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 | 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.

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

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.

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.