Summer 2011 Wardrobe Essentials

Below you will find all the essential wardrobe items to keep you looking chic this Summer. These trends were seen on the catwalks of Paris, New York, London and Milan.

The Capri
The Capri trend was seen in various collections, including Paul Smith, Tibi, Balenciaga, and Vivienne Westwood.



Crochet
The crochet trend can be found on various clothing items such as dresses, tops and swimsuits. This trend was seen in the collections of Jen Kao, Emilio Pucci, Julien MacDonald, and Ralph Lauren. I love this trend as it can be worn in many ways as seen below.



The Floral Maxi
A maxi dress is always a must-have item for summer. However, this time its the floral maxi that has everyone going gaga. A large part of the Spring/Summer 2011 Dolce and Gabbana collection consisted of floral maxi dresses. It did, however, also feature in the collections of Alberta Ferreti, Erdem, and Matthew Williamson. I love this look. It screams Summer Chic.



The Jumpsuit
Well the jumpsuit is proving to be a popular item for yet another season. Please note this is not suitable for every body type, but if you find a silhouette and style that suits you, then go for it. The jumpsuit was all the rage in the collections of Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam, Dolce & Gabbana, A Detacher, Sonia Rykiel, and Oscar de la Renta.



The Shirt Dress
The shirt dress is back, but is taking a slightly different shape. This is not exactly my favourite trend, but it does work for some. A large part of the Viktor & Rolf collection were shirt dresses. They also featured in the collections of Paul Smith, Lanvin, and Roland Mouret.



The Short
Summer is all about the short. However, it is up to you to use your discretion in establishing �How short is too short?� The short was featured in the Spring Summer collections of many designers, including Gucci, Dior, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Balmain, and Tommy Hilfiger. This is by far my favourite summer trend. I�ll be wearing shorts all summer long.



Stripes
With the return of the Nautical trend, comes the stripe. Stripes was featured in collections by Jil Sander, Prada, Vivienne Westwood, Wunderkind, and Tsumori Chisato. Just be careful when doing stripes head-to-toe, you don�t want to be mistaken for a zebra.



White Lace Dress
This falls in line with the Romance trend this summer. And romantic it is. White Lace dresses were featured in the collections of Diane von Furstenberg, Dolce & Gabbana, Alberta Ferreti, Alexander McQueen, and Oscar de la Renta.



Wide Leg Pants
Wide leg pants are flattering for most, but those who are height challenged should beware. Wide leg pants were featured in collections by Hermes, Marc Jacobs, Cerruti, and Dior.