Spring Forward Into Color

Spring is just around the corner, ladies, and it’s time to make way for the latest trends.

Yes, I know cleaning out one’s closet can be the last ‘to-do’ on a weekly list, but this season’s silhouettes make it all worthwhile.

Thankfully, I had the pleasure of catching up with Lake Forest’s own Ellen Stirling, owner of The Lake Forest Shop, as she celebrated her family’s 90th year in fashion. To commemorate the occasion, and in honor of Spring 2012 Fashion Week, Stirling held a small presentation to showcase the collections of seven exceptional designers, highlighting some of this season’s most coveted trends.

Blinded by the bright:

One of the designers prevalent throughout the shop was German couture designer, Talbot Runhoff. And I must say, at first glance, it was love at first sight: There were explosions of color across elegant shapes in the softest and lightest of fabrics that a gal of any age could pull off.

“The colors are just incredible,” said Stirling “You can mix them up, make them your own – very much what spring is all about.”

Print-popping simplicity:

Laid back, yet chic, these feminine, patterned Roberta Freymann pieces are just the ticket to looking effortless enough to attend a picnic or a lunch date with the girls. “Her pieces are hand block printed and dyed in India, and the price points on everything are just incredible,” said Stirling.

Savory safari:

Another noteworthy designer celebrated at The Lake Forest Shop is Douglas Hannant. Having intentionally added touches of the thirties with a hint of safari into his spring collection, it’s no surprise he received rave reviews for not following suite.

Always one to add bits of drama, Hannant’s designs carry easily from day to night. Lesson learned here: Go out and buy one! You can never have too much versatility in your wardrobe.

In 1922, Margaret Baxter Foster opened The Lake Forest Shop (265 Market Square, Lake Forest) to provide women with pants, skirts, tops, and other pieces to mix and match—a cutting edge concept at the time. This month, the boutique, now run by Foster’s granddaughter, Ellen Stirling, celebrates 90 years.

“As we continue to carry clothes that work for the women of today, Spring Fashion Week will be a preview of the best of the best from various designers and lifestyles,” says Stirling, whose fashion-forward family members also include uncle Condé Montrose Nast, founder of Condé Nast Publications, and aunt Nancy Talbot, cofounder of Talbots.

For more information on The Lake Forest Shop, call (847) 234-0548 or visit www.thelakeforestshop.com/

For more news and updates from Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch, "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.