FIENDTHURSDAY: GENDER SWAP

GIRLS WHO WEAR BOYS' CLOTHES

All the cool kids are wearing it and all the hip designers are making it: the boyfriend jacket, Spring's quintessential staple.

It's a versatile piece that can be incorporated in a woman's closet for seasons to come.

Dress it down and make it younger via Alexander Wang [bottom right] with short shorts or adopt it for an older, more mature look with rolled up sleeves and paired with trousers as seen at Stella McCartney [top and bottom left].

Take it from runway to street-ready with skinny jeans and a tank top or a mini dress with strappy sandals.














Photo Credits: Stella McCartney and Alexander Wang from style.com

FIENDWEDNESDAY: GEOMETRY RULES

GRIDLOCKED

Dries Van Noten [top right, bottom left] and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel [bottom center, bottom right] both had standout collections this season with wide influences. The common denominator between the two was their shared love of gridlock patterns on classic silhouettes. Below, some highlights from the collections that demonstrate their mutual fascination with grids.






Photo Credits: Chanel and Dries Van Noten from style.com

FIENDTUESDAY: DAYWEAR

SPOT ON

They're back and they're all over your clothes.

Polka dots made a return to the runways this season. Although they made up a small part of the larger geometric trend that informed collections from Dries Van Noten and even Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, designers used the pattern on everything from dresses, pajama pants, and accessories.

Paul and Joe [top left] took a more classic approach with an a-line maxi dress while Alberta Ferretti modernized the pattern in a sophisticated sheer top. Brian Atwood [bottom left] gave polka dots sex appeal with his tie-heels.















Photo Credits: Paul and Joe from nymag.com, Brian Atwood and Alberta Ferretti from style.com

FIENDMONDAY: TREND WATCH

MAXI-MUM IMPACT

Despite having been a major trend last season that didn't necessarily deliver on retail floors, the maxi dress is back again for Spring. This time in moderation.

In a season where floor-length dresses are de rigueur alongside mini dresses, the rules are becoming less rigorous and more fluid. Consumers are challenging designers to raise the stakes of creativity while still appealing to the frugal pennypincher's mindset.

Versace [top left, bottom right], Paul and Joe [bottom left], and Roberto Cavalli [bottom center] all offer variations of the mini-trend. They illusrtate the obsession designers have with shoulders this season, (they're the new erogenous zone), and offer pieces that can be dressed to last for more than one activity or event.


Photo Credits: Versace and Roberto Cavalli from style.com, Paul and Joe from nymag.com

FIENDFRIDAY:WILDCARD FAIR

IS IT SPRING YET?

Someone asked me the other day when she should start wearing the new Spring items she recently added to her wardrobe. While some people still believe in and hold fast to old traditions like not wearing white after labor day or saving certain colors for specific seasons, the truth is a lot has changed.

There will always be the strict constructionists of the fashion code of ethics who practice everything just right, but what is chic now and forever is cultivating and feeling confident in your own style. What is chic now are subtle tweaks that take a safe outfit to edgy heights with one element being just a bit off, or semingly out of place. It's all about juxtaposing to create tension.

Whether you're pairing a masculine, aggressive square-shouldered jacket ala Balmain [bottom left] or Louis Vuitton with a demure Dior dress [bottom right], or a long boyfriend jacket with shorts via Stella McCartney[upper right], it's about adding that element of surprise that makes it fresh and renders it truly chic.


Photo Credits: Balmain, Dior, Stella McCartney from style.com

FIENDTHURSDAY: Eveningwear

These gowns represent some of the finest examples of draping designers offered this Spring. From Valentino [bottom left], where Alessandra Facchinetti presented her first and her last collection for the legenary house, to Sophia Kokosalaki [center], and Haider Ackermann [top left].






Photo Credits: Valentino, Sophia Kokosalaki, and Haider Ackermann from style.com

FIENDWEDNESDAY: Accessories

SLITHERY SANDALS

Right on time for Spring 2009's desert trend are a slew of python sandals from Marc Jacobs [right], Bottega Veneta [bottom center], and Alexandra Neel [left].

Last spring the season was divided between the nautical and safari trends. Spring 2009 ushers in a dryer desert trend that is both bold and basic, juxtaposing simple, well-made pieces with statement accessories.

These sandals are a nod to the trend with just enough bite to complete the look.




Photo Credits: Alexandra Neel, Bottega Veneta, and Marc Jacobs from style.com