Second week.

Big assignments this week. Big as in time consuming. And so fun. The first was to look through the collections from fashion schools around the world and get a feel for what the trends were in each area. Those European schools blow us out of the water. Royal Academy of Fine Arts (located in Antwerp) was especially impressive. Once I tackled the schools and did a little write up on each, the next day I was given the nearly-overwhelming task of Resort Wear 2010.

The focus for Resort was on key items and after looking at nearly 3,000 images, I compiled a list of trends that popped up repeatedly. Cropped pants, cuffed pants, peg leg pants, wide leg pants, draped pants, harem pants, patterned leggings, jumpsuits/rompers, hot pants...and those are just the pants. There are also multiple categories for dresses, tops, skirts, coats, bathing suits, cover-ups, bags, jewelry, head wear, eye wear, shoes, accessories, prints, fabrics, details, and overall theme.

Color was another category all together: reds ranged from burgundy to candy apple, oranges and yellows were more muted, coral, hot pink, and magenta all made an appearance. On the cooler end of the spectrum, cobalt and electric blue are huge, as are purple and navy. Neutrals were classic black and white, sophisticated gray, and many shades of taupe, nude, and peach.

After I finally got through those images and had written it up, Couture was next. Couture is much more about attention to detail, silhouette, and design direction or theme. For couture, I believe images speak louder than words.

Armani Prive.

Christian Lacroix.

Valentino.

Jean Paul Gaultier.

Givenchy.

Dior.

Elie Saab.

Chanel.

I die.