Embroidery

Have you noticed how much bold stitching and vibrant embroidery are on everything?! I went shopping with my husband last week and ended up "sightseeing" at Anthropologie. So much of their clothing and linens featured some form of hand-stitched motifs, embroidered appliques and funky trims and buttons. I kept running my fingers over the sumptuous stitching, experiencing the textures first hand (no pun intended). This trend is as much about the tactile experience as it is about the hand-sewn look. Just a few days ago I did a mini trend expedition with a group of designers. We went to a local high-end shopping center (sometimes its just fun to get out) to see how these stores were catering to a certain type of clientele. Pottery barn had pillows with detailed stitching and embroidery work on them. They were very natural in color palette and motif design: butterflies, leaves, branches. One of my favorite things I saw were a set of huge wooden buttons that hang on the wall. I don't even sew, but I was completely intrigued by them. The sight of them was just another confirmation that this needlecraft trend is huge. If you are handy with a needle and floss you must be loving this inspiring trend. If you are needle-challenged like me, get some Tulip iron-on appliques. You will be right on-trend!

The Vinyl Revival

As a trend hunter I subscribe to many trend sources. One of my favorites is Trendcentral. I am happy to report that I received a trend tidbit from them today in my inbox that answered a question I posed in my December 11th blog entry. I was wondering why record players were being marketed by Urban Outfitters when their target market is obviously not the boomer crowd who actually used these players back in the day. It's ironic, isn't it, that I am still learning all the new ways to play music on my ipod while the under 30's are being encouraged to play vinyl on an actual record player. Hmmm......... Anyway, Nielsen SoundScan says that the sale of vinyl records are growing, up 15.4% from the year before. In fact, this past fall Amazon.com introduced a vinyl-only store and now offers 150,000 records. Trendcentral tells us consumers are drawn to vinyl records for a variety of reasons: The sound of vinyl is more multi-dimensional than both CDs and digital downloads; young music collectors are digging the large album cover graphics (some of the finest representations of pop culture); and, because you can make fun stuff out of the vinyl itself when you heat it and press it into cool shapes. Have you experienced vinyl lately?

Enamel Jewelry

I love jewelry. I love to make it, buy it, wear it. So naturally, I notice it. And what I have noticed lately is enamel jewelry being all the rage. Enameling is a decorative technique - the fusion of special powdered glass to metals, most commonly copper, brass or gold, using heat to melt the powder. The result is a high-gloss, colorful finish. O Magazine dedicates an entire page in its February issue to what it calls 'artful enamel.' Banana Republic has an ad in InStyle Magazine showing a woman with stacks of geometric bracelets on her wrists. Models are wearing colorful enamel bangles, cuff and rings in various proportions in Women's Wear Daily. My favorite lustrous enamel adornments come from Anthropologie. They are brightly-colored and simplistic in pattern, optimistic, perfect for the bright palette of spring. What's great about enamel jewelry is it can be casual and sophisticated, depending on what you wear. Get your enamel on!

Fashion Meets Function

Every week I provide my company with a trend "snapshot" of what's hot right now. Last week I focused on 'When Fashion Meets Function.' I included shots of computers, cameras and phones that are fashionably cool. So today I come to work and I am checking out the Wall Street Journal and there's this article about Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, kicking off the 2008 Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas with a look at the latest innovations in "sleek, beautiful fashion computers." It's all about fashionable PC's. The Medion SIM2120, below left, has 300 Swarovski crystals embedded into its surface. The Ego-Signature, below right, is "crafted, personal and is assembled completely by hand." One of it's features is a "custom-made matching handbag." The Asus Lamborghini VX3, above right, has a leather-bound palm rest and comes in Lamborghini yellow. Not just any yellow, Lamborghini yellow! These ever-evolving gadgets are for those who want to make a style statement, and are now viewed as an accessory to ones wardrobe. What does your PC say about you?

Fashion ART

Fashion Art. The brushstroke look is a print trend for Fall 2008 - Winter 2009, so says Infomat, a fashion industry search engine. Yet this fabulously artsy look is showing up everywhere already. Take a peek back at Vogue or Women's Wear Daily, November 2007. The look seems as though it were conceived on an artist's canvas instead of in the workshop of a couture designer. Some of the fabrics look like the American expressionist Jackson Pollock flung his paints at them, while many of the floral prints look inspired by the Impressionist artist, Renoir. Some of the brushstrokes are bold and deliberate. Some have a delicate, feather like quality. It is exciting to see garments that look so expressive and artistic. The palettes are bold and colorful. They are in direct juxtaposition to the neutral palette that has been the norm over the last year or two. One of my favorite fashion accessories that really shows off this brushstroke technique are the paint-spattered rain boots by Sergio Alcala. They're so inspiring! The best thing about this trend is that I can create my own brushstroke look with most of the Tulip products Duncan manufactures. I can't wait to make my own fashion statement!