While walking the NYC streets the other day I noticed a change in fashion. People were flaunting new prints, new colors, and, overall, new styles. After many head turning moments it finally hit me. Spring fashion has arrived! Now if you’re a total fashion nut like myself then you already have seen the runway shows and know all the new styles. But if you’re not then you’re in luck. I’m here to help! I’ve gathered the top 2012 spring fashion trends. Check ‘em out!

We’ll start with color first.

1. Pops of neon color: Mix a neon color (pink, green, blue, any color will do!) into your everyday attire. Add neon blue earrings or a neon pink satchel. It’ll brighten your outfit instantly!
2. Pastels: Spring is a pretty time and what’s prettier than pastels! You can mix an array of pastels. The soft colors blend nicely! However, sea foam green seems to be the most popular.
3. Orange: Orange seems to be the hit color in all departments. Entire orange outfits are cropping up everywhere! If you want a more simple style, stick to orange bags, jackets and shoes.

Next we’ll cover patterns.

1. Floral prints: So huge for spring. This is my absolute favorite trend! Floral prints are pretty, feminine and can add flare to simple outfits. Floral print pants seem to be all the rage. So find a pair as quickly as you can and hold on tight to them!
2. Tribal patterns: It seems as though the popularity of tribal patterns from winter has carried into spring. Tribal patterns are edgy and somewhat sexy. A tribal shirt or jacket can add edge to any outfit.
3. Bold prints: This is cool if not overdone. Bold prints are an article of clothing that have different patterns (swirls, geometric shapes etc.) and colors blended into one. These are great for any nighttime outfit.
4. Futuristic patterns: This goes above and beyond the classic patterns. Futuristic prints appear as though they are digital patterns on articles of clothing. If wearing a jacket with a futuristic pattern keep the rest of the outfit simple. Remember to not go overboard!

Finally the remaining trends.

1. Sporty: Don’t be thrown. These sporty looks are very feminine. Most of them show high collared shirts with longer sleeves or a broad shoulder jacket with a prominent zipper. Stylists are pairing these with cute, loose shorts and coloring them in pastels and pinks. The results are the perfect combination between feminine and sporty.
2. Colorblocking: This trend is exactly how it sounds. Clothing are designed with chunks, vertical or horizontal, of specific colors or shades of one color. Soon enough you’ll be seeing this style all over your favorite stores!
3. Peplum Ruffles: This is a very specific ruffle. It is one ruffle resting on your waist line either from your shirt or skirt. It’s very feminine and adds a bit of flare to an outfit.

Hope this helped. Happy Spring everybody!

[Lead image via curlychellez.blogspot.com]

Now doesn't that just look refreshing?

Maybe it’s just the 90 degree heat that‘s making me dizzy has me thinking summer, but June 21st is just around the corner and I’m already starting to load up on sundresses and break out the plaid shorts. In honor of the simply fantastic weather that the northeast graced me with this weekend, I’m counting down the 10 summer must-haves.

Don’t worry, you have a whole month and a half to get everything on the list! Read More »

If you haven’t heard about TOMS shoes yet you are really missing out. Not just because the shoes are cute. And not just because the shoes are so comfy it feels like you are walking around campus in slippers. Or on clouds. Or marshmallows. (Hm. I could totally go for a s’more right now… but I digress). But because the premise on which TOMS shoes exists is pretty remarkable.

For every pair you buy, TOMS will donate a pair of shoes to a child in a developing country who is in need. And since beginning in 2006, TOMS has given over 600,000 shoes to children in need. Talk about your purchase going to a greater good (and I’m not just talking about the greater good that is you looking totally cute, although TOMS shoes do that too).

So here are four of my favorite ways to rock the TOMS, wherever you may be going. And four pairs for you means four for kids who REALLY need the shoes. Fashion has never felt so good. Read More »

Summertime.

Time to work on our tans, hang at the beach (or on some sick yacht if you happen to know the right people), and wear all those totally cute clothes that only work for three months out of the year.  Summer is a great time to bust out pastels, white linen and, one of my personal faves, seersucker.

I know you may be thinking that seersucker is old-fashioned and outdated, but there are tons of options out there that are stylish, modern and work well for all different types of gals.  The best part about these pieces? You can totally find them for $50 and under (and I did!). So go ahead, let yourself get sucked in by this whimsical print. Read More »

So spring has (finally!) sprung and I don’t know about you, but for me that means pulling out all those cute sundresses, sandals and the rest of my spring/summer wardrobe that I love so much (and, hey, adding a few pieces to the mix as well).   So in honor of spring, I figured I’d focus this week’s day-to-night styler on a basic sundress that can be easily converted into a stylish and sassy outfit for the evening.

This dress from Forever 21 is totally cute and flattering for a number of different body types. It’s long enough to sport to class or while running around town with mom, but sexy enough to dress up for later. And, better yet, at $11.50 a pop, you can buy it in more than one color.  I love the pink, blue and purple for spring.

Read More »

I don’t know about you, but after what seemed to be the most grueling. winter. ever. I am excited and eager to dust off my spring wardrobe… and add some new pieces to it. As is always the case with the new season, we have some new trends (along with a few piggy-back trends of season’s past) to spice up our wardrobes.

Here are some of Spring 2009’s hottest trends: Read More »

Japan is a weird place. From its movies to its festivals to its dining habits, the country has a long history of giving birth to some truly bizarre sh*t, then sending it overseas to our eagerly awaiting, comparatively bland Western hands.

The most recent weirdo Eastern trend to show up on American shores is the fashion movement known as Lolita. Despite the fact that is sounds like some filthy daddy-daughter fetish scene, Lolita, according to most enthusiasts, has nothing at all to do with sexuality and everything to do with embracing your inner well-behaved Victorian-era prepubescent girl.

Ladies who practice Lolita do so by dressing themselves like the porcelain doll that your got for your eighth birthday, then going online to connect with other girls who dress like the porcelain doll that you got for your eighth birthday, then getting together to do things like sing karaoke, drink tea, and attend animae conventions.

Huh.

According to one Lolita site, the movement originated in the 1980s when Japanese teens would kick it every weekend in downtown Tokyo jamming to rock bands and getting all gussied up for each other. A small faction of girls on this scene, for one reason or another, started sporting Little-Bo-Peep-esque ensembles; a few key trendmakers picked up on the look and started companies like Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille that specialized in producing the frilly, old-fashioned clothing, some Japanese rock bands embraced the trend, and thus the Lolita subculture was born. Read More »