Spring '08 summaries

Thanks to those of you who gave me some reassurance about the way I'm grieving. I'm beginning to think that I may have grown up a bit since I last experienced much grief. That, and I have many more tools in my toolkit to help me deal with it.

I've been asked to give a summary of current runway clothes - which is the Fall '08 season - and I still need to look at the collections to do the summarize. In the meantime, I thought I'd offer up my summary of the Spring '08 season for women. This season seems to be less about shape and more about colours and patterns.

Clothes

• the dress reigns supreme. Whichever colour scheme or style you want, you'll find a dress. There are still a lot of sheaths, trapeze dresses, shirtdresses, long dresses, flowy dresses, drapey dresses, lots of folding and gathering
• things made out of jersey and other fabrics that are drapey.
  
• wide-leg jeans
• waists are still going up. High-waisted pants and skirts are in for people other than me
• vests
• blouses - many are romantic
• tunics are still around
  

Accessories

• belts - on everything. Put them over a dress or a tunic. Skinny belts, wide belts, you name it. Most are black or natural colours. Some white and metallics are to be expected.
• big clutches - still. They came in for Fall '07 and they're still around, although they're less shiny and more patent
• big bags - in bright colours. These aren't quite as big as a few seasons ago, but you can still carry a big part of your life in them
  
• big sunglasses

Shoes

• gladiator sandals/stilettos/wedges - if you can cage your feet in it or lace it up your leg, that's good
• platforms
• ballet flats - especially Mary Jane-types with a strap over the instep
  
• wedges - sigh. And here I thought they were leaving. They're still around, but they are tending to be more natural fibres in the wedge than before
  
• peep-toed booties - sigh. I didn't much like the booties (an oxford shoe with a stiletto heel) before, although I'm getting used to them. Putting a tiny peep-toe in them looks strange to me.
• stacked wooden heels/platforms, as well as cork heels
  

Colours and patterns

• bright, saturated colours - bright yellow, orange, cherry red, royal blue, fuschia, kelly green - with almost a patent leather look/feel to them. Most often found in accessories, not clothes, although some clothes will be these colours. These colours are found in the floral prints, below. Pair with black.
• black and white together
• metallics - silver, gold, and copper - are still popular
• nude colours are still around.
• flowers - yes, flowers. Mostly on dresses, and in all sizes, from the small calicoes to big flowers. In all colours as well. There will be a lot of flowers.
  
• stripes - there are some nautical influences here, and the stripes are mainly horizontal. I read somewhere that narrow horizontal stripes are slimming. Huh?
• "painterly" patterns - soft washes of colour. Ombres, dip dyes, and ikats are examples of these patterns.
• ruffles, gathering, ruching, and some origami are still around - but not used as heavily with the flowered patterns.

I think that's it for the highlights. I'll take a look and see if I can come up with something cohesive for Fall '08.