It’s barely Fall and all the Spring 2010 shows were a month ago. The over-saturated coverage has come and gone and now the Christmas advertising has started. I avoided the Spring shows like the plague and made a few short mentions of random things that managed to catch my eye. Now, I have finally looked at it all and I am left with a sense that not much is new.

Here are my top 30 realistic picks for Spring 2010 from the RTW collections. All look completely comfortable and wearable. I will tell you that I looked at every single collection on Style.com and I found that most of the Spring offerings fell into a few categories.

• Short, tiny cocktail dresses. So many little dresses for teeny tiny women!
• Dresses really were the prominent item and the knee length shifts started to get a bit boring.
• Ridiculous brights and outrageous prints all mixed up, that take a special woman to pull off. I’m not one of them. Polka dots, stripes, a bit of plaid, florals of course, and abstract prints also stood out.
• The same minimalist architectural pieces and beautiful draping we’ve been seeing for a while now, which I’m totally fine with. So many designers are going the way of Lanvin these days.
• Boxy looks that made the models look broad and stumpy- cropped jackets with cropped pants and ankle boots? No. Big shapeless dresses sans belts were everywhere as well. Strong shoulders are still in. Wide wide wide.
• The usual classic looks such as ultra ladylike, mild safari, the same punky/goth stuff we’ve been seeing from the usual suspects, and denim but not much. (Ralph Lauren used enough denim for everyone.)
• A whole lot of low cut, a lot of leg, and a TON of sheer and lace. Way more nipple than I needed to see.
• White, black and white and black… a lot of red, blues and orange.
• One shoulder looks, drapey jumpsuits, cropped pants of all widths, shine everywhere, drop crotch pants (no thanks), tailored shorts, leggings (still),  flowing pants, and light silky charmeuse layers (loving this).
• Short skirts with long panels were all over the place. Not feeling it.
• Big necklaces, big bags, big purses, big shoes, strappy heels, and damned ugly hats.

Spring is all about freshness and while not much that I saw was really innovative, I’m feeling a slight shift of focus in the trends towards more soft elegant pieces and away from the dark harshness that’s been flooding the fashion blogs lately. I’m thankful. So, even though Spring is so far away, by actually taking the time to look at all the collections quietly and slowly over a few days, it has kind of refreshed my heart. Fashion has grown to be a bit boring for me lately and I know I’m not the only one who’s been crying out for more pretty.  I’ll be thinking about these beautiful pieces from now on when putting together outfits and making future purchases. I’m ready to make some subtle changes to my wardrobe and work new things in slowly. So, this is my well-edited list of things I could see myself throwing on and feeling instantly at ease right off the bat. No tugging, no hyper awareness of my body… just good old relaxed style… and I found A LOT of stuff…

all pics via style.com

No doubt, the Ports 1961 collection was lovely and wearable but not much really stood out to me. The fabrics were gorgeous and everything was nice. Yes. Nice. It was all very nice. I really didn’t want to show anything from this collection because it was all so innocuous but it can’t be left out because of the simple elegance and versatility of all the pieces. (I supose Rachel Roy would go into the same category of nice.)

This simple outfit from Celine is so clean and fresh. Loose fitting white top. Short black skirt, leather or not. Easy.

Keeping with the crisp black and white theme is this Derek Lam dress and a Nicole Farhi graphic top and wide pants.

Kenzo makes my signature perfume Amour and I think the line’s genius is highly underrated. I adore this breezy white offering. This is an ensemble. I don’t know if I would always pair the separates together (unless it’s a jumpsuit, which would be rad). Not sure what kind of butt coverage you’re really getting here but some shorts could fix that. I think a lot of us are nervous about wearing something so obvious but really, what’s the big deal? It’s perfectly elegant. Seriously love this and the shoes compliment it perfectly.

Jason Wu has been stealing my heart lately. This could not be better for a date night. I had a difficult time picking just one dress from his collection because they are all so very wearable. Check the rest here.

Plaids aren’t usually my thing but I love the shape of this Pollini dress, the gentle mixing of plaids, asymmetrical hem, and draping give it a modern appeal. Seeing it with those killer shoes has given me a fresh perspective on this pattern.

Can I get an amen for this palest mint Douglas Hannant maxi dress?! I’m so short, every long dress I’ve bought needed to be hemmed, which had begun to deter me from buying them. Then I see one so elegant and it makes me forget about what a pain it is to sew sometimes.

L.A.M.B. was a bit too rocker glam for me this time around but, what do you expect? This outfit though… I could wear this every single day and be outrageously comfortable and confident, after switching out the belt with my own wider studded one.

There were a lot of full hipped pants and unless you’re rail thin, I can’t think of any woman who wants to add width to her hips. What about just one hip so everyone knows what’s really going on? These asymmetric pants by Nicole Miller swayed me. Paired with the corset-esque top keeps it slim. I really want to hunt down these pants and try them on.

This abstract print by Giorgio Armani is right up my alley. Blue and red together usually seems childish to me but not this time. This whole look would be so easy to affordably replicate. Perfect for a hot day, comfortable, effortless, and just the right splash of red.

If I were to pick one wild print from any of the collections, it would be this simple dress from Josh Goot. It is a piece of art. Minimal accessories needed. It would be a blast to wear.

The only super formal dress that knocked my socks off was this ultra flattering Martin Grant evening gown. Showing leg is so much more alluring than blatant cleavage.

This has become my new favorite color. A more muted acid puke green that goes so well with earth tones, white, black and all shades of grey. Love the delicate detailing by J. Mendel.

Like the intricate detailing above, you can’t help but admire the ingenious construction of this Bibhu Mohapatra dress.

I can’t do a post without including my all-time fave Lanvin. Don’t even need to say how difficult it was to pick just one. Good grief it’s lovely! 

 Fashion Fringe is new to me. I was floored by their dresses and had to include three. Just imagine the feel of that fabric against your skin!

 These two dark outfits are more in line with what’s been in style lately. The light bleach wash effect on skinny jeans has been everywhere but Elise Øverland’s take with the delicate top and gold platforms takes it to a new level of feminity. Jeremy Laing’s modern outfit is also a lot less harsh. Love those delicate pieced leggings!

There weren’t many earthtones at the shows. I used to wear a lot of browns and I’m looking forward to revisiting the color soon. The blazer and shorts look is prominent for Spring. Pringle of Scotland put together a lovely outfit. The very ladylike Gary Graham draped skirt ensemble is so office appropriate.

Tibi was really pretty and a lot of fun. The pattern on this dress reminds me of a painting done by the stippling technique at a Richmond restaurant called Avalon.

A lot of designers were sectioning off the body into three distinct regions, something I’ve been a fan of for a long time. When patterns and color blocking were used, the oufits shortened the models. The monotone Issey Miyake is lengthening and slimming and looks really cozy. The Naeem Khan embellished tunic with wider bouclé (or are they beaded?) pants also looks soft and comfortable. I would love to pull off something like these for winter.

More monochromatic offerings in my favorite color! While I wouldn’t wear the bra top, I love the softness and ease of thin layers making up this Akris outfit. The silver Michael Kors skirt is subdued enough for day wear and the extra details on the shoulder turn a basic v-neck into something really special. The Donna Karan day dress could not be more perfect.

Last but not least are the ankle ties and bright blue slim trousers by Prabal Gurung. I think this is adorable  but still clean and simple… very very wearable but whimsical. That blue is one of my favorite colors.

 I hope this leaves you inspired. Phew! I’m DONE!

Previous Spring 2010 RTW posts - Doo.Ri, Givenchy’s shoes,  and Dennis Basso.