With spring just around the corner, here are the key trends which will be influencing our wardrobes this season, with some tips on how to wear them

Fashion trends for Spring/Summer 2012

With spring just around the corner, here are the key trends which will be influencing our wardrobes this season, with some tips on how to wear them

Orange is the essential colour for a bright, romantic, fresh and colourful season. If you have a warm skin tone, you will find this colour easier to wear – from the deeper colours such as burnt orange through to the peachy/coral tones.

Colour blocking is still a strong influence, so you can wear orange top to toe if you want to make a statement. If you have a cool skin tone or want a more understated look, then use it as an accessory colour for bags, jewellery, nail varnish and lipstick.

Pastels offer a complete contrast, with simple lines and styles in these shades working best for a grown-up look when you choose a colour that doesn’t wash you out.

Peplum (a frill around the waist or hips) is the key shape for spring. On the catwalks, designers displayed an obsession with this classic couture detail. They were added to shirts and blouses, jackets and dresses, adding hips, curves and details to both bodies and garments. You may not need a belt but you will need to watch carefully where the frill falls as they can widen already wide hips and thighs.

Digital print technology is being used by more and more designers to create exciting new patterns and 3D images. Show off your creativity by combining and clashing prints – this is a trend that will be continuing into the autumn, so start practicing!

Stripes are always popular and this season is no exception with horizontal lines that are wearable, and often non-uniform in their thickness.

Tribal influences are given to distinctly un-tribal clothes with the use of brown and ochre patterns from Africa. To achieve this look you need a simple and uncomplicated garment, in the natural colours of the African Sahara.

Lace has been popular for some seasons and continues to prevail in both day and evening wear, as do diaphanous and see-through fabrics and iridiscent garments created using sequins or metallic threads.

Flatform (a flat platform) is the look for shoes again this season.

GET IN TOUCH

Helen Kendall-Tobias, Image Consultant

Imagination Image Consultancy

07725 576472 or helen@imaginationonline.info

www.imaginationonline.info