This is a review of the key
pastel fashion looks for the
summer season of 2012. This article describes in
detail the main pastel styles
in women's dresses, jeans, shorts and other feminine fashion.
This year soft pretty gentle sugar sorbet pastels give bright
jewel and neon hues a run for their money. Pale colours are a
hot fashion trend. Everyone can
instantly update their wardrobe at budget friendly ticket prices
in 2012. Retailers have sourced plenty of coloured jeans and
shorts in pastel colours for 2012.
Right - Perfect Pastel Pants - Lilac jeans from Republic and
teamed with the latest cropped floral bustier bra top.
Colour
blocking continues to be important for fashion in 2012.
Pantones' colours include tangerine tango a hot bright orange,
but softer paler colours like pastel peach is in line with the
mood for pastel tints. The softer Pantone hues include Sweet
Lilac, a pastel Willow Green and Cockatoo a mellow sea green.
Right - Pantone Sweet Lilac Colour 14-2808.
Left - Colour Pantone - Cockatoo 14.5420.
Add white to any of these colours and you get pretty softer
pastel tints of the same colour base.
Above Left - PANTONE 14-0116 Margarita - A piquant yellow-green.
Above Right - PANTONE 18-3628 Bellflower - A distinct ornamental purple.
Above Left - PANTONE 13-0759 Solar Power - An energetic yellow.
Above Right - PANTONE 18-2140 Cabaret - A rosy red.
Mix the colours up and you get pretty prints like this Aztec
styled top.
Tribal Aztec Print Top in Multi Colour £12.99 Pilot Clothing
Stockist Number: +44 24 7671 8834 - pilotfashion.com.
New Look a UK retailer with fast fashion appeal sell many
budget line garments and they offer many garments in paler
colours - these pastel jeans are a great example of their
ability to get catwalk looks to high street level.
Other
retailers across the high street such as Dorothy Perkins, Marks
& Spencer also have pastel tint jeans and pants in their
ranges too.
Above - Pastel Coloured Jeans From New Look SS2012.
In 2012 you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting
a new pair of pastel coloured holiday jeans.
Little easy over-blouse tops compete with the crop top. But
whichever you select the pastel top is the ideal top for teaming
with jeans or cotton shorts.
Left - Miss Selfridge SS12 - Peach Bra Top & Pastel Stripe
Skirt.
Right - Republic SS12 Pastel Pink With Denim Fashion.
»
Yes - the crop top is back, but only for those with superb abs. If
you have any flab forget this look unless you are prepared to
spend hours in the gym or doing Pilates. Please don't show that
muffin top as this look sits above high waisted trousers. It's
not low slung, or on the hip, but firmly placed well above the
waistline.
Summary - Top 2012 Spring Summer Fashion Trends
Fashion Looks - The strongest fashion trend stories for Spring & Summer 2012
include Pretty Pastels, Peplums, 60s A-line Silhouettes, 1920's
Jazz Age Retro, Red to Tangerine Peach Tones, Perfect Pleats, Leather
& Lace, Sporty Styling, Summer Body Reveal - Midriff Hi Tops & Shorts.
This is all shown on the main
SS2012
fashion trends page.
SS12 Catwalk Colours
All of these new season fashion moods acknowledge pastel
colours as such an important fashion element. The delicacy of
pastel tints combined with silks and suede all add extra luxury
factors to the ownership of such garments.
Left &
Right - Philip Lim Catwalk - Pastels Top, Pastel Peach & Lilac
Mauve Pants.
Left - Catwalk Fashion By Tibi - Peach Pastel
Shorts/Jacket.
Centre - Hybrid Frill Apricot Orange Pencil Dress £85
Lovarni.com.
Far Right - SS12 Mint Velvet Peach Orange Dropped Waist Hip Yoke Summer Skirt -
£59/€79.
Mint Velvet SS12 Stockist Number: 0845 456 2200.
Pastel Peach Apricot Twenties
Hip Focus Dropped Waistlines
The 1920s look has dropped waists and peach or
oyster pastels
suit this look so well.
Above Left & Centre - SS12 Philosophy Catwalk -
Pastel Peach Retro Twenties Dropped Waist Trimmed & Beaded Dresses.
Above Centre
Right - Pastel Contrast Biba Pastel Nude Beaded Retro Dropped
Waist Flapper Dress £225/€257.
Biba Ivory 'Faith' Clutch £145/€174. All at House of Fraser
- Stockist Number: 020 7003
4000.
Films that are influencing twenties retro
fashion silhouettes include W.E and TV's Downton Abbey. The
dropped waist adds a new dimension to dresses which until now
have focused more on body con styling.
On the catwalk beaded, fringed and chevron patterned drop-waist
styles added a Charleston vibe for the modern world. Fringe
always adds a twenties touch and some tops almost morph into dresses
when the fringe reaches the ankles as this one right does.
Above Right - Miss Selfridge Lemon Top £45.
Left - Pastel Lemon Beaded Retro Twenties Flapper Dress From New
Look.
Left - Pastel Colour Mixing on The Philosophy Catwalk SS12.
Centre - Marks & Spencer Park Avenue Pink Mini Dress £39.50, Bag
£22.50. Also shown in header.
Left - Pastels At Matalan SS12 Women's - Sorbet Coloured Block
Vest £7, Multi Hoop Drop Earrings £6, Coloured Skinny Jean £16
Matalan. Stockist Tel: 0845 330 3330.
‡
Pastel Peplums
Right - Marks & Spencer Pastel Pink Peplum Dress.
Left - Monsoon Lemon Lauren Dress £100/€155 -
Due April.
Monsoon Stockist Number: 08448110068.
Colour Mixing - Look for Pretty Pastels, Dolly Mixture, Sugar Almond, Sweet
Pea, Macaroon or Sorbet Ice Tints. Pastels come in every fabric
- silks, satins, matt cottons, brocades, textured contrast yarns.
Lemon & White
Left - Pale Lemon Dress - Marks & Spencer SS12.
Centre - Miss Selfridge SS12 Pale Lemon & White Dress - Womenswear.
Right - Monsoon Lemon Brocade Cambridge Dress - £95/€150. Monsoon Stockist
Number: 08448110068.
Luxe sportswear takes inspiration from the
track or field. This look embraces techno fabrics and very often
uses softer paler colours instead of more utilitarian greys or
navy. Look for
silky track pants, tops with sheer mesh panels, racer backs, go
faster stripes that define garment shapes on shoulders and leg
seam lines.
If you like more girly looks and are currently fixated on
dresses, then try this River Island body con dress which makes
use of this effect with a contrast mesh insert.
Left - River Island SS12 -
Hartley Neon Lemon Aertex Dress, £40 - River Island SS12 WW
Clothing Stockist Number: 0208 991 4904 or Riverisland.com.
Centre - New Look SS12 - Yellow Neon Sheer Shell Shirt
£19.99/€24.99 Under Orange Neon Bandeau £3.99/€4.99, Nude With
Neon Go Faster Stripe Tracksuit Pants £22.99/€29.99 - Newlook.com.
Right - Debenhams SS12 Sporty Body Con Dress.
Shaded Pastels
A wide range of fashion pieces are showing shaded Ombre effects
throughout their ranges. Blue mixed fading into citrine lemon is
a typical colour combo.
Left - Miss Selfridge SS12 Womenswear.
Centre - Catwalk Fashion.
Right - Miss Selfridge Pastel Shaded Dress. Miss Selfridge
SS2012 Fashionwear.
Cutaway Pastels
These dresses have cutaway waistlines and the centre dress has
cutaway armholes.
Left - Citrus Yellow Waist Cut Out Dress ASOS.com.
Above Centre - New Look Striped
Pastel/Black Dress. Right - Pastel Shaded Cut Out Dress.
Whether your style is to wear trousers or a
ladylike dress, mint/aquamarine tones add the perfect unusual
pastel colour to your next new pieces. Aquamarine looks
especially pretty but expensive when worked as a floral or scarf
print.
Left - Sea Foam Claire Dress £110/€170 - Monsoon Stockist
Number: 08448110068.
Centre - Marks & Spencer SS12 - Deco Diva M&S Jacket £49.50, Top
£25, Wide Palazzo Mint Green Trousers £35, Earrings £7.50, Belt
£35, Shoes £29.50.
Right - Marks & Spencer Per Una SS12 Pastel Aqua Lemons Scarf
Print 60's Retro Dress.
Right - Pantone Colour - Cockatoo.
Flatter, soft and subtle brocade fabrics add interest to
simple shapes like this halter neck dress. Simple shapes such as
shifts display brocade and decorative patterns to best
advantage. The onlooker focuses on the garment fabric rather
than the silhouette. In this case the soft aquamarine mint
colours look delicate and dreamy set against silver and pink
tones. 0.
Left and Right - River Island Dress From River Island SS12
WW Campaign. River Island Stockist Number: 0208 991 4904 or
www.riverisland.com.
Materials & Surface Texture in Fabrics Spring Summer 2012
Texture and contrasting textures such as brocade, lace and
beading are important for 2012. Quilting has made a welcome return
and combined with a floral print looks fresh and new. The suede shoes also add textural
interest and hone on one of springs hottest trends of pastel
colours.
Left - ASOS SS12 Mint Green Floral Rose Print Jacket.
Right - Marisota SS12 - Aquamarine/Mint Green/Jade - Strappy
Heeled Sandals.
Copyright of images courtesy of Prshots.com,
ASOS, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Lovarni.com, Marks & Spencer,
Marisota, Matalan, Mint Velvet, Miss Selfridge, M&Co, Monsoon,
New Look, Penneys, Republic, River Island, Swarovski, Warehouse.
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Colour
blocking continues to be important for fashion in 2012.
Pantones' colours include tangerine tango a hot bright orange,
but softer paler colours like pastel peach is in line with the
mood for pastel tints. The softer Pantone hues include Sweet
Lilac, a pastel Willow Green and Cockatoo a mellow sea green.
