Thursday, February 10, 2011

Spring 2011: Chambray On The Way

I had to smile when I read that denim was going to be a hot trend for spring 2011. How do you make something that’s been a wardrobe staple for more than 40 years seem hot? Well, the designers have given denim a fresh new look by taking the minimal trend of the fall fashions and focusing on certain fabrics in the denim family plus some fabric blends. Need a visual? Check out the first five slides of Elle magazine’s Top 10: 2011 Trends Report slide show. If you do, you’ll see that the first model is wearing garments made of Chambray. This lighter weight denim isn’t new, but designers are giving it lots of attention this spring. For over 50 women who love the blue stuff, but find pesky flashes of heat preclude the wearing of, say, a heavier weight denim shirt or vest, Chambray may be the perfect solution. Scroll down for links to Chambray fashions.

THE WAY TO CHAMBRAY
I went online to find some examples of minimal styling in Chambray. There are plenty of Chambray garments, but not much in the way of trendy minimal styling. Perhaps, my search is a little premature and the online clothiers and department stores will be rolling out more later this month or in March. I also noticed that like more traditional denim, Chambray often comes in colors other than blue, such as gray, black and pink. Below is a collage of some of the more minimal designs I found.


While the minimal Chambray designs may be the most striking, the designers are also showing more traditional Western denim styling. Here’s a sample of mostly Western Chambray styles, ranging from higher priced designers to reasonably priced department store labels.

At Nordstrom

Lucky Brand 'Ipanema' Top for $89.50

Tory Burch 'Lyot' Chambray Tunic for $250

Calvin Klein Chambray Shirtdress for $118

'Victorian' Pintuck Chambray Shirt for $195

Helmut Lang Chambray Blouse for $134

From Calvin Klein

Chambray Officer Shirt on sale for $41.65

Chambray Safari Jacket, reduced from 128.50 to 69.99

From the Gap

Chambray Popover Shirt for $59.50

Chambray shirt for $49.50 (also available in pink)

From Free People

CP Shades Chambray Maxi Skirt for $228

From J. Crew

Selvedge chambray shirt for $98

From Ralph Lauren

Chambray shirt for $50

At Macy’s

NY Collection Top, Elbow Sleeve Drawstring Waist Chambray Tunic for $44

Charter Club Blazer, Single Button Chambray for $49.99

Tommy Hilfiger Top, Oversized Roll Tab Chambray Shirt for $40.99

Grass Jacket, V-Neck Long Sleeve Pocket Chambray Blazer for $29.99

Lucky Brand Jeans Tunic, Long Sleeve Soutache Embroidered Chambray for $65.45

Tommy Hilfiger Plus Size Coat, Chambray Trench, reduced from $139.50 to $29.99