dries van noten spring 2012

a glitch of nature would be the simplest way to summarize dries van noten's spring collection. the master of artful patterns chose to use hyperrealistic digital prints of nighttime cityscapes, barren ocean seas, pastoral vistas and lush tropical jungles. these views were cut into voluminous dresses, creating a sort of pattern-block of images: a modernist treatment of natural subjects.

dries expressed a clever similarity between the hushed lights of a city skyline and the twinkling of jewel embellishments down the panel of a shirt.  monochrome matador jackets toned down their wild embellishments, and a circus circus casino marquee graphic added to the gamely feeling of the collection. a tangential grouping of inspirations, yes, but in the hands of dries the outcome is always intellectual and centered.

versus spring 2012

you'd expect sex from Donatella and color from Kane, but the two designers at the helm of Versus refined their respective trademarks this season. sports influences have been everywhere for spring, and this collection took a lighter, more feminine approach to athletics. the palette - mint, pale yellow, light pink, lilac - turned dresses with revealing slits into definite daywear. pleats, backed by black or white, were replicas of cheeleaders' skirts, and a scale print appeared athletically engineered. the few prints in the collection were blurred, adding a feeling of motion.

reinforced water-resistant zippers were borrowed from outdoors attire. aside from the patent strappy heels, there were little marketable accessories. but perhaps the girl Versus is thinking of needs little more than a sporty utilitarian clutch.

images via vogue.com

flora+fauna

flower motifs are sprouting up on many a runway in new york and london. floral is always a strong spring trend, but designers are amplifying the print into fields of floral dresses, dizzying layers of petals and stems, and realistic digital prints. no longer reserved for subtle embellishments, flowers are growing wild across the fabric of spring.

vibrant gerberas at Mary Katrantzou

sunflowers, inspired by Van Gogh's paintings, at Rodarte

birds of paradise at Altuzarra

Jason Wu's orchid print, a collaboration with graffiti artist KAWS

Prabal Gurung showed some trippy kaleidoscope petunia prints and hypnotic metallic purple (seemingly dripped onto sheer skirts)

Christopher Kane's floral grab-bag

images via vogue.com, style.com