The fall 2011 runways in New York, Milan and Paris gave the fashion world a glimpse of what will be hitting store shelves later this year. Although there were many trends and unique looks from designers around the world in February, March and April, one of the more dominant trends from the runway was the vintage trend.

The vintage trend seems to make its way onto the runways every season in various forms from accessories to hair-styles to overall silhouettes and ensembles. The fall 2011 runways seemed to favor a few time periods this season which are continuing from spring 2011 as well as appearing for the first time in a few years.

The 1960’s and 1970’s were all over the spring 2011 runways and continued to make an impact for fall 2011. Designers such as Blumarine (1960’s) and Marc by Marc Jacobs (1970’s) featured a simple decade in their collections and created an instant vibe that took viewers back to a different time. The influence in the runway collections as a whole from these decades gave the fashion world a continuation of 1960’s bright colors, 1970’s wide leg pants, 1970’s hats, 1970’s shoulder bags and shoes from both eras.

The 1980’s also made a small appearance on the fall 2011 runways. Dolce Gabbana created collection for fall which instantly took the fashion world back to a time of bubble gum pop, oversized shirts and eclectic mixtures of colors. The 1980’s showed Fashionistas that mixing colors and loose tops over thin bottoms are du rigueur for fall 2011.

The Great Recession has led designers to be inspired by the styles of the Great Depression. Designers such as Louis Vuitton showed vintage silhouettes from the 1930’s and 1940’s with top handle satchels, below the knee skirts and ladylike looks that evoke memories of black and white film.

The vintage trend for fall 2011 is diverse and includes contrasting decades and influences from bright and swinging eras as well as times of struggle. It should be interesting to see which time periods buyers decide to gravitate towards.