The last few weeks of the winter season can be excruciating…who wants to make the effort to dress up, only to go out side and tackle the cold weather, heavy winds, ice rain and black slush? Staying in and browsing through fashion week photos to spot trends is so much more favourable.

The fade effect is a subtle style that many designers portrayed in their collections at fashion weeks in New York, Paris and London, by using dark shades to fade into light hues, resulting in an overall tie-dye appearance.

Lela Rose (NYFW), L'Wren Scott (NYFW) and Sharon Wauchob (PFW)

In New York, this style was shown simply in both a long, flowing gown and a calf-length dress that appeared on the runway, while in Paris it was embellished with texture.

Matthew Williamson, Clements Ribeiro and Kinder Aggugini at LFW

In London, Lela Rose used the technique to give character to a fur jacket, while other designers combined the fade effect with printed fabrics.

Stay tuned for more Fall/Winter 2011 fashion trends!

*Photo Credit: Style.com