Spring 2011 Collections Part I

I have by no means finished culling every bit of pretty from the Spring 2011 Collections (experienced through New York Times slideshow), but here are many things by which I've been inspired thus far.

I won't pretend to be literate in high fashion. So consider this an official cop out from saying anything of real credibility below. Commence the pretty:

Jil Sander, Milan Fashion Week

The colors! This brings me back to the excitement I felt when Crayola launched their fluorescent range. Razzle Dazzle Rose, Unmellow Yellow, Neon Carrot... they could work it together back then and they're back together to work it in 2010 on the Jil Sander runway. This time around, it's a more sophisticated if not more edited color usage than that found in my coloring book circa 1990. I would wear all of this*.

*But it is important to note that I cannot support the goggles on the top center.

Jonathan Saunders, London Fashion Week

This Jonathan Saunders collection is Spring. I can feel the slightly chilly, breezy air just looking at this -- the time of the year when you stubbornly ditch the boots and wool tights in anticipation of nicer weather -- willing the new season to come even when it hasn't yet. I always feel drawn toward preppy and athletic that time of year too.

The sheer panel cut-outs are super sexy. And that yellow dress makes me wish, once again, that I could successfully wear yellow. The whole palette is gorgeous and I suggest checking it out. One wish: some of those dresses weren't so damn short. I ask for just one more inch, Jonathan.

Paul Smith, London Fashion Week

Paul Smith felt like waking from winter hibernation. The palette was heavy and masculine and a lot of the styling was disheveled -- in a state immediately before it's totally shed.

But what I really want to talk about are the double-belts here. I dig this detail and would like to incorporate, but I'm a wee bit concerned about the real-life application. This is an element that could easily stray into the 'mom trying to be trendy, but just missing the mark' aesthetic territory. And no, you don't have to be a mom to be in that territory, they've just defined the aesthetic. They're ironically too busy being selfless to pull-off effortless-chic most of the time. Why do I feel like I'm getting into more and more trouble as I try to explain my association?... I love moms.

Masterpieces

Masterpiece Theatre is really channeling the bleak lately. Gone are the days of yet another (but still welcomed) Jane Austen adaptation. This season ended with "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "Small Island." Both were really, really well done, but they ended with the same really, really pathetic scene: me choking on my sobs, clutching an open jar of peanut butter, questioning the goodness of humanity from my couch.

Eating this solves problems

And it feels wrong to be distracted by one of the dresses in the wardrobe of "Anne Frank," and I promise I felt guilty, but the palette is too awesome to go unnoticed. Love the desaturated green and peach paired with the orange-red belt.

Ellie Kendrick as Anne Frank from BBC One

In fact, the entire wardrobe was beautiful.