Top Trends from Milan & Paris SS12

After the cut are the top five trends we saw emerge from Milan and Paris for Spring/Summer 2012.

Blue was, without a doubt, the color for Spring/Summer 2012. It wasn't just any blue it was a highly saturated blue that we see in the three looks above. Ami's mix of navy with the blue-of-the-season was aristocratic but did not look stuffy while Viktor & Rolf combined three different trends in one look on Harry Goodwins: blue, color blocking and an emphasis on pattern and textures. Alessandro Sartori's final collection for Z Zegna was probably the show that utilized this shade of blue the most effectively.

Color blocking was so prevalent during Milan and Paris we had a hard time picking our favorite looks but when we cut it down to the three looks above from Dries Van Noten, Gucci, and Raf Simons, we knew we got it right. Dries' perfect black and blue coat is so wonderful we don't have enough superlatives to shower it with. Frida Giannini's textured and color blocked red/grey coat on Clement Chabernaud was so fresh and chic, we hope it comes with a removable lining because we would that coat year round! Raf Simons' color blocked sleeve tee was classic Raf: simple, chic but so innovative. We also loved the plaid trim he showed on some of his polos.

Designers were definitely looking at the 2012 Summer Olympics for inspiration when designing their Spring/Summer 2012 collections, from Dirk Bikkembergs' diving inspired line to Thom Browne's fencing collection for Moncler Gamme Bleu, Miuccia Prada's golf line (though not an Olympic sport!), and, of course, Vivienne Westwood's pride that the Olympics will be taking place in her homecountry: the UK.

Europeans, unlike Americans, lavish in their long holidays during the summer so it was no surprise that vacation-wear was a big trend. DSquared2's entire collection revolved around the idea of a Euro trip starting from Scandanavia to Mykonos, Florence, then London. We love this chic nighttime outfit from the Canadian duo's SS12 line. Jean Paul Gaultier's floral and Hawaiian print-heavy collection was very refreshing and this look on Rob Evans was the epitome of a dressed down, modern and masculine outfit. Speaking of floral, Antonio Marras' collection for Kenzo was all about going on holiday. There was a litany of thisclose-to-tacky vacation-wear and we loved it!

Whether subtle (like Versace and Gucci) or blantant (like Jil Sander and Raf Simons), prints and texture were also very prevalent. We thought that the subtle and refined prints that Versace and Gucci used were wonderfully modern and wearable. While Raf Simons took a louder stance on prints for both his eponymous line and his line for Jil Sander; the prints he showed created dimension.