Hottest Summer Clothes for Women

I don't go to Fashion Week in London or Paris. I just explore and learn from photos and women on the street. However, I am an artist, so I understand the images and the moods that designers are trying to paint using fabric and color. And, here is one easily translatable trend for Spring/Summer 2011 that you will love:

Minimalist Summer White

White is the color of summer and one of the colors of love and new beginnings. And, it always will be.

Nothing looks better next to suntanned skin than white. So, it's no surprise that Michael Kors is elevating white as the princess of colors starting in spring and flowing through summer. Many other designers are showing a modern style that embraces clean lines, warm-weather neutrals, and snaps of bright color:

• Dolce & Gabbana
• Calvin Klein
• Derek Lam

Okay, I know you are like me and you don't spend $50,000 on lovely haute couture. But, just like me you need something modern and trendy to wear around town. So, while it's nice to know what Dolce & Gabbana are showing, you want to know what your local Macy's will be showing...or what ShopBop.com basics might have for you.

Well, as long as you don't have little kids with peanut butter and jelly fingers, you can go white from head to toe and look as chic as anyone in your town. Well, head-to-toe white is a euphemism. White shoes look freaky to me, so consider beige, tan, or nude footwear.

Personally, I would love to go all white for my own cruisewear 2011. However, I'm going to be clicking around to find something like a Luna Luz dress. But, I'm not skinny enough for figure-hugging white, so I'll probably go to beige from head to toe. Don't you think that beige and white would be just as cute for a tropical vacay?

White minimalism is not the only trend for spring / summer 2011, and white is not the only way to go minimalist. You can go minimalistic with bright colors, too. Use the orange 60s mod dress as an example of minimal = color.

To get the most from minimalism, you need to start with great fabric. Look at how the Moroccan wind blows this gauzy orange dress into waves of beauty. And, if you noticed the beige dress, (click text above) it shows amazing drape. When you aren't using prints to fool the eye, you want to wear lightweight silk, cotton, linen, or Italian-style luxury polyester.

Young girls can wear anything, but most women need good drape. And, for evening, try 70s fashion trends like disco....another hot trend for 2011. Use drape to minimize your flaws and you are good to go. (Even if you wore disco before, I'll give you a dispensation to try it again. But, go tastefully into the good night.)

The easiest type of minimalism is to go monochromatic by wearing all white, all blue, or any one color.

However, I believe that you can have the most fun by mixing hues of similar intensity. Here is one of my favorite photos from S/S 2011, which shows turquoise paired with a cobalt blue. Also, note that the belt is not very neutral. And, when I paint, I am a colorist. I don't really care as much about the subject matter or technique of painting as I do the beautiful colors. Colors are everything to me.

How to mix a pink top with a non-neutral skirt? It's something that you will get by trial and error. There are no rules. However, brights go with other brights, grayed colors go with other grayed colors, etc.

And, all brights seem to go with white or other neutrals.

You can use colors to your advantage by bringing focus to your best areas. If you've ever taken an art class, you will remember this concept as the "focal point". And, if you are ever at a loss for inspiration, look at paintings by Matisse.

(Note: This article is from 2011, but most of the trends still work for 2012. Who can afford to throw out all her clothing and start from scratch every spring? Well, there are some minor changes this year. For example, they've changed the "all-white trend" to make it the "diaphanous-white trend". Very tricky: Diaphanous is another word for sheer, so throw a sheer white blouse over your white cami and you're totally "the bees knees," darling.)