The 90’s saw minimalism dominate the decade in a big way, what with the three big American designers Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan fueling the trend.
Despite the 80’s garish fashion hangover in the early 90’s, minimalism introduced sober and neutral color palettes and emphasis on basic colors like black, white, grey, ivory and beige. Clean cut silhouettes brought casual elegance and understated style in vogue.
Quite contrary to the previous glamorous decades of excess, where power dressing was pretty much the order of the day, the 90’s saw a radical change and brought street influences to the runway.
The start of the noughties saw fashion emerging more colorful and maximalist, however the turn of events towards the end of that decade which was marked by the economic meltdown soon saw the fashion world looking up to designers like Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga, and moderation and minimalism became the key looks soon after.
Stella McCartney Spring RTW 2011; photo: style.com
This trend continues to be big in 2011, and simple minimalistic pieces are here to stay. We saw clean lines in different silhouettes in white which remained the summer favorite for the year, designers also played around with more vibrant colors for fall winter, while keeping the cut and structure minimal.
Narciso Rodriguez Spring RTW 2011; photo: style.com
Jil Sander Spring RTW 2011; photo: style.com
Massimo Dutti
Zara
We also witnessed the minimal trend in Kate Middleton’s elegant wedding gown, as the world watched her take her wedding vows with Prince William. Seen below is her second wedding dress which spells understated chic, the one she wore to the reception, also designed by Sarah Burton.
Kate Middleton's second wedding dress by Sara Burton for Alexander Mcqueen
The shirtwaist dress, which was introduced by Halston in the 70s, who set the stage for the minimalistic trend way back, is big this season. This dress is perfect for summer and can be worn both in the day and evening, paired with the right accessories. The other short versions of the shirt dress are also very popular this summer.
Halston 70's Shirtwaist dress
Shirt dress at Ralph Lauren Spring RTW 2011; photo: style.com
High waist trousers in subtle tones of camel and ivory, worn with clean cut monotone tops reflects this look perfectly.
High waist trousers at Chloe; photo: style.com
Jason Wu Spring RTW 2011; photo: style.com
You have a plethora of choices with accessories when it comes to modern minimal clothing, since the colors are neutral and cuts simple, you can choose to dress up or down accordingly. However since the trend is minimal, don’t overdo it with the accessories even while dressing up. You can jazz up your look by wearing one statement accessory piece and keep the rest minimal, like a short one shouldered neutral hued form fitting dress, paired with metallic stiletos.
Calvin Klein Spring RTW 2011; photo: style.com
Max Mara Spring RTW 2011; photo: style.com
Minimal pieces also are a good investment as you can always keep these basics in the wardrobe and keep styling them up with the latest accessory trends or other pieces of clothing in the coming seasons. So ladies, it’s time to get back to the basics!
Fashionably Yours 
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