Carrie Mulligan, Tyra Banks

The color blocked pieces that continue on this season provide this beautiful optical illusion of slimness and length.  The varied variations provide every woman and every body type epic proportions highlighting all the right areas and disguising the not-so-much.  This is very different from the 90s color blocking trend that was both baggy and boxy.  Thank goodness we have learned from our mistakes.

Some of our favorite designers are using the trend in some of the most inventive appliques which really lift and update this now extremely flattering trend.  Not only are we seeing a combination of colors in literal box-forms like a Tetris game, but we love how designers are playing with texture such as leathers, suedes, and metallics.

So, the next time you reminice about the 90s, know that not everything that came out of that decade was a fashion faux-pas.  

For more of color blocked pieces visit our album on Facebook “Color Blocking, Spring/Summer 2012.”

(a) D. Exterior, tri-color sundress, $460 (b) Flavio Castellani, double stretch v-neck dress, $540 (c) D. Exterior, 3/4 length sleeve color block dress, $498, Sam Edelman, Odessa sandal, $140.

Bridesmaids' Kristen Wiig, The Help's Octavia Spencer, Glee's Lea Michele and Naya Rivera, The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies.

While we’ve been talking about bright bold colors for the coming season, Hollywood’s glitteratti at last Sunday’s Screen Actors’ Guild Awards caught us by surprised with muted grays.  The subdued shade lends the eye and imagination to this serene sexiness which we love and are also seeing with some of our designers such as Sachin + Babi who are known for their play on color and pattern.  Diane Von Furstenburg and Buchanan & Zavala also have representative pieces, along with others.

Below are some gray pieces we love.  To view more ‘muted grays’ visit our ‘Muted Grays, Spring/Summer 2012‘ Album on Facebook.

(a) Buchanan & Zavala, knit dress with patch pockets, $795 (b) Liebeskind, laser cut casual leather handbag, $358 (c) Perserico, side-zip pant, $315 (d) Perserico, cotton/silk jacket, $625.