SS12 Fashion Trends, Or A Lack Of Trends?

I can't be the only person who has noticed that over the past few years, there have been no new trends to speak of. If you happen to follow fashion by reading Elle magazine (as I do), you might have noticed that a lot of trends are coming back year after year but with a slightly different name.....

Here's an example:

This year, Elle sights one of the trends for spring/ summer 2012 as "Ultragirl." This look is all about pink, sugary colours, and all things frilly and sweet.
Sound familiar? That's because this trend is also known as "romantic" and has appeared several summers in a row for the past few years.

Here's what it looks like:



The "romantic/girly/ultragirl trend"


Funnily enough, if you type "romantic trend" into Google, the suggestions you get inlcude "romantic trend 2009" and "romantic trend 2010"........

Another example:

This season, Elle are calling it "Mash Up", last season it was "Tribal" and the year before that it was "Ethnic."
What this basically involves is looking like you have been travelling all summer and have bought clothes from every country and then have worn them all at once, in one outfit!

It looks something like this:



The "ethnic/tribal/mash up trend"


And then there is the old classic "Nautical" which comes around literally every year in that awkward gap between winter and spring when no one knows what they should be buying. This blue, red and white trend has also been disquised as "Americana" in the past....but with some stars thrown in.

I actually quite like "Nautical" so I don't mind it cropping up once a year!



The "Nautical/ Americana" trend.

So there you have it. 3 top trends to try out this year! But let's face it, you probably already have elements of this already in your wardrobe. I'll be digging out my Primark lace dress and red, rope trim shoes for another year. (I never got on board with Tribal....)