At the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, actress Mischa Barton wore an embroidered tulle gown from Oscar de la Renta’s spring 2006 collection. The dress had been shown on the runway just a few days before, during Olympus Fashion Week. So if embroidered tulle is already out there in September, will it be “over” by the time the crocuses pop up? It’s anybody’s guess.

Runway trends do have an effect on what to wear now and in the future. They can push fashion in one direction or another, and filter down from top designers to the mass market. But what happens on the runway sometimes stays on the runway, for matters of both timing and practicality.

The trends from the spring shows that have any useful application in real life are those of shape and color. Waists are back (but that was already true, as you can see in the fall fashion magazines). Belts are on everything: bathing suits, skirts, evening wear. Skirts are slim, but there was a strong undercurrent of flowing, sometimes billowing shapes inspired by kimonos.

Kenneth Cole struck a solid note with several belted dresses that were form fitting but loose below the waist. Donna Karan showed several dresses with long backs that connected the neck to the hem baggy pieces of fabric. BCBG Max Azria showed shirts with puffy, wide waists.

In terms of color, black and white held sway, but low impact neutrals like tans, browns, and earth tones were strong, too. The Michael Kors collection embodied this well. From a long dress in white eyelet to olive cropped pants and a tan shirt to a black wrap dress, his collection kept the mood for spring realistic. Color did play a role in the collections, but it got second billing to neutrals.

As for the trends that should remain runway only, the leader was the mix of lace and high necks. Tracy Reese dabbled in this look, as did Monique Lhuillier. Romantic, yes – but also potentially annoying and uncomfortable. Not only that, the Jessica McClintock look from the ’80s has been brewing in vintage shops in New York and on the Japanese street. It’s a trend that has come up from the bottom, rather than down from the top. In either case, the better fabric for spring is eyelet – which was all over the runways, including a white skirt at Lela Rose and a tan shrug at Y & Kei.

And what of embroidered tulle? It was notably popular among designers. And if Mischa Barton is wearing it, a generation of teenage girls will want a version of that look. Which probably means: By springtime, wear satin.