A feminine bow blouse meets what I'm referring to as colour contouring at 3.1 Philip Lim Fall '12.

New York Fashion Week has been an absolute whirlwind and, by the end of a long day running from show to showroom all across Manhattan, the clothes almost all blur into one giant collection. Now as I type from the Newark airport reviewing my notes, however, I'm starting to realize that there's another reason for my haze: the thread of trends. Even calmly looking back, it's easy to see how much certain styles overlap between designers.

Trend reports are, of course, what the fashion blogs and magazines base their monthly lineups on and while the spring looks are now unfolding with loads of colour and sportswear chic, I'm going to give you a quick look ahead to which of those spring trends also carry into fall. This way you can be a smart shopper and skip the trends that will only last a few measly months.

Erin Cardiff is the Senior Editor for Bing Shopping. She is in Montreal this week and decided to see what Montreal Fashion Week is all about. Here's her take on the whole scene:

Since it’s one of the most beautiful and easily the most fashionable city in Canada (find me another city that makes winter clothes look good), Montreal seems like a great place to try out fashion week. The city lights up with Semaine Mode Montreal for a week each February. It’s meant to be a more fun and less intimidating week than in New York or Paris, but still packed with high fashion shows jammed full with pretty clothes and fashionable people.

… And, for the first time ever, me - who does not have a clue about anything related to fashion.

Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2012.

One of the most talked about shows at last week's Haute Couture shows in Paris was that of Jean Paul Gaultier, a very clear ode to Amy Winehouse. Black beehives, strong liquid eyeliner, signature beauty marks and even lit cigarettes styled the show, while models walked in black and white pedal pushers and collared shirts not unlike the fallen pop star's own designs for Fred Perry. But was this a fitting tribute or a sad cash grab? Winehouse's father, Mitch, feels it's the latter.

A black dress from Vera Wang's Spring 2012 ready-to-wear collection. Click here to see the fall 2012 bridal looks.

The new bridal trends are in and you won't believe what's popped up: black! The traditionally sombre shade has taken on a whole new meaning with designers like Vera Wang embracing the colour for fall 2012.

5:10 - Jump on my bike en route to the venue.

5:12 - Crap! My tire is flat.

5:14 - Jump on the streetcar.

5:35 - Getting off the streetcar I notice a taxi stopped in the middle of Queen Street. A man jumps from the car, hair perfectly gelled, phone pressed to his ear. As he whizzes past me and into the nearby fabric store, I see that it's Stephen Wong, one half of Greta Constantine. Last minute run, I suppose. He looks stressed.

It seemed inevitable that Kanye West would start a clothing line…I just really wish he hadn't. For years now Kanye's interest in fashion has been clear—I mean, you don't befriend Anna Wintour and kick it in the front row unless you mean business—but why oh why does a love for clothing have to mean that, poof, you're a designer?

Kanye is not a designer and his debut collection, DW by Kanye West, makes that clear. The concept was close, but the fit was awful giving off a sloppy, undone look  which was poorly received by the Paris Fashion Week critics. Several of them teased "don't give up your day job," but see that's just the thing that upsets me—he kind of has.

New York Fashion Week is in full swing and as images and reviews roll through with yet another season of colour blocking, metallics, and front-row celebs, I can't help but wonder: what's it all for?

Fashion trends recycle year after year and although some of the worst looks often get left in the dust, this season I was very sad to see a few repeat offenders.

First off, the turtleneck.

Beauty trends can be tricky to follow. Colour schemes aren't exactly universal and depending on your skin, 'au natural' may not be an option. Luckily this season there are a few major stories that flatter across the board, like bold red lips, full brows, and tons of blush. The trick to making them oh-so-fall-2011 is in the application.

Celebrity makeup artist Diana Carreiro shares a few of the techniques:

This week I shot behind-the-scenes footage for a fall 2011 fashion campaign. There on the sweaty sidewalk stood our actress in a wool turtleneck with a shearling jacket over top, smiling as her feet swelled in gorgeous leather knee-high boots. One of the crew members looked over at me and said: why do we make these girls wear tank tops in the winter and sweaters in the summer? Clearly this man was no fashion newbie, because his observation is perfectly true.