Milan Fashion Week revealed the Italian view on spring 2009 fashion: glamorous and sophisticated, sometimes opulent but very feminine. Here are some of the spring 2009 trends:
1. Bejeweled: not only evening gowns but also trenches and short coats are adorned with stones, big paillets, studs or crystals.
Alberta Ferretti, Burberry Prorsum, Derercuny, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro and Blumarine
2. Bouffant/bold shoulders and sleeves: middle-ages fashion references take a sci-fi spin with glossy leather, shiny, stiff fabrics in purest white or hottest pink.
Dolce & Gabbana, Gianfranco Ferré and Iceberg
3. Cocoon: one of the "it" silhouettes for spring 2009, loose, soft, body-hugging cocoon-shaped dresses and skirts call for a relaxed attitude.
Bottega Veneta, Marni, Burberry Prorsum, Pringle of Scotland, Dolce & Gabbana
4. Folds make for a strong fashion statement be it in a architectonic style at Ferré, a couture florescence at Scognamiglio or soft, ruffled folds like those at Pollini.
Francesco Scognamiglio, Gianfranco Ferré, Versace, Pollini and Maurizio Pecoraro
5. Fringe: flapper/cabaret-like soft fringes will adorn pretty cocktail dresses next spring. There's also a futuristic spin at Aquilano e Rimondi and Jil Sander where Raf Simons went crazy with his clothes made from what looked like human hair.
Alberta Ferretti, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Aquilano e Rimondi, Jil Sander, La Perla and Roberto Cavalli
6. Gingham and its derivates prints were a refreshing look for spring 2009, due to the combination traditional masculine patterns - flimsy short dresses.
Burberry Prorsum, Just Cavalli, Marni and MaxMara
7. Gold: the typical luxury mark, gold was seen a lot on the runways at Milan. If you're afraid of looking tacky, opt for a simple cut top or for a golden mini dress.
D&G, Dsquared, Etro, La Perla and Versace
8. Intricate: nothing it's simple anymore! A textured surface says 'hip' faster than anything else. Look for loose lace-like knits and laser-cut patterns.
Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Pringle of Scotland, Salvatore Ferragamo, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli
9. Jumpsuit: it emerged few seasons ago and no one thought it will kick off as a trend. Nowadays, thanks to street-style blogs, you can see fashionistas of all ages sporting jumpsuits in real life. So you should get one before it goes mainstream. With the spring 2009 tailored, sexy sophisticated jumpsuits the choice should be easy.
Etro, Francesco Scognamiglio, Giorgio Armani, Iceberg, Moschino, MaxMara
10. One-shoulder: Just like jumpsuits, one-shoulder dresses are not a new thing in fashion but I'm glad they stuck in the top trends for spring 2009. Also I absolutely love these dresses here.
Bottega Veneta, Emilio Pucci, Iceberg, Giorgio Armani and Versace What's new though is the one-sleeve look which I don't necessarily dig. Despite looking pretty awkward, many designers embraced this look be it jumpsuits, short dresses or evening gowns.
Iceberg, Moschino C&C, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo and Aquilano e Rimondi
11. Rose garden: if it's not jewels, fringes or couture folds than fabric roses is the way to make your clothes stand out from the crowd. A dress adorn with dozens of roses appliqué definitely says spring.
Dolce&Gabbana, Fendi, Francesco Sconamiglio and Moschino
