Head-to-toe prints: the fabulous evolution

To continue on our little dissection of prints--and not to mention my insane excitement for the coming of Spring (although Winter has barely even hit us yet--*sigh*)...I will focus on a trend that emerged in the late 1960's and that has hit the hot spot for 2012. You named it, head-to-toe prints are in! What had been considered a no-do for a while is now hitting all the runways.

Photo courtesy of Vogue

I am particularly lusting over Celine's floral ensemble, from the 2012 Resort collection. A Flower Power shirt and pants could very well be screaming "I am a dainty girly", but here a bomber jacket is paired with the ensemble to add the touch of dandy that makes my heart melt. I won't be dissecting this outfit without making a reference to Marimekko, the Finnish company that made a huge mark in 1960's and 1970's fashion with the introduction of brightly-colored printed fabrics and simple styles, used both in women's garments and in home furnishings. Applying graphic designs to textiles was a first in this era--a method also adopted and reinterpreted by Emilio Pucci with his psychedellic designs, and later Alexander McQueen with his Spring 2010 RTW collection.

A good example of Marimekko’s legacy is the Green-Green fabric (also in black orange shown above), created in 1975 by Japanese designer Katsuji Wakisaka. As stated by Marimekko, Wakisaka’s “refreshing take on color, basic illustrative technique and inspiring imagery produced popular patterns which helped revitalize the Marimekko brand during the 1970’s."

Refreshing is definitely an appropriate term to describe our little preview of the Spring's collections...