New Wave

Early spring fashion is sea-inspired

WRITER: ANNA G. LARSON

Whimsical and aquatic, early spring fashion brings the sea to dry land. A washed-out color scheme, fluid, flowing garments, and artistic prints form the core of early spring’s sea-worthy fashion, as seen on the spring/summer 2012 runways in New York and Paris.

Barely-there color defines early spring’s fashion. Models dressed in delicate shades of peach, pink and sea foam green, paired with white or black, floated down the runways of Chanel, Armani and Chloé. 3.1 Phillip Lim offered slightly different colors, with an array of washed-out neons.

The delicate colors correlate well with the graceful, easy-to-wear nature of this season’s fashions. The Row’s angelic Grecian dresses and the airy layers seen on the 3.1 Phillip Lim runway were simple and breezy. On the Chloé runway, pleated tops and dresses fell fluidly like waterfalls. Chanel added dimension to skirts and tops using gathering techniques, gorgeously mimicking sea anemones and coral.

When early spring’s fashion isn’t mimicking sea life, it’s mimicking water-inspired art. Artistic prints decorated dresses on the runways of Chanel and Chloé. Chanel showed watercolor-like fabrics, while the Chloé runways were dotted with dresses resembling smudged pastel drawings.

The sea-inspired and artistic nature of early spring fashion gives us a taste of the spring and summer fashion that is still to come―don’t be afraid to go with the flow. [AWM]

WRITER: PATRICIA CARLSON