Trend | Animal Skins

Christopher Kane | Louis Vuitton

Christopher Kane | Burberry Prorsum | Balenciaga

The leopard print is still on the loose but instead of a graphic interpretation try softening the edges with brush strokes. Likewise, opt for tonal palettes for a more sophisticated feel like those at Louis Vuitton or the textured knits at Christopher Kane.

S13 Men's | Christopher Kane

The print story at Christopher Kane's new line centers around roses and paint. The oversized roses are sepia toned with tints of hot pinks and purples and with overlayed slashes of paint, creating a sort of romantic tableau that evokes sentimental love and passionate artistry. Other garments are just paint slashes, organized strategically on sweatsuits and short/t-shirt sets.

Resort 12: Christopher Kane

Just in time for the passage of the gay marriage bill in New York, Christopher Kane sends out this rainbow collection for Resort 12. The label has been very influential and for its socially conscious photographic prints of past, and once again, the collection is right on target both fashion-wise and socially.

Upcoming Trend: Acid Landscape

balenciaga, prada, balenciaga, christopher kane, helmut lang. background: pattern people
This future trend seems to be popping up in different corners of high fashion, as well as lower-end retail. From Prada's 70's looking beach scenes to Christopher Kane's apocolyptic mushroom clouds, the mood ranges from mysterious to downright dark. Helmut Lang's moody ocean landscape from Spring 10, is somewhat gothic, and Balenciaga's sweater and coat prints for pre-fall seem to be a continuation from their paint-stroke prints of Spring 10. Here in Pattern People land, we've been combining treated lanscape photos shot in our own surroundings, with geometric elements like stripes. Clouds have also been a huge inspiration.

Continuing Trend | Celestial Prints

Timo Weiland, Erdem, Chrisopher Kane, Limi Feu

It's not a new trend, but after a story Style.com did yesterday on celestial prints, we thought we'd re-open this file. On the Fall 11 runways, Timo Weiland and Erdem showed some murky celestial-like prints, and we found a Mimi Feu dress that seems to be directly influenced by that iconic and much sought-after celestial collection from Christopher Kane.

SP 12: Chrstopher Kane

Happy 70's-like flowers get a new life on sheer fabrics at Christopher Kane.

Art: Paul Jenkins

Paul Jenkins was an artist originally associated with abstract expressionism and his work looks more relevant and inspiring today than any other ab-ex paintings.

In surface design, painterly treatments are making a big comeback, what with Christopher Kane's new men's collection, and lots of other new looks featuring this romantic trend.

Spring 11: Carven

You wouldn't know that Carven is actually a revival of a couturier from the last century. The designs look incredibly fresh and modern, with sleek dresses adorned with apocalyptic landscapes reminiscent of Christopher Kane's Resort 10 collection. Cutouts, quickly becoming a phenomenon this season, are also featured on this youthful and totally market-ready collection.

Retail: Opening Ceremony

Peter Jensen, Cacharel, Emma Cook, Christopher Kane

This month's issue of Elle features a very insightful story about Opening Ceremony, and its founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. The duo have helped launch the careers of American designers like Rodarte and Alexander Wang, while exposing overseas brands like Havianas, TopShop and Tsimori Chisato to the U.S. They also pioneered the re-vitalizing of American heritage brands like Pendleton and Timberland, and bringing them into the fashion world. Today, they boast stores in New York, LA, Tokyo, and Paris.

Above are a few of our favorite picks from their online store offerings.

Fall 10: Conversationals

Douglas Hannant, Marni, Versus, Marni

Jeremy Scott, Betsey Johnson x2, Paul Smith Women
Faces, people, animals, guns, horses and more stark geometric things (coming in the next post) are popping up in the collections of a wide range of designers. Christopher Kane uses photographs for his Versus line, as he did in his eponymous gorilla face dress for Spring 09. This time, he uses Bruce Weber's photography and photo hues become the collection's color story. Marni's abstracted simple shape faces are interesting, as is her use of chalky bright pastels.

Scenic Route

Gaetano Pesce for Meritalia

Scenic views are no longer just for Sunday drives. Designers over the past few seasons bring photographic sights onto the runways and even interiors. Gaetano Pesce's sofa lets you enjoy the views without leaving your home.

Prada, Carven, Christopher Kane, Miharayasuhiro

Trend | Dark Florals

Topshop

clockwise - Christopher Kane | Topshop | Alexander McQueen | Topshop

Get ready for winter with a dose of moody florals in dark shades.

TREND | Swirling Universe

Helmut Lang, Rick Owens, Top Shop, Thakoon. background: Pattern People

We've been seeing these swirly, smokey, cosmological prints on runways and retail for a few seasons now, but they still feel very edgy and new. The mysterious nature of these prints lends a cool sophisticated edge to everything it touches, and so far its been mostly in the realm of the edgiest labels: Helmut Lang, Christopher Kane, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Threeasfour. In other words, if you're starting to think of Fall/Winter 2011, there's still lots of room to explore this direction.

AW10: Louise Armstrup

Louise Armstrup, background: Pattern People

Louise Armstrup's collection at Copenhagen fashion week featured apocalyptic imagery printed digitally on silk, reminding us of Christopher Kane's atomic explosion prints and some photographic landscape we were seeing on runways back in January. The digital revolution is really beginning to make a big difference in fashion and interiors. Here are some previous posts on the matter:
Acid Landscape
Maharem Digital Project

Trend | Painterly

Christopher Kane | Monique Lhuillier | Tess Giberson | Ali McNabney-Stevens

Get your paints out, get your hands dirty, be bold, be expressive!  Hand painted prints are all the rage for Spring.

Trend | Infrared Shades

Christopher Kane | BMM Magazine | JASU | background: Dion Lee

Feel the vibration of electric shades as colors stretch the spectrum.