summer 2011


Men’s fall 2011 fashion trends: Red

The menswear ready-to-wear runway shows for fall 2011 have concluded with the exception of London Fashion Week which will occur February 18-23 2011. The Paris, New York, Berlin and Milan menswear fall fashion weeks all had one common theme that is safe to say will be an upcoming trend for men this fall; Red.

Red was seen splashed all over the menswear runways on everything imaginable from outerwear to pants, shirts, bags, belts, hats and shoes. Red was shown in two ways on the runway; tonal or paired with black. Although red was paired with other colors, there was a big red with black theme which gave male fashion fans a flashback to the 1980’s. The red and black pairing came in many forms such as a bold, horizontal stripped sweater from Dolce & Gabanna to a classic red peacoat with black pants on the Jill Sander runway. Louis Vuitton dressed their models in red pants, red pea coats and red clutches.

Another form of red which popped up on the runways was the red suit. The suit had a slim silhouette which had a reminiscent, new-wave vibe. The red suit was paired with a white shirt and appeared on the Louis Vuitton and Jill Sander runways.

The verdict is in! Red is hot for fall according the menswear runways. February is also a good month to find a red item for your wardrobe since red is a popular Valentine’s Day color. If you do not already own something red, why not invest in a red pea coat, red polo shirt or bold red suit? Red, although hot for fall 2011, is also considered a classic color and can be worn every season, making it a great color to invest in for the upcoming year.


Denim trends for spring 2011

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


Pantone declares Pink or Honeysuckle to be the IT color for 2011

Pantone LLC, who describes themselves as the “global authority on color,” has declared that Honeysuckle, a medium shade of pink, is the “IT” color for 2011. The exact color is 18-2120 Honeysuckle if you happen to be shopping for the dye.

From Pantone:

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”

As we saw, candy pink was one of the dominant colors designers showed for cruise and resort 2011. The spring 2011 colors were softer, more neutral and not as candy colored as they were for resort/cruise. That is not to say some designers did not show medium pink, or Honeysuckle. There were many designers who featured candy pink on the runways for spring, but not in the mass quantities as for resort.

Now that Pantone as declared Honeysuckle, or medium pink, as the color for 2011, will retailers push out pink for their spring collections? What are your thoughts on Honeysuckle (medium pink) as the hot new color for 2011?

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