prints and patterns

This is only the forth signature collection for Romanian designer Lena Criveanu and she is already considered one of the most valuable names in Romanian fashion. Among the top three, I'd say. After her debut in 2006, her career went sky high, the designer being able to build, in merely two years, a strong label with a definite style.

Online shopping can be a bit of a problem sometimes, you know. It takes a lot of time to browse through all those online stores that keep coming up and maybe you don't get the best of what you could because don't have an overview of the online market. And, with shoes, you want to find out the best deals.

Well, TheFind.com, the online shopping search engine solves this problem. My first search was peep toe espadrilles, as I wanted a pair of these- I think they're chic and comfy too. The search offered me a lot of information I needed like the average market price for this type of shoes, which is $59.00, top popular brands, shoes on sale and popular stores with store ranting list.

Plaids are no longer fall season prints. In fact I saw many fashion rules being dashed these past few season and that's a good thing, right? That's what it's all about, a permanent change and reinterpretation. I very much like this doll house (bathroom, in fact) setting from Alice+Olivia fashion show.

Ethnic accents continue to be a strong presence in fashion, merging into a globetrotter look. Spring 2008 means the revival of Asian influences brought forward into an eclectic mix: obi-style belts at Alessandro Dell'Acqua, variations on the Mao collar at 6267, Max Mara and Prada (and not only), silky fabrics, dragon prints and calligraphic motifs, kimono tops, caftan coats and cheongsam dresses. Designers took all this traditional elements from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean culture and created feminine, relaxed looks.

Left to right: 6267, Alessandro Dell'Acqua and Alessandro Dell'Acqua.

Down: Rubin Singer, Martin Grant, MaxMara, Yohji Yamamoto and Prada.

After borrowing rich colors from brilliant painters like Rembrandt and Vermeer for their fall 2007 collections, designers kept an artistic mood and, for spring 2008, they came up with one of kind abstract painterly prints. This trend brings forward a palette of clear, intense colors with splashes of white and black.

Abstract Prints

These past few seasons I hardly saw any camouflage prints like this coat from Undercover Fall 2007 collection. But for spring 2008 camouflage prints are used for all types of clothes and fabrics from sheer dresses to blazers and whole outfits.

Undercover Fall 2007

I love this crisp and dynamic trio of red, white and black. It's a classic one but always looks young and fresh. Many designers used it for their spring 2008 collections and I can see why. Neutrals combined with pops of bright red creates unique, distinctive outfits. All shades are used: poppy, tomato, rose red for an attention grabbing modern look.

Agnes B. Spring 2008