  Here are some of the knee-length looks we've been seeing recently:

So for Spring, cover those knees and enjoy the variety of styles this trend offers!

XOXO,
Coco Birdie

Runway and retail images via Style.com
Red Carpet images via Red Carpet Fashion Awards

Erdem Pre-Fall 2012

Lately, some of my favorite collections have been produced by the line Erdem.  The Spring collection was filled with garments made in gorgeous pastel florals and sweet, feminine silhouettes.  Designer Erdem Moralioglu does an excellent job handling prints, generally florals of either the traditional or digital persuasion (as seen in the Fall 2011 collection).

This year's Pre-Fall collection is no exception (the above images is my favorite from the collection).  Erdem has taken a traditional floral print and spiced it up in a hot orange color.

He tones it down a bit with in incorporation of navy and pastel yellow and does beautiful things with lace.  The silhouettes are classic, modest, and lady-like, which is on trend for the Pre-Fall collections.  Overall, this was one of my favorite Pre-Fall collections and I greatly look forward to what he produces for Fall.

 

Other favorite Pre-Fall collections include: Alberta Ferretti, St. John, Monique Lhuillier, Chloé,  Giambattista Valli, and Gucci.  Fall collections will begin to be presented in February, so watch for posts of favorite Fall collections, too.

XOXO,

Coco Birdie

Chanel Pre-Fall 2012

So its not even spring yet, but designers have recently been releasing images of their Pre-Fall collections.  One of my absolute favorites was Chanel.  Karl Lagerfeld takes the garments on a trip to India and the result is stunning.  Maybe not super-wearable, but super-pretty.  The craftsmanship that has gone into these pieces is amazing as well.  Chanel released a "behind the scenes" video on the making of some of the garments.  The amount of handwork and detail in the pieces makes them unique and special.

The collection includes dresses, coats, and separates inspired by traditional Indian attire.  The embroidery on the clothing is breath-taking, but the shoes, bags, and gloves are also noteworthy.  Even the hair and makeup-- a combination of hippy dreads and gothic smokey eyes-- is beautiful in it's own way.  Take a look...

You can watch the whole show on YouTube.  Chanel really went all out with the set-up and visuals.  Chanel never fails to present something amazing, and the Pre-Fall collection doesn't disappoint.

XOXO,
Coco Birdie

How to Wear: White Suits

One of the most noticeable trends on the Spring 2012 RTW Runways was white suits.  White alone is a huge trend for Spring (see Louis Vuitton and Chanel, two white heavy collections), but the suits really stood out.  As basic and boring as it may sound, there's actually a lot of different looks and attitudes contained in such a simple ensemble.

Come Spring, expect to see lots of white in stores.  Separates and dresses will be popular, but consider a white suit.  It gives off an instant feel of glamour, but can still be edgy or sweet.  It is a classic ensemble that can be dressed around and broken up for years.


If you are interested in seeing more, take a look at my Style.com Lookbook which contains over 80 different white suit looks.

XOXO,
Coco Birdie