Winter begone! Along with sunshine, blooms and warmer weather come the clothes to match.
Fashion this spring has a welcome optimism, from candy colors to playful prints to comfy fits. Embrace the cheer in the air with six of the most wearable trends for 2011.
Rainbow Brights
There are endless ways to wear this season’s colors, pulled straight from the Crayola box. Keep things simple with one brilliant shade, like this Kate Spade shirt dress in It-color orange, or mix and match rich hues for a color blocking effect as seen at Prabal Gurung, Gucci and dozens of other spring shows. For another fresh take, pair a bright skirt with a crisp white blouse or button down shirt.
Kate Spade Harriet Shirtdress, $325, Nordstrom
Seventies Style
Spring runways transported us over three decades back to the glitz and glam of the 1970’s. Marc Jacobs and Tory Burch revived the look of Bianca Jagger with flowy blouses and dresses, wide-legged pants and afghan prints and colors. Pair a peasant top with wide-legged denim and wedges, or slip on a maxi dress in a retro print that’s comfy enough for the beach and cool enough for the city.
Chevron-Print Maxi Dress, $178, BCBG
Pants Revolution
All hail the return of the trouser! Thanks to the obsession with everything ‘70s, non-skinny pants have made their comeback. Flared jeans with high waists are all the rage but can be hard to wear, so feel free to adopt the trend without the sky-high rise. Keep things modern with a jean that’s straight through the knee with a slight widening at the hem, rather than a full bellbottom cut. But denim isn’t the only pant getting the wide-legged treatment: Jason Wu showed swingy trousers paired with striped tops (another key spring trend) for a chicly Parisian look.
7 For All Mankind Georgia Trouser Jean, $189, Shopbop
Mixed Prints
Witty print combos dominated runways at Proenza Schouler, Chris Benz and Miu Miu, welcoming spring with a wink and a smile. Boldly blend printed tops and bottoms yourself, or find a dress that does it for you.
Wisteria Halter Dress, $148, Anthropologie
Flatforms
Ladies, we have a new entry in the style dictionary: the “flatform.” Part wedge, part espadrille, and with a dash of ballet flat, flatforms are the new way to rise above (and they’re comfy to boot!). Saks still has a few sizes of the stacked wedge models wore for Derek Lam’s spring show, but for a more affordable version, try JAVA’s selection of peeptoe flatforms in various shades.
JAVA Coral Suede Peep Toe Platform Wedges, $130, Topshop
Framed Handbags
Hand in hand with the season’s ladylike fashion comes the structured satchel. You can’t go wrong with a neutral shade, but since it’s spring, why not grab a purse with a little color?
Ecote Tooled Lady Bag, $88, Urban Outfitters
