Trends

Denim trends for spring 2011

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion / Trends  tagged denim / historical fashion / levis / spring 2011 / summer 2011 by

Every time denim makes a big splash for a particular season, the smiles on Fashionistas in the Bay Area grow slightly larger. Denim is one of the fashion claims to fame we have here in the San Francisco Bay Area and it is no secret that we are proud of our denim history and how important denim has become over the last century to fashion around the world. Denim started its’ Bay Area history during the gold rush when Levi Strauss found the gold miners were in dire need of pants that were durable. Since the gold rush, Levi Strauss continually improved upon the pants and soon ventured into creating other types of garments using the thick fabric that was made stronger with the use of rivets; an innovation from Levi Strauss himself.

Fast forward to spring 2011 and denim is popping up, once again, on everything imaginable. Denim dresses, shirts, jackets, shoes and handbags are popping up on store shelves this spring with a vengeance. Interestingly enough, denim appeared on the spring 2011 ready-to-wear runways, but not with a large impact. Store buyers seem to understand that consumers love denim since it washes well, wears well and for some reason is incredibly flattering. Wonder if Levi Strauss knew back in the 1800’s that his pants would become the ultimate way for a woman to show off her, shall we say, derriere?

Denim pants for spring are popping up in several silhouettes; the skinny jean, wide leg jean, classic boot cut and the cropped skinny jean. In addition to pants, there are denim dresses in casual and structured styles; such as the structured, vintage 1940’s style by Lela Rose which offers a slim silhouette, cap sleeves and square neckline.

Denim shorts are being shown in short styles as well as Bermuda lengths and Prada even created a denim peacoat for spring. Handbags are sitting on store shelves in denim by designers such as Prada, Gucci, Christian Louboutin and Kooba have created denim handbags in varying styles for spring 2011 as well. Denim shoes are flying off of store shelves; Christian Louboutin created denim kitten heels for spring which are already creating a waiting list at Neiman Marcus.

The verdict is in! Denim is, once again, hot. So feel free to stock up on denim items, they are classic, easy to care for and part of Bay Area history. Love it! Happy shopping and stay fabulous 

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Prada spring 2011 denim tote bage with detachable strap.
Photo: Prada

2011 Fine Jewelry Trends: Rose Gold Jewelry

 in General Fashion / Jewelry / Trends  tagged fine jewelry / pink / rose gold / spring 2011 by

The Paris, Milan and New York runways gave the fashion world a glimpse into the jewelry trends for spring 2011. Although the trends on the runway were more in the “costume jewelry” category, fine jewelers do look for color trends and ways to make precious metals and stones integrate well into the apparel trends. With bright colors and patterns making a mark on spring fashion during the runway shows, fine jewelry designers have followed suit with either dainty pieces that will not overshadow a bold print or color, or with statement pieces that signal an end to economic distress.

Rose gold has been slowly increasing in popularity over the past few years, and with Pantone declaring “Honeysuckle” or bright pink to be the “IT” color for spring and summer 2011, rose gold has made a bigger spike in popularity for the upcoming seasons.

Rose gold works well with cool toned colors such as blue and it also blends well with purples and pinks. Rose gold also works well with shades of brown, which makes it a good precious metal choice to pair with neutral toned color palette which is another trend from the spring 2011 runways.

While casual jewelry is trending in silver, bronze and black metal, fine jewelry is trending towards rose gold; this is not to say that white metals and yellow gold are not important, they are, but rose gold is making a bigger mark in fine jewelry this season than in past seasons.

Rose gold is being shown in both polished and brushed fine jewelry styles; brushed rose gold being the more trendy style for spring and summer 2011.

Bay Area Fashionista’s semi-precious and precious stone color picks for rose gold: Smoky quartz, pink stones, red stones, purple stones and clear stones. 

Happy New Years and goodbye to tired trends

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged new years style / spring 2011 by

Happy New Years! Thankfully 2011 is on the horizon and a new set of fashion trends will greet us on store shelves in January. What are the fashion trends from 2010 that you are happy to see end? Which trends are you looking forward to investing in for spring? Here is a short list from us, enjoy!

Bye-bye 2010!

1)      Jeggings: They were only cool for about 24 hours. Then, the people who bought them looked in the mirror, freaked out and threw them away. Thank goodness!

2)      Torn Jeans: Someone, somewhere, thought it was still 1986 and tried to bring torn jeans back into style, thank goodness this trend failed. Torn jeans now become dust cloths. Goodbye!

3)      Fur Handbags: Now tell me this, why does a handbag need to be made from fur? Oh, just to tell the world it was expensive. Well, a fur handbag tells the world the owner kills animals in order to carry around her car keys. Dusty and on the clearance rack. Ick.

4)      Minimalism: As much as we like simplicity, we’re more bored now than we were in 1994. Bring on the bling bay-bee!

5)      No eye-liner: Thankfully the red lips and no eye-liner eye look never made it off the fall 2010 runway. Consumers know an ugly look when they see it. Three cheers for eye-liner!

Hello 2011!

1)      Rocker Chic: Studs, motorcycle jackets and black leather are back so download some Van Halen, throw your BBag on your shoulder and get ready to rock out in 2011!

2)      Bright Colors: With the end of minimalism, we can live in candy colored frocks that put smiles on people’s faces. Happy colors=fabulous!

3)      Florals: Floral patterns are everywhere and let’s face it, flowers are happy, calm, innocent and cheeky; love it!

4)      Slouchy Hobos: Slouchy and soft hobo handbags are all the rage for spring 2011. They are relaxed and understated. Perfect to pair with bright colors and patterns. Go for a neutral beige, white, black or tan.

5)      Big jewelry: Shoulder duster earrings, double cuffs and big necklaces. Look for opaque stones, cabochons and natural cuts.

Happy New Years and stay fabulous 

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