Guest blogger Carien goes trend shopping at LEGiT and shares her thoughts on the stylish season ahead.

Beyond the fact that living in South Africa offers us perks such as beautiful sunshine and friends who speak eleven different languages, we have the unbeatable advantage of being able to experience the 2012 summer fashion weeks whilst still in the 2011 season...if you think about it we’re actually one season ahead of the whole northern hemisphere! So it’s time to interpret some trends seen at the Spring/Summer 2012 fashion week LEGiT style and prepare to step out fashionably ahead.

Orange is a hot shade on the runway this season, in any hue from bold tangerine to pretty peach.

Orange is set to be the new black. Almost every collection showcased at the 2012 S/S fashion weeks contained at least a splash of orange, whilst orange was the predominant trend in designers like Jenny Packham, Richard Chai and Jill Stuart’s latest collections. Whether it be tangerine or peach, orange in every shade imaginable is rocking the fashion boat this coming season.  

Designers are taking more and more inspiration from romantic flowing lines that have us rediscovering our inner ballerina.

The romantic trend is making its comeback as ruffles, lace and ballet inspired skirts graced the runway for designers like Vera Wang and Sheri Hill. 

Black and white are a match made in heaven, and this powerful colour combination is making a big splash on the runway this season.

Another trend that’s hot property in the fashion world is the black and white trend, as seen at Tibi, DKNY and Carolina Herrera. A trend that’s easy to incorporate into your wardrobe using a few basic pieces, this trend is set to be the colour blocking of 2012.

Image credit: Carien van der Walt/Pretty Little Pigeons