Spring/Summer 2010 Trend Report: Butterflies

Butterflies have been an obsession of mine since as long as I can remember, a passion inherited from my mother another avid butterfly fan. Growing up she had a beautiful tooled leather handbag covered in a flurry of colourful leather butterflies, it now sits forlornly in her wardrobe with a broken strap awaiting resurrection.

My passion for butterflies turned into a family endorsed teenage rebellion, aged 15, in the form of a butterfly tattoo on my lower back (of course my mothers joking endorsement removed much of the thrill of the rebellion it but reminds me why I love my family so much – they've humoured my flights of fancy with love and support since before I even took my first step)

Anyhoo, you can imagine my thrill to see butterflies pop up on the catwalks this season, Vivienne Tam's collection (pictured above) inspired by butterflies was overloaded with the motif, from print, to appliques to whole dresses made of butterflies…it was a dream for a butterfly obsessed girly like me.

Also spotted on the Spring/Summer 2010 catwalks were the butterfly inspired shoes in the Anna Sui collection pictured above. A feminine take on the gladiator sandal (I want these!) and flat pumps appliqued with a gorgeous spangly butterfly (DIY project?!)

At the top of this post is a selection of my favourite butterfly pieces, all handmade, and all are perfect for injecting a little flight of fancy into your spring wardrobe.

1) Butterfly Clutch – Roxanna Ahlborn – $50, 2) Leather Cuff – Love At First Blush – $25, 3) Butterfly Comb – Which Goose – $35, 4) Butterfly Stockings – Post – $13, 5) Butterfly Fascinator – Doloris Petunia – $50, 6) Felt Butterfly Fascinator – Stylesmith – $18, 7) Butterfly Necklace – Wexford Jewelers – $537, 8) Tooled Leather Handbag – TriccyCats Jewels – $195, 9) Butterfly Comb – The Honeycomb – $32, 10) Butterfly Fascinator – Stylesmith – $18, 11) Butterfly Bobby Pins – How Beadyful – $16, 12) Feather Butterfly Headband – La Plume De Danse – $25