Spring fashion 2013: The top 15 trends on the runways this season
Get ready to peel back those layers, kids. Here comes the sun. Spring 2013 is finally upon us, and with it comes an onslaught of new fashionable desires. To prep, we’ve distilled a month long of fashion shows from New York, London, Milan and Paris and have brought you the top 15 trends you’ll need bookmarked.
Consider this your style bible for the next 6 months, as we’ll constantly be adding trend-based shopping picks, street style galleries, photo shoots, DIYs and more. From Marc Jacobs’ 1960s Edie Sedgwick infatuation to Dries Van Noten and Phillip Lim’s ode to 1990s grunge, believe us, we’ll have plenty of Spring 2013 fashion goodness to work from.
Aside from the various time stamps, designers found inspiration worldwide this season: Japan (Prada, Haider Ackermann and Etro were all Asian-inspired), Italy (Proenza Schouler and Altuzarra put heels on the gladiator sandal), the US West Coast (beach prints reigned supreme at Victoria Beckham), the travelling music festival (Coachella 2013 brought to you by Tory Burch and Isabel Marant?) and even underwater (say hello to Seapunk, your newest fascination).
They travelled around the body too, revealing new erogenous zones for the fashion hungry to zoom in on: midriffs (crop tops at JW Anderson and Michael Kors!), shoulders (strapless at Chanel and Gucci!), legs (short shorts everywhere!)—they’re all hot this season.
But before you become overwhelmed by Spring 2013 fashion’s latest and greatest trends, take a bit of advice from us to you: Choose what works for you and stick to it. While the ghost of Kurt Cobain’s certainly a-callin’, you might not want to go head-to-toe plaid. Pick and choose girl, it’s your season.
1990s
The new wave of 1990s-inspired plaids, slip dresses and faded florals marks the return of grunge this spring.
Festival Fashion
Every year around this time, thousands of music lovers prepare to flock to locales across North America and Europe for weekend-long celebrations.
Crop top
Last year’s infatuation with the crop top is back for another round and midriffs are having a skin-is-in moment.
Floral print
“Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.” Miranda Priestley’s famed catty retort from The Devil Wears Prada may live on in infamy.
1960s
Op art prints, doll-like proportions and Crayola-box brights create a totally new vibe for the ongoing 1960s trend this season.
Ruffles
When the Paris makes a fashion statement, people listen. This season the message was loud and clear. Ruffles—from pretty frills to oversized decoration—are big.
Primary colours
Think school’s out for summer? Think again: Cobalt blue, fire-engine red and canary yellow make the grade when mixed or worn monochromatic.
Seapunk
Spring 2013’s Seapunk trend is a product of one of the strangest intersections we’ve seen in a long while. Part Little Mermaid, part 1990s computer.
Stripes
Whether horizontal, vertical, thin, thick, black and white or in living colour, stripes make a graphic statement, day or night.
Metallic
Out with the gold, in with the new: The metallic trend’s got a whole new motto for Spring 2013. Designers have put the pedal to the metal.
Shorts
Shorts are continuing to improve on their cool factor this season with many different lengths and styles to choose from.
Off the shoulder
Call it the Michelle Obama effect: Shoulders are in. After a long winter of covering up, this erogenous zone shares the spotlight with bare midriffs.
Checker
When model duos descended on a bank of escalators to a giant checkerboard runway in Louis Vuitton’s signature Damier print, it was clear that this was a major trend.
Photo print
Drawing on inspiration from the ongoing digital print phenomenon, the photo print trend is an innovative way designers are creating wearable artwork.
Accessories
This season, designers updated old classics to create new statement pieces.
