Spring has sprung and brought with it...

If I had to sum up the biggest message coming out of New York Fashion Week to us consumers already starting to think about spring wardrobes, I could easily do it in a simple two word sentence; think light.

At a time when our economy seems to be taking a steeper and steeper fall into a black hole, or perhaps the better color would be red, and America is in great need of a Prozac than ever before, it seems that the designers are all somehow incorporating a sense of lightness into their collections that acknowledges the move to the more simplistic Americans are turning to due to the economy.

One of the easiest to spot was color. As is typical in spring, a time of renewal and birth, collections incorporated a great deal of lighter tones that go with the season, as well as the need for happiness and optimism we are craving. Luca Luca stuck to a mostly white palette in their line, the closest thing to black being a sort of inky-grey, while Badgley Mischka paired anything black with something of a lighter tone. A great deal of designers also used whitish shades hues of colors, a particular favorite seeming to be something in the buttercup range of yellow.

Another noticeable trend seemed to be lightweight fabrics, some going as far as to be completely sheer. Designers had no problem having pieces that showed the wearers god-given assets to the world, Calvin Klein’s see-through raincoat taking the cake as one of the more daring, and perhaps the most unreadily wearable, pieces. On the more conservative side, this trend translated into the use of tulle and chiffon in a great number of collections. Doing it best, I felt, was Monique Lhuillier, who toned down on beading and let the fabric do all the talking.

My Favorite Designer Award goes to....

When I considered who my favorite designer was, it was hard for me to pick just one. The world of fashion brings with it so many different and equally amazing designers… Elie Saab, Karl Lagerfeld, Tracey Reese, Zac Posen, Tom Ford… the list could go on and on. In the end, however, the decision became quite clear to me. It was the one designer I would go to if I ever had the occasion, or better yet the money, to wear one of their amazing pieces, it was the one who both brides and celebrities turn to when they want classic elegance and femininity with just a dash of the modern, it was Monique Lhuillier.

For me, the best part about her as a designer is that she doesn’t over do it. Her collections don’t rely on excess, and the embellishments she does use are always paired with simple elements that don’t leave you thinking a preschooler with a bunch of arts supplies got let loose on the collection. Her looks accent the femininity of the wearer without showing you just what exactly makes her a woman, and while her designs might sometime get a bit repetitive, she always finds some way to make an outfit look fresh.

I’ll always remember the first time I fell in love with a Monique Lhuillier design. I was searching through bridal websites in one of my semi-regular dream wedding dress searches when this striking lace dress popped up and caught my attention. It was an almost an exact replica of the dress worn by Grace Kelly on her wedding day, except for the lower-cut neckline. I think I fell in love with that dress because of the almost direct copy of the past, with just that little bit of modern to it.