I like the Spring / Summer 2013 trends.

Britain’s been buzzing recently after the struggling little sun made a welcomed appearance. Unfortunately it's still pretty cold outside but fear not! The weather is indeed heating up and that means the prospect of the new season is in sight!

So with Spring/Summer 2013 just around the corner, I think it's time to take a look at the new season trends.

 TRENDS 

 Sports Luxe 

 Smells like Teen Spirit 
Go Bold or Go Home
Out of Asia

 Sixties Springtime 
 Always a Woman 
 Minimalism 
 Sheer Spring 
 Sci-fi Goes Street 

 COLOURS 

 It's all White 

 Monochrome 
 Fluro Fashion 
Laduree Colours 

 Red Alert 

 PRINTS 

 Geometric 
 Floral Fancy 


 Micro trends and key pieces 

TRENDS

Sports Luxe.

Not this trend's first moment in the sport-light recently, sports luxe is back and bold. Go Team GB! <-- Don't we all miss the Olympics so much!?

Retro kicks were sprinting all over the catwalks, with an array of designers having different takes like neon-bright Nike Air Max at Moschino Cheap & Chic, Reebok Classics at Ashish and space-age trainers at Junya Watanabe.

To get on track for spring: peg-leg track pants, sporty style skirts, retro trainers

 

This look is cool and chic

Smells like teen spirit.

Yes, one of my favourite trends, 90s grunge, is still going strong. See this post from S/S 2012 for a bit of an overview and some nice cosy nostalgia!

Seen at Ashish, Balmain, House of Holand, Topshop Unique and many more, 90s style and anti-fashion is big for spring. Embrace the spirit of punk with a grungey aesthetic and a nod to rave culture. Update your grunge look with embellished beanies, neon pink pouts and metallic heels.

It's the return of the decade that brought us grunge with a shiny twist. Street fashion is also having a moment, which is always good.

90s denim is a definite yes - Balmain revived double denim while Chanel showed off their statement denim dresses. Just Cavalli see next season's jeans being slim, light blue and distressed.

For the hard-core raver’s take on this trend, think Ibiza casual-cool with a trippy '90s twist. Try a clash of monochrome and psychedelic fluro and emotive tees and sweaters. It's a rave new world out there!

90s nostalgia numbers: plaid shirts, baggy jeans, high-waisted trousers, slip dresses, layering, zigzag and tie-dye prints, denim crop tops.

Go bold or go home

With an echo from the sports luxe trend, try out being a comic queen this season in pop prints, bold colours and sports inspired pieces for an energetic, unstoppable look. 

Listen to Neil Buchanan (nostalgia!) and make an art attack of yourself with flower collages, novelty styles, typo t shirts, pop art inspiration and a pinch of Mickey Mouse for good measure.

It's time for an urban education - this trend is loud, proud, brash and bold. We want slogan sweats, comic-bright statements, graffiti splashed joggers, crop tops emblazoned with headline-grabbing words and a cool, eye-catching varsity jacket to top it all off. 

Prints wise mismatch and clash to your heart's content with animal patterns and tile prints perfect, and don't forget the knockout accessories.

This ultimate colour bomb trend is OTT and packs a punch. 

You need this: Vibrant and bold colours, clashing prints, statement jewellery, track pants, varsity jacket, typo t-shirt.

Out of Asia.

Seen at Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Emilio Pucci and Just Cavalli, hoards of designers looked to the orient for their inspiration this season, with silky opulence in abundance as east meets west and oriental styles take to the stage.

Obi belts, kimono styles, origami pleats and folds, embroidery echoing exotic continents and enchanting, vivid prints take a staring role.

Spicy stuff: Obi sashes, kimono sleeves, origami shapes, silk, fiery / ombre shades, embellished bombers, detailing.

 

I love this look that mixes 
oriental styles with a cool
monochrome palette and a
 splash of 60s cool

Sixties Springtime

60s style was everywhere on the runways for spring/summer 13, styled in loads of ways. Go for sci-fi 60s like Markus Lupfer, Eudon Choi and many more, revive the colourful and fun 60s look like Moschino, Louis Vuitton and Holly Fulton, savour sophisticated Hitchcock 60s style like Tom Ford and Gucci and finally go oh so sexy 60s 

like Prada, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton and Moschino. 

Take a mature approach to flower power with appliqué and Broderie Anglaise. Prada and Holly Fulton decorated every surface with huge blooms and at Moschino and Versus floral was fun and very Austin Powers. 

Keep the beloved shift dress, but this season with higher hems and bold, zany prints.

Conclusion: retro has never looked this good.

60s Staples: Shift dress, bold prints, florals.

Always a woman.

Feminine fashion is definitely a big one this season, and it comes in many forms.

Pretty and prim: think like a 21st Century Debutante and do ladylike dressing with a twist - sharply cut co-ords and collars, pretty white layers and prim shirts. The classic '50s silhouette is key too - full skirts are top for this. (For a really striking look, throw in a rock chick attitude and some of the heavy duty pieces you know and love; biker boots, studded leather jackets and sultry eyes). 

Go for fabircs fit for the princess in you with opulent organza, lace, jacquard and broderie anglaise, covered in the vivid new floral prints.

Detailing is important - accessorise with catseye sunglasses, dainty brogues and a cute doctor's bag.

Demure styles were seen at Roland Mouret, Prada and Burberry Prorsum and showed us that whether ladylike and demure or sexy and sophisticated, the pencil skirt is taking centre stage this season, seen on almost every runway.

On the other side of feminine fashion it's all sugar and spice and all things nice. Perfect looks will have ‘sugar’ frills, flounces, ribbons and bows and a girl's best friend is her smock dress.

Fashion Gold: pencil skirts, ladylike handbags, smock dresses.

 Minimalism 

Strut your cultured stuff in Arthaus style, inspired by the clean lines and futuristic ethos of the Bauhaus movement, by dressing like a modernist, sleek and chic with boxy coats, geometric prints, flared trousers and strappy block heels; this is the new minimalism.

We've seen texture exerywhere this season, with pearls in abundance at Chanel, staggering blooms at McQueen and composed ruffles with austere rivets at Givenchy, but that doesn't mean minimalism was thrown out: Jil Sander's successful return collection and the controlled yet feminine vibe at Celine let us know that it's ok to be wallflower this Spring.

Sheer Shining Spring

Sparkle through spring in iridescent, opalescent fabrics in ocean and jewel shades.

The new way to wear sheer is far from 'blousy' - strip it back and work it into a graphic silhouette with Helmut Lang in the early 90s in mind. 

Light textured fabrics characterise summer styling, with sexy see-through pieces perfect for S/S 13. 

Dolce & Gabbana played with classic B&W and sheer combos with their sheer polka dot structured dresses, Balmain mixed translucent pieces and tough leather creating sexy looks, Stella McCartney created contrast with sports jackets and see-through detailing, Giambattista Valli featured precise underslips and Nina Ricci showed us a sexier, sassier side. 

Styles fit for a 'Sheen Queen' were 

seen at Louis Vuitton (with their teeny tiny sequins), Christian Dior, Viktor & Rolf (with a strong 'mirror mirror' feeling) and Burberry Prorsum, among MANY others, with iridescent fabrics grounded with simple, neutral hues for daytime chic and bold, solid colours by for a fresh night time look. Embellishment and shine isn't just for the party season!

Sci-fi Goes Street

Let’s go back to the future when fantasy meets street this season. With cult hit Game of Thrones starting off the whole sci-fi obsession, spacey styles have rocketed onto the catwalks.

Iridescent fabrics (back so soon! ^^) plus minimalist metallics, with a generous scattering of sequins, this is a trend that will make you shine like a star.

It's all fantasy, shiny and oh-so-spacey. The future is wow.

Space age stuff: iridescent bomber jackets, gold foil T-shirts, metallic shoes, 60s space boots, helmet baseball caps.

S/S 13 COLOURS

It's all white.

White styles were seen at Victoria Beckham, Alexander Wang, Jil Sander, Lacoste and Topshop and may just be the the coolest colour for spring. Crisp, simple and feminine, white is perfect for the warmer season. Wear it layered up on fluid silhouettes for a draped effect, keep it simple with fresh separates or team it with hot pink, grass green, orange and cobalt blue to make an impact.

It's like boy meets girl one of the season's hottest peices, the white tuxedo jacket. This androgynous jacket works best with long lapels and strong shoulders.

White on trend: Oversized white shirts, white tux jackets.

Monochrome

Classic and sophisticated black and white: monochrome is one of the biggest trends for this season.

For a big hit this spring get graphic in mono; black and white geometric prints, spots and stripes and zigzags, are a key look. Take a look at the PRINTS section for more on this.

For a 60s mod style wear short and sharp lines. For a fresh perspective on this add slouchy shapes and pop of bold, primary colour - splashes of cobalt blue and watermelon red make hard-lined B&W fresh for spring. 

Be black and white and cool all over.

 Fluro  Fashion 

Glow through spring in striking neon shades.

This statement trend is not for minimalists. Embrace it with same colour structural separates or soften bold pink and lewd lemon with a sheer blouse for a more delicate outcome. Hot pink, grass green, orange and cobalt blue make a great impact teamed with crisp white. 

Seen everywhere from Simone Rocha and David Koma in London, while Versus and Missoni in Milan, Proenza Schouler in New York and Hussein Chalayan in Paris, this is one hot trend that will make you reach for your sunglasses!

Laduree Colours

Dig into colours fit for a very sweet tooth - spearmint, fondant pink, violet, lemon and baby-blue. 

Seen at Mulberry, Fendi, Valentino and so many more, these sweeter than sweet colours make up a perfect pallete for the feminine trends.

Red Alert

Splashes of red will brighten up spring, especially teamed with monochrome.

S/S 13 PRINTS

Geometrics & Graphics

The likes of Mary Katrantzou, Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten and Holly Fulton all got graphic this season with linear thinking resulting in squares and checkerboard prints in abundance. We saw black and white stripes at Marc Jacobs and Tommy Hilfiger and plaid and grid formations at Armani, Jonathan Saunders, Louis Vuitton and MANY more.

With graphic prints this season, remember go bold or go home! From trompe l'oeil style, like Mary Katrantzou's stamp and banknote designs, to symmetrical swirls like those seen at Holly Fulton. With bold styles keep accessories minimal and let the not-so-passive print take the spotlight.

Geometrical prints are definely the biggest graphical prints for spring - checks, stripes, zigzags. Hit up these prints in that magical monochrome and you'll have spring style nailed.

Stripes are especially big, seen at Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood and Michael Kors. Vertical, horizontal or diagonal, it doesn't matter. Try cherry, navy and grass-green stripes for a bit of colour this spring.

Graphical goodies: items in squares and checkerboard print, monochrome check print, striped skinny trousers.

Floral fancy

It wouldn't be spring with some floral loveliness! Tropical prints are big for this season, with Moschino showing us them in turquoise and lemon, Valentino making a masterpiece of you with dresses in floral prints like water colour paintings and Luisa Beccaria adding a fresh twist with florals in light blue. Floral's not just for dresses - dare to wear a matching floral suit ensemble to liven up those spring hedgerows.

Must-have item: floral trousers.

And finally a few 'micro-trends' and some hot key pieces...

Crop shop


It's time to think 'short' for S/S 13 - cropped cuts are perfect for S/S 13, especially with jeans and jackets (see below for a bit more on that).

Balenciaga, Chanel and others featured cropped jackets, with styling like ruffled skirts and neat little shifts beneath, with Alexander McQueen showing us cropped trousers are perfect for S/S 13.


It's trouser time

Having battled through the rails of skirts and dresses trousers are holding their ground this season in an array of shapes, patterns and colours. Cropped and tailored trousers that end a few centimeters above the ankle are a spring must have.

The top designers showed us how to wear the trousers for spring - be chic and classic like Chanel, with their black power-suit ensemble, and Gucci and Paul Smith who channel Parisian timeless chic with red and fuchsia tailored pants or embrace boho style like Ralph Lauren with their palazzo pants.

Bomber jackets

Seen at Proenza Schouler, Loewe and Chanel and in line with the other cropped cuts, the bomber is the jacket style of choice this season and back with a modern twist - curved around the shoulders with added volume, or cropped short and chic - so don't disregard your much-loved leather for spring.

Sporty-style bombers were seen at Chanel, Stella McCartney and Antipodium, elegant and beautiful bombers - embossed and bejewelled with roses and big flowers - made appearances  at Loewe, and  metallic styles were seen at Jonathan Saunders.

Bermuda Shorts

Seen at Rag & Bone, Alexander Wang and Chloe, wear loose-fitting Bermudas successfully by paying attention proportion: watch out for oversized layers looking messy.

Ruffles

As seen on Givenchy’s monochrome Spring 2013 collection and at Balenciaga, in combos like statement frilly skirts paired with cropped tops with Gucci heats up demure ruffles with a splash of fun colours.

Have to have it: neck-ruffled top.

 And that’s my summary of 

the trends of S/S 13!

This is my interpretation of S/S – I’ve tried to create a comprehensive summary of the season, and these reliable sources were really helpful: ASOS Topshop Vogue Grazia

You know, I love the way the trends, especially the colour and print trends, all tie into each other and interact in different ways, like florals and the 60s, monochrome and graphic prints and sports luxe and the bold look.

Thanks to ASOS Fashion Finder and Pinterest.

Click on the item photos to visit the site.

For some more visual inspiration see my Spring/Summer 2013 Pinterest Board here.

For a cool little toy and some inspiration have a  look at this ‘ways to wear’ app thingy on ASOS.

Have a look at my ASOS Fashion Finder looks and outfits here. This is a great website so definitely take a look if you haven’t heard of it before!

Follow my blog for style tips, trend updates, cool photos, recipes and more!

I’d be more than happy for anyone who likes (or maybe loves!) this post to +1 it, Pin it, Facebook it, re-blog it, Tweet it… whatever-you-like it!

Thanks for reading and enjoy the spring!

Remember; “to the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

Pretty things are everywhere.

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