Fashion week is one of those things that completely dominate your life for eight weeks of every year. (That's four cities, twice around, in spring and autumn.) Or else it catches your eye from the middle shelf of your supermarket's print section every once in a while.

If you're a fashion journalist or designer, chances are you've been living on instant ramen and Alka-Seltzer for the past month, observing "momentous" shifts. If you're anybody else, absolutely nothing has changed. There's a disconnect between real time and fashion time that makes it difficult for things that might seem fantastically controversial during fashion week to cross over into the mainstream.

To the fashion press, Marc Jacobs dressing Cara Delavigne and Georgia Jagger in flat shoes with thick, straw-coloured bobbed wigs was a pivotal moment in New York this season. To the rest of the world, it was a couple of people with scarecrow hair.

I'm sure you get the point. It's hard for fashion to hold people's attention for longer than the 15 seconds it takes to describe what Victoria Beckham wore to dinner with Karl Lagerfeld last night. Of course, we've learned to acknowledge the economic importance of fashion. Because, while the manic month of shows is about as familiar to most of us as the idea of buying a Saint Laurent tube dress for £1,500, the fashion industry is a behemoth of employment.

We're also learning about the importance of the representation of women in the industry. There is still a distinct lack of diversity – from the high street right up to the shows. White models outnumber all other ethnicities combined. And the line that fashion is for thin people might be the most tired of clichés, but that doesn't stop it from being 100% accurate.

Fashion is certainly a wonderful expression of art and culture and anyone who brushes it off as entirely shallow or frivolous is missing the point – but inclusive and accessible it is not.

Which is why those with a keen interest in the industry become especially alert when fashion stories go mainstream? And those moments are, more often than not, to do with issues of female representation. Heroin chic is an obvious example, which directed the public's gaze to the protruding ribs of its fashion icons. John Galliano's anti-Semitic rant was another. In fact, anorexia, drugs and racism are the three main reasons my dad might call me up to inquire nervously whether I really think it's a good idea to aspire to being a fashion editor.

Sure, it can be a pretty cruel world. Which is probably why nobody was particularly surprised to see Femen, the feminist protest group, storming the catwalk at Nina Ricci in Paris on Friday, chests daubed with the messages: "Model don't go to brothel" and "Fashion Dictaterror".

It's not hard to see how Femen would come to the conclusion that the fashion industry is a hostile, intolerant place; and, in the past few years, there has been some pretty depressing coverage of just how bad it can be. The recent documentary, Girl Model, featuring 13-year-old girls scouted in Siberia and sent to Japan where they're swindled into running up huge debts by agencies, isn't a particularly reassuring snapshot of the modeling world. The fact that so many of these young girls are forced into the sex trade because they're left to fend for themselves, broke in a country where they can't even read the road signs, is certainly good reason to highlight unhealthy attitudes towards women.

Fashionistas are gearing up to don spring’s hottest trends. This season is defined by soft pastels, lace embellishments, pleasing pleats and interesting jackets. The runways have played host to a unique array of prints and solids affording trend-seekers the ultimate in design for spring.

Pretty Pastels

Fabrics colored in soft pastel shades are ideal for separates from the cropped pant and shorts to office attire and daring dresses for nights out. The key to incorporating pastels into one’s wardrobe is to select flattering colors and introduce them modestly. Someone accustomed to darker shades is likely to be uncomfortable with a pale purple ensemble. Using pieces such as scarves, handbags and tees to introduce this season’s in-demand hues is perfectly acceptable.

Pleated to Perfection

The runways were littered with interesting pleats in the form of traditional pleats as well as those innovatively designed with a partial-pleat. Bunched skirts boasting only a pleated front are visually stunning and look great in staple shades as well as in the season’s popular pastels. The added benefit to pleats is they make a statement allowing wearers to forgo eye-catching accessories..

Racy Lace

Lace was prominent in spring fashion trend previews. Delicate lace is a bold look in flirty dresses and leggings and is a celebrated embellishment for spring. Ensembles featuring the feminine fabric may be flowing or fitting and always garner attention. Lace shirts under smart jackets serve to add a small sampling of this trend to a casual or polished look.

Jackets Making a Statement

One of the most interesting runway trends for spring is the captivating cuts of jackets. In an array of prints and solids, jackets are being seen in boxy and cropped designs as well as in boyfriend-inspired looks. These jackets add flair to both dressed-up and dressed-down ensembles. The interesting cuts are not limited to the length as the runways saw a fair share of collarless coats in the season’s hottest colors.

Not all trends fit every style sense, but trendsetters delight in embracing the season’s latest, most innovative looks. When sampling fashion’s latest offerings, savvy shoppers employ flattering looks inspiring captivating confidence.