Summer trends for women's clothes

Women's clothing trends can change very quickly between seasons. Just when it seems one designer favours pleats and A-line skirts, they change their minds and feature drainpipe trousers and collared shirts in their collection instead. Summer fashion has always been a particularly interesting mish-mash of styles too, as women in Britain attempt to remain en vogue with their choice of clothing but try to retain the flexible approach to an outfit that the unpredictable summer weather necessitates. Summer 2011 looks set to be no exception, and the fads dominating the coming season represent a mix of lingering trends from 2010 and retro-inspired new ones.



Perhaps the biggest impact can be seen on jeans and trousers. With skinny jeans and ankle-hugging trousers having dominated this fashion field for most of the last decade, designers are once again favouring wide legs. This is partly due to the atmosphere of 1970s glamour that the fashion world has embraced this year, but is also the result of an emerging boredom with skinny jeans. Flares and bell-bottoms, then, look set to make a comeback in the coming months, although their skinny cousins haven't quite faded into obscurity yet. To make sure your flared trousers and jeans suit the summer months, wear with an off-the-shoulder cropped top - another key trend of the season - to ensure your midriff and arms see some sun.

There's also significant changes afoot in the world of skirts and dresses. Increasingly this summer, designers are favouring longer, high-waisted skirts paired with a tucked-in blouse over the familiar one-piece dress. This move towards longer lengths is in part inspired by the persistent popularity of the maxi dress and maxi skirt over the last two summers and shorter hems are quickly losing favour. While the prevalence of longer skirts may seem unusual for the summer (when hemlines traditionally move further up the leg), there's plenty of ways to make this look work for you in warm weather. For example, a navy blue mid-length skirt will look great when paired with a white and blue striped sleeveless top and dark brown sandals.



The move towards "wider" and "longer" in women's clothes this summer is also manifested in the profusion of tail hems that can be seen on summer dresses. Tail hems, also known as dipped hems, are typically longer at the back than the front. Usually, the difference in length is only a few inches but sometimes there can be a dramatic contrast within a dress that ends at the knees at the front but continues to the ankles at the back. The great thing about this style is its versatility: it's a wonderfully feminine look and is very attractive on a floaty summer dress but looks equally chic on a formal one-piece and suits both plain block colours and intricate patterns.



Paul Buchanan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.