Is Classic China Going Out of Style?

Forget Toile, Greek key, silver-lined and traditional floral-patterned china. The china patterns that are becoming most popular with younger brides are less formal than ever.

In other words, what constitutes "timeless" is changing.

Today's designers of fine china are taking more chances when it comes to design -- and young consumers are responding. Many modern patterns are bold and colorful, and many have unique graphic patterns that are as trendy as they are distinctly personal.

It seems that women aren't choosing traditional patterns for tradition's sake -- they're choosing patterns that reflect their personalities.

Lenox introduced Chirp and Flutter (right), two decidedly different (and thoroughly modern) spins on classic bird and butterfly themes, in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Note how bold the colors are.

Missoni's Tropical collection and Versace's Hot Flowers dinnerware (above) are trendy, bold and colorful, and I dare say a wee bit tacky.

Even designers like Kate Spade are getting into the mix. Spade's Belle Boulevard is a more transitional pattern moving from traditional to modern. However, her Laurel Canyon collection is much more colorful and bold to appeal to these trendy, modern brides (or anyone else in the market for a formal china collection). Brands like Haviland and Raynaud are breaking the mold (pictured below) by introducing fresh designs and patterns like coral and floral silhouettes that still contain traditional elements (such as gold lining and simple detail).