The Strange Celebrities: Trends for 2009

2009 came in with a blast! An arctic one at that. Of course, that didn't stop me from traveling two hours to Brooklyn in a sweetheart dress and peep toe booties for a New Years Eve celebration. Nor did it stop me from donning shorts and peep toes for a New Years Day step show in Queens. But after all the festivities and the disgusting cold, I finally took a day of rest to scour trends to bring in the New Year. And as a loving fashion friend, I have brought them all to you! I spotted quite a few trends pop up on the Spring 2009 runways, in blogs and on celebrities. But I'm only giving a few attention today.

Though it has popped up a few times before, crocheted details are making a bold sweep through 2009. Spotted on the narcissistic blogger for Fashion Toast and in more runway shows than any of the other trends, I think crochet detailing is a nice way to make a piece unique: on collars or over a satin sheath, or embedded in the sleeves. Here it is on the runway at Badgley Mischka, Doo.Ri and Alberta Ferretti:

And here are some ways you can pull this off affordably:

Urban Outfitters

Blue Fly

After the dashiki, afro, and "I'm Black and I'm Proud" era faded, some people kept their and it was a good idea because when folks like Erykah Badu and India. Arie made it cool again somewhere in the new millennium, they came in handy. Now in 2009, the earthy look hasn't quite resurfaced, but ethic jewelry has. Wooden pieces and handmade indian beading has accessorized many of the looks in 2009 collections. Of course, this is not a trend you should overdo or even one you can wear with anything, but on the right day with the right outfit, anyone can pull it off. This is a view of the look on the runway at Anna Sui and 3.1 Philip Lim:

And this is how you and I can do it:

Oh Yes Vintage Jewelry

Africa Direct

Well I think we've all gotten tired of the bubble bottomed dress. Of course, there are still some of them we could never let go of or that we can see and contemplate buying, but all in all, we're ready for a new look. Lucky for us, the bubble hem has been reincarnated for 2009, into bubble sleeves. You may remember honey in the white at Lollapalooza who should have been SHAMED wearing those bubble sleeves but that was just overdoing it a tad, or more than a tad. If it's toned down and done right, it can be a fun detail to your outerwear or a eye popper on your tops. On the runway at Anna Sui they pulled it off like this:

But these are just a couple ways for people like us to get down with bubble sleeves:

Bubble Sleeve Jacket

A definite color of the new year: GREEN. All kinds of green; but especially that bright green. Of course this color can be found in any form; standing alone, mixed into graphic and ethnic designs, splashed into multitone dresses, etc. These are some runway green looks from forest to kelly at Chloe and Anna Sui:

And here are some pieces for you to try:

Victoria's Secret

Jessica Simpson at Shoe Mall

A trend that is following us from 2008 is leather. Leather bombers, leather skirts, leather pants, leather shorts, leather tops, leather dresses, leather headbands. It can now be worn on every part of your body! Of course black and browns are classic leather colors, but in the revamped 2009 way, we can see it in all sorts of colors from navy to orange. I think it may take a little while before we see it grow into a true trend but i believe the start in 2008 made for a serious journey.

These are some leather looks from the runway in Bottega Veneta, D Squared and Alexander Wang:

A possible trend I see is cutouts. I think that it is a little strange now, but it has potential to grow on me and probably the rest of the world. From cutout sweaters to cutout tights, this is a whole new way to wear rips and tears. This is the looks at Alexander Wang and A.F. Vandervost:

We'll see how this develops!

Honorable mentions:

- Military details like at 3.1 Philip Lim:

- Colorful tights will definitely follow us into the new year as shown here in the Abaete' Spring 09 show.

I think it's time has not gone yet.

Colors that will follow us into 2009 are definitely teal and dark purples as seen in shows like Ellie Saab, Alberta Ferretti, Emanuel Ungaro, and BCBG Max Azria for Spring 2009.