Now that all of the Spring 2009 fashion shows are over, (well, unless you count L.A., but why would you?) the Fashion Scholars have identified their usual contradictory lists of the “hottest”  trends for next spring. 

    In fact,  almost anything that showed up in two or more collections, or even in just one “important” collection, was deemed to be It for next spring,  so, depending on whom you listen to, the Next Big Thing will be one or more of the following: 
   
    Jumpsuits, sequins, mariachi [huh?] headbands,  harem pants, shoulder emphasis,  ruffles, frills (which are apparently a whole different thing than ruffles) , the 1940’s, the 1980’s, “sporty chic”, animal prints, metallics [as if those last three haven’t been regurgitated every single season since, like Fall 2002], the color lavender, sheer fabrics, nipples [brought to you by the sheer fabrics], and God only knows what else.

    The problem is, most of these prognosticators are so far inside the Fashion Forest scrambling for acorns that it’s difficult for them to sift out the significant from the silly.  [Remember feathers?  No?  Oh,  Darling, they were going to be HUGE last year!  Magazines and store catalogs advised us to waste no time incorporating something feathered into our wardrobe.  Did we not see Penelope Cruz’s Oscar dress?] 

    Of course, the truth is, not even celebrities can launch a look if it doesn’t make sense to a good chunk of the buying public. 

    In fact,  think back on some of the huge trends that have emerged (or re-emerged) over the the last decade: 

    Bootcut jeans, “floaty” tops,  ballerina flats, hoodies, day dresses, status handbags, pashmina shawls, UGG boots…
    Most are not only inherently practical, but they also tend to transcend age, class, and body type.  Indeed, many of them have crossed the Trend line into the category of Classics.  [Even status handbags—much as we’ve bashed them recently—have proven to be an undeniably good investment for many women, especially those who caught on early in the game.]

    When we look for trends in the latest runway collections, our aim is to identify and separate the major fashion cycles from all the distracting little sub-genres.  Because every look, style, trend and fad has a trajectory, and the more accurately we can gauge how high and long those trajectories are,  the better we can choose what goes into—and what goes out of—our closets.

    Over the next few posts we’ll show you some of the trend shifts we see on the horizon next year and beyond, based on, among other things, what we think style-conscious women will actually buy and wear. 
    Of course, we’ll still talk about the silly stuff as well.  After all, what would fashion be without a few feathers?