NYFW – The Trends You Need to Know for Spring 2012

Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, which showcased spring lines for new, rising and seasoned designers, ends tomorrow. The event started last Thursday and has garnered support and crowds of the fashion industry's moguls, writers, bloggers and obsessives.

The lines shown will not be available until February, but the designs give you a flavor of what will appear in your spring orders. I've cataloged some of the designers and trends you should keep track of going into 2012.

Oscar de la Renta: Neon and Lace
This line showed that neons are definitely here to stay, at least for another season. Oscar de la Renta showed deep blues, lime greens and the cross-line favorite for spring, bubble-gum pink. Vertical stripes, cinched waists and lace accents added texture and shape to the garments.

Rebecca Minkoff: Prints, Prints, Prints!
Minkoff combined 90's babydoll dresses, 80's hair metal and 70's glamour to create a line fit for a contemporary urban fashionista. She mixed floral and animal prints to create fierce feminine looks. The focus was on print blocking over color blocking.

Rachel Zoe: Ensemble-Minded
The celebrity stylist debuted her novice attempt at designing. Her career as a stylist was evident in the carefully crafted outfits. Though she almost always wears black (actually many designers do), her line came with bold prints on feminine dresses, classic touches to leather and monotone looks in chocolate, burgundy and white.

Carolina Herrera: Bird is the Word
Herrera showcased more muted versions of the neon colors presented in other lines, with an emphasis on yellows, blues and greens. A fowl-inspired pattern showed up on a host of her garments. Tan was another staple of the line.

Sophie Theallet: All Trends At Once
Theallet combined the monotone, color blocking and mixed print trends of 2011 to bring them into spring 2012. The full skirts, interesting prints and knee-length dresses were all flashy yet office appropriate.