runway trends


Spring 2014 color trends: pink

Pink is one of the hottest colors for the spring/summer 2014 season. Emerging from resort 2014’s fuchsia trend, pink has become one of the top colors favored by store buyers and consumers for the warm weather season.

The runways in New York, Paris, Milan and London showed a variety of rainbow colors for spring/summer 2014. While pink graced the runways, it was by no means a dominant hue. During the resort 2014 season, store buyers and consumers favored both pink and cobalt blue, leading stores to stock up on the sweet hue for spring. The result? Pink is dominating store shelves more than the “IT” color of 2014; Radiant Orchid. Can it be?!

Normally associated with flowers, demure styles and innocent personas, pink is sometimes ignored by more sophisticated dressers and those who want to project a more mature being. Not for spring 2014! Pink is being shown in every shade imaginable from sweet pastels through to bold neon hues. Pink is taking the season by storm and not allowing anyone to classify it as a “girly-girl” type of hue. 

Since pink is being shown in so many variations for spring 2014, it is taking on many personalities. At Burberry, pink was shown as an accent to traditional classic hues; making it the perfect way to add a pop of color to an ensemble as well as a way to update one’s look. Burberry also showed pink on vintage inspired silhouettes perfect for a wedding or fundraising luncheon. Chanel gave pink an edgy 1980’s look on its’ couture runway in both medium and pastel shades. 

There are also designers showing pink for spring/summer 2014 who did not show the hue on their fashion week runways! Valentino is showing neon pink on store shelves as is Rebecca Minkoff. Gucci is also showing pink for spring although after watching the Italian powerhouse’s runway show from spring/summer 2014 one would have assumed to see purple, purple and more purple!

It is interesting how consumer interest and store buyers are able to sway which colors actually make it from the runway to store shelves; and ultimately reality. After all, if it was on the runway and it never made it to the store, how will it make it to reality? Just a side note 😉

What do you think of pink for spring/summer 2014? Will you be wearing it? 

Shop pink for spring and summer 2014:


Chunky heels for spring 2014

The chunky heel is back! Chunky, thick and stacked heels graced the runways for spring/summer 2014 in New York, Paris, Milan and London signaling a slow end to the tall and skinny heel. (The skinny heel will never disappear, but it is not the only choice anymore!) Ankles everywhere are thanking designers as we speak 😉

Chunky heels for spring 2014 bring a new feeling of stability to fashion; allowing Fashionistas everywhere to walk with confidence and stand for long periods of time without tipping over. Love that! Heels on the runways for spring/summer 2014 were shown in varying heights from 1″ through to 4″ and they were generally shown with flat soles. The design of the heels varied according to the designer and his/her inspiration for that particular collection. 

The most popular versions of the chunky heel included stacked heels, wooden heels, sculpted heels (think Dolce & Gabbana pillars) and leather/fabric covered thick heels. All versions of the thicker, chunkier heel are on trend for the spring/summer 2014 season. If you have any chunky or thick heels hiding in the back of your closet this is the perfect season to bring them back life! Just make sure they are not platforms 😉 Think flat sole or “single soled” shoes.

The shorter versions of the chunky heel, 1″ to 2″, offer a vintage vibe which reflects many spring/summer 2014 collections that have a 1950’s and 1960’s flair. The taller chunky heels, 3″ to 4″, offer more of a 1970’s vibe and look amazing with the flowing wide pants of the season.

This is the beginning of the return of the chunky heel, so you can rest assured this trend will continue for several seasons to come. To build the perfect chunky heel wardrobe, find the heel height you are comfortable in and then invest! Look for neutral shoes first and then add one or two colorful pairs to the mix. You will find yourself wearing this style all the time since they are actually comfortable! Imagine that?! Fashion can be comfortable and practical; who knew?!

I found a few fabulous pairs of chunky and thick heeled shoes around the web and assembled them into the shopping widget below. I hope you love them! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

Shop the trend:


The return of the cutout bootie for spring 2014

Cutouts on booties, boots and sandals dominated the runways in New York, Milan, London and Paris for spring/summer 2014. This gladiator inspired style has been moving in and out of fashion for the past several years, and after a minor lapse, the style has re-emerged for spring 2014 as one of the most important shoe styles (besides the stacked heel) for the spring and summer 2014 seasons.

Cutouts are everywhere for spring 2014. We are seeing them mostly on booties as early spring merchandise hits store shelves; but as the season matures, we will see cutouts on everything from sandals to pumps. If you already wore the cutout trend in a past season, pull those booties, sandals, gladiator sandals and boots out from the back of your closet; they are hot again! If not, this is a good trend to invest in for the 2014 year. Cutout booties will carry you through spring, summer and the warm temperatures in fall 2014. 

The cutout shoe was favored by designers for spring 2014 since the trend in fashion is going towards a more earthy vibe. We are seeing tribal influences, “retro hippie styles” and soft, flowing fabrics. These types of trends in apparel call for a less structured shoe which is more casual in nature. The cutout style works well in this moment since it offers a casual look which blends well with the seasons’ prints, tribal styles and earthy vibe.

When shopping for cutouts on shoes this season, pay close attention to the sole and the heel. The sole should be flat and the heel should be thick or stacked. Look for wooden tones on heels, even with black fabrications. This is not a season for spiked heels! The thicker the heel the better! Also look for sculptured heels and polished “wood-like”grains. 

I found a few fabulous spring 2014, cutout booties around the web which fit perfectly into this fabulous shoe trend. I hope you love them! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉