FASHION Magazine

The gossamer lace dresses printed with a profusion of blooms in Erdem’s Spring 2012 collection called to mind a few things: a summer of leisure, innocence about to be lost, perhaps a girl one step removed from reality. London, U.K.–based Canadian designer Erdem Moralioglu explains that he conceived the designs after reading Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, “and it stuck.” The French Riviera–set story of a girl’s complicated relationship with her widowed father and his lovers was written by Sagan in 1954, when she was just 18.

This literary link in Moralioglu’s design process isn’t out of the ordinary. A voracious collector of books—he estimates his current count at close to 1,000—he frequently looks to them for inspiration. “I can point to books on my shelves that were catalysts for different collections,” he says.

Find out how to get this look! »

The ultra-girly “modern doll” look in Viktor & Rolf’s Spring 2012 collection was an unabashed celebration of sweetness and fun. Even better, the bright hues used throughout the collection were echoed in the beauty with fluttering fuchsia lashes and berry-stained lips. To make this look more appropriate for a day not spent on the runway, I created a slightly subdued but equally adorable and fanciful face. The eyes, cheeks and lips all used the same palette of bright, confectionary-appropriate pinks but without the theatrical embellishments of paper cateye cutouts and almost-neon lashes. That being said, it was impossible to resist the allure of a pair of bright pink falsies—which I added as a bonus at the end. Consider this: start the night off with the more subdued look, then pop on some pink lashes as you head out the door to a fabulous party.

See all of the trends for spring »

Jump to trend:
VARSITY JACKETS | CUFFLINKS | PATTERNED PANTS | FOOTWEAR

Find out how to get this look! »

Rodarte’s Spring 2012 collection had two magical muses: Van Gogh’s iconic work Starry Night and Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, and the opaque navy blue smoky eyes echoed the rich colours found in both. To balance the dramatic feel of the collection, Nars makeup artist James Kaliardos painted eyeshadow all the way up to the brow bone. While this certainly made a statement on the runway, it’s a bit too Maleficent-esque for day-to-day. With a few minor adjustments, however, this look is perfect for a night when you want to sparkle.

Cotton candy colours and oversized lace flowers were all over Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2012 collection, as well as many a trend report. But unlike other delicate prints, Louis Vuitton’s take on femininity seems almost animated: pale shades of saccharine colours get a bit of bounce with large lace eyelets. As inspiration for Nail Corner, the pastels were right in line with many new nail polish shades—it was definitely hard to choose just five colours to use!

See the pastel Louis Vuitton lace manicure! »

Find out how to get this look! »

When Preen‘s Spring 2012 collection was still in its nascent stage, designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi were reading a lot of Virginia Woolf, and Victorian era visions of English gardens danced in their heads. The collection featured prints in lush, pastel colours based on blown-up, pixelated peonies. Fittingly, the models faces were flower-petal fresh, their cheeks as rosy as ripe peaches.

Sometimes the colours in a nail polish collection are so perfect together that it’s hard to pick just one to use in a manicure. (A #firstworldproblem that’s also common when shopping for clothes—it’s much more satisfying to buy the whole look, not one standalone item!) While each shade from the upcoming Thakoon for Nars nail collaboration (available May 1) stands out on its own, together they encapsulate the vibrancy of Thakoon’s Spring 2012 collection. They also share a source of inspiration: Indian spice markets influenced the highly saturated colours, which range from cyan blue to orchid purple. As for Nail Corner’s inspiration, this design was all about bringing Thakoon’s cowboy-meets-Bollywood prints to life.

Read on and see our Thakoon manicure! »

Find out how to get the look! »

At Miu Miu’s Spring 2012 show, the models’ faces were left mostly bare, save for a brazen swipe of red across each eye. Bright and severe, the look was a striking accompaniment to the collection’s fairly neutral palette. If you’re bold enough to try it, red is fabulous! So rather than tone down the colour to something more muted, I decided to use a bright, primary red, but soften it by adding both deeper and lighter colours around the edges.

Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night served as the reference for Rodarte’s runway look for spring. The midnight-blue smoky eyes were complemented by smooth waves with a youthful twist. We break it down step by step for you.

How to get this look »

Find out how to get the look! »

Introducing Runway to Real Life, a new weekly feature that takes the best runway beauty looks and shows you how to make them work them for real-life wear. We’ll cover everything from the extreme (red eyeshadow?) to the classic (hello, cat eye!) while providing tips and products so you can recreate each at home. First up: Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2012.

This week’s Nail Corner steals inspiration straight from the pages of our Spring trend report: a delightful mixed-prints look from Carven’s Spring 2012 collection. The bright-pink and lime-meets-chartreuse chevron pattern has a hand-woven quality to it, with soft lines and organic shapes. When translated to a manicure, the prints vary on each nail, allowing them to mix across each finger.

Check out the mixed prints mani! »

See our editor’s 50+ shopping picks for spring »

View by inspiration:

MOLTO ITALIANO
Treat yourself to la dolce vita with glamorous retro classics.

BEDTIME
STORY
Silky pyjama-inspired separates make their way out of the boudoir this spring.

STRAIGHT
FLUSH
Start gazing through rose-tinted lenses: Blush is spring’s freshest neutral.

DARK
DELIGHTS
Boost the cool factor of sugary-sweet confections with tough black accents.