Spring 2012 Runway Trend Snapshots

Fashion Week Trends

Clockwise from upper left; New York: Jason Wu, Rag & Bone, Tory Burch and Donna Karan; Paris: Miu Miu, Chanel, Chloé and Louis Vuitton; London: Burberry, Christopher Kane, Vivienne Westwood and Matthew Williamson; Milan: Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli and Emporio Armani (courtesy Style.com and Vogue.com)

New York

The urban jungle was the spotlight at Michael Kors and Donna Karan while neon blazed through just about every other runway show (including Jason Wu). And–if you’re old enough to remember–don’t tell us that you did it once in the 80s and that’s enough. Blah, blah, blah. Even Bobbi Brown, the mistress of understated beauty, has created a neon palette for spring! In contrast, Tory Burch’s sublime first runway show featured a feminine flapper nod and embraced a romantic patisserie palette that has us craving Lauderee macarons. And for every designer not going all-out girly girl,  tailoring was in — meaning sharp dressed women nearly outnumbered sharp dressed men.

Paris

While Dior watch is still on and rumors continue to swirl around Jil Sander menswear designer Raf Simons as a possible candidate for head designer, the clothes at the luxury house have not been the biggest news. But at Chloé, frills have given way to clean, linear looks for spring. At Louis Vuitton and Chanel, bags are always a highlight — so that meant lace at LV and seashell clutches at the house of the double C. Holy mother of pearl! We can hardly wait to wrap our tentacles around one of these gorgeous numbers!

Milan

Italian designers are never shy — and this spring is all about embracing your star-spangles sparkle–on the dresses (at Gucci and Cavalli) and the runway (Dolce’s flashy farmer’s markets). And then, there’s Mr. Armani. His idea of sparkle is embracing the inner variety. Emporio Armani’s sleek tailored looks were signature Armani — and with the 90s coming back, too, we still adore his mastery of minimalism, even if the season called for the addition of a few more bells and whistles.

London

We may be Fashion Trends Daily, but we love that London girls don’t get their knickers in a twist about following the latest trends. Now, that doesn’t mean some safari didn’t sneak into the Burberry girl’s closet: woven bags swung from their arms and tribal belts cinched their signature trenches. Matthew Williamson’s always loved color (Christopher Kane’s no stranger to it either), but his saturated oranges verged on New York’s neons, giving spring a rainbow that will span the Atlantic. But leave it to Dame Vivienne to stay true to her roots: Bellatrix Lestrange would have packed these clothes on her luxury cruise for a look that was pure haute pauper. Fishnets, holy socks and mesh made an appearance with refined brocade corset-style blouses and jackets, brocade dresses and more. Cheers to a new take on hi-low dressing!

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Author:Christopher Luu for Fashion Trends Daily

Christopher Luu is a Fashion Trends Daily Senior Writer and Menswear Editor.