THE BRIGHT AND DARK SIDES OF SPRING

Don't think that you have to stick to only one style this spring. There are two sides to the color and design spectrum, and this season's it's fashionable to be multi-dimensional with your look. So don't limit yourself to the classic pastels and nudes - try a darker look on a sunny day with midnight prints and sexy shapes, and let Luella and Miu Miu's spring collections guide the way. 

Luella S/S 2010
'Vintage Barbie' is an appropriate title for the wonderfully sweet Luella Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Luella Bartley is on point with her prim and proper cuts, cheerful color blocks, and delicately placed details fit for a lady. Symmetrical proportions allow the shapes to stand out and the colors to pop. This collection is a far cry from the outrageously patterned and cheeky looks from past collections, with its clean silhouettes and soft powdery colors.

Despite Luella’s focus on classic shapes and simple patterns, there is still a playful infusion that keeps the looks youthful. Polka dots, leg-conscious hemlines, and sweet bows give a kitschy kick to the dressy collection, keeping true to the house's modern and fashion-forward roots. This is why Luella will be forever loved and cherished in the fashion world.

Miu Miu S/S 2010
On the opposite side of fashion’s bubbly and bright outlook, there is Miu Miu and Miuccia Prada’s play on the darker side of youth and psychology - in the form of cat and bird prints, of course. There is a sense of stepping into your shrink’s dark office (you know, if you had a shrink), and being asked the deeper meaning of the objects that surround you.

There is something slightly creepy and complex about that, which Miu Miu expresses by crossing back and forth over the line between childhood dreams and grown-up temptations. Childhood whimsy is embraced through the eclectic hologram prints with small bursts of bright and pastel colors, and adult curiosity is explored in the shining crystalline details and provocative cut-outs, making for an intriguing darker option for spring.