spring 2011

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 

Prada1

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

Twisted Silver necklace is hot for spring!

 in Eco Chic / General Fashion / Jewelry / Local Designers  tagged necklaces / outfits / spring 2011 / twisted silver by

Twisted Silver, which is a hot jewelry line from right here in the Bay Area, has a fabulous necklace for spring that fits right into the spring 2011 jewelry trends from the runways. The runways in Paris, New York, Milan and London moved away from minimalism and into bold jewelry designs for spring. There were linear creations, bib necklaces, fringe necklaces, chokers and larger pendants.

The Moab Rocker necklace from Twisted Silver fits right into the large pendant trend and also doubles for the choker trend. The necklace sits right on the collar bone and features a unique, vintage silver leaf-like drop pendant that is made from a hand forged vintage spoon. The recycled or “up-cycled” vintage spoon pendant makes the Moab Rocker both on trend and green. Love it! The necklace is also adjustable so you can easily wear it over a turtleneck or adjust the drop of the pendant.

The Moab Rocker from Twisted Silver is made from both silver and brass. The pendant ranges in size from two inches to three inches depending upon the piece. Each necklace is one of a kind since they are hand-made. The Moab Rocker is a great investment for spring as well as fall 2011. The runway shows have recently ended in Berlin and Rio for fall 2011 and Paris Haute Couture is currently underway. The shows which have already taken place have given Fashionistas a glimpse into the trends which may appear on the Milan, New York and London catwalks. The fall 2011 jewelry trends are, thus far, a continuation of spring 2011 with even more pendants appearing in designer collections.

The Moab Rocker is priced at $70 and can be found online at twisted-silver.com. As a Bay Area Fashionista reader, you can receive a special discount of 15% off on your order by entering the coupon code INSIDERS at check-out. Happy shopping and stay fabulous 

MoabRocker MoabRocker1 MoabRocker4 MoabRocker2

Photos: Moab Rocker c/o Twisted Silver Photos 1, 2, 3 Bay Area Fashionista. Photo 4 courtesy of Twisted Silver

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.