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From the roaring 60's glam to fringing 70's disco, we look back at the Fashion Weeks to give you trends for Spring | Summer 2012/13, hot off the runways.

60's Love

Spring | Summer 2013 will be best viewed in glorious Technicolor. During Fashion Week, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors and Moschino all paid tribute to Sixties girls like Twiggy, Françoise Hardy and Jane Birkin with mini-skirts, A-line dresses, graphic checks, patent Mary Janes and delicate motifs worked in bright colors. Pop pieces for a fresh, bold look.

Classic stripes

Fashion Week was unanimous: Summer 2013 will be striped. Whether skinny or fat, minimal or psychedelic, stripes every which way produced graphic silhouettes on the catwalk. Color-wise, black featured heavily, with white at Balmain and Dolce & Gabbana, or clashing red and green at Michael Kors, and again at Dolce & Gabbana.

Checks mate

Backstage at Louis Vuitton, designer Marc Jacobs told us that he had been inspired by the columns in the work of French artist Daniel Buren for his Spring | Summer 2013 collection. This highly graphic look also popped up on Balmain's Harlequins and in a mind-bending optical illusion for Marc Jacobs own collection.

Eastern Asian print mania

Traditional Eastern prints are given a Western spin next season, with hints of Hanoi, Beijing and Tokyo coming through in Asian-inspired collections. Discover fire dragon, lotus flower, peony and hibiscus motifs in prints which hail from the other side of the world.

The Tux

Masculine/feminine androgyny continues to inspire designers, and we certainly haven't seen the last of the tuxedo. A classic trend revisited on the runway in black and sometimes in white, for a Newton-like silhouette.

African Safari

Designers are taking us on a safari-style adventure next season, where we'll be in hot pursuit of fierce beige and khaki prints for both day and night, the countryside or the urban jungle.

Shiny metallics

As seen on the runway at Burberry, Christian Dior and John Paul Gaultier, shimmering metallics set the tone for next summer. A dazzling trend spotted on trenches at Burberry, bustier dresses at Dior and slip dresses at John Paul Gualtier.

Blissful Pleats

From nude pleats at Valentino and discreet folds at Stella McCartney to voluminous, flowing crepe at Chloé, pleated fabric is one of Summer 2013's stand-out trends. Long seen as a good-girl style, delicate folds are gaining fashion ground in all their sheer, feminine glory on next season's runway.

Dot it

Fashion goes back to Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany’s 50's polka dot dress, evoking a highly feminine delicacy and sophistication next Summer. The classic black and white polka dot duet is the ultimate detail for a discreet contrast in a minimalist look with an elegant edge.

Fringing Fringes

From the Roaring Twenties Charleston dresses, to 70's disco dancing queens, fringe-accenting is making a comeback for Spring | Summer 2013. It's out with the leather cowgirl tassels of Fall/Winter 2012/2013 and in with delicate, sleek trims that will sway with you long into the night.

I write this with greatest sadness and great gratitude, call me a bowl of mixed emotions, I'll accept. The 2nd preliminary round of the ELLE style reporter required us to "connect the dots " and use elements of pop culture to give a view on what we think influences South African style. The Challenge was tough, the competition was even tougher and of-course I did not make not make the cut. Anyway I though I should share with you a fragment from my entry. Check out the finalist here.

Style is an expression influenced by element in society and its interpretation is unique among diverse cultures, cities and events. I attended 3 events of different cultural movements, from high culture (Marie Claire Loeries after party), pop culture (Pop bottles) to subculture( craft beer fest) to intimately explore their influences on South African style, as much as there are endless stream of fashion images from every branch of the global village via the internet, the South African society is still inspired by their immediate surroundings, Social and cultural changes, heritage, all play a part in influencing the way people dress thus giving South Africa a sense style of its own.