It is finally time to put away those sweaters, heavy coats and layers upon layers of clothing and transition to wearing the more breathable clothes of springtime.
“I enjoy spring fashions and the renaissance of life that comes with spring,” sophomore Trevor Racine said.
Racine said spring, compared with other seasons, is not as different from year to year.
“I think fashions of spring remain a little more traditional than other seasons,” he said. “It’s refreshing because it doesn’t change as dramatically (as other seasons).”
Sophomore Lauren Cooper said spring is one of her favorite seasons because it is neither really hot nor really cold, which opens up more wardrobe options.
“It’s more airy and lighter, and you can wear a lot cuter things,” Cooper said.
Senior Rachelle Baalmann said she likes the warmer weather because she doesn’t have to worry about clothes getting wet from the snow or only dressing according to how cold it is outside.
“I like when it’s warmer outside because I think I get more motivated to dress up,” Baalmann said. “I really like flip-flops and the bright colors of spring.”
Cynthia Nellis, former fashion buyer and journalist, created a Web site featuring “10 Wearable Spring Fashion Trends,” which can be found at http://fashionabout.com/od/springsummer06/ss/springtrends06/4.html. The site was created for women, but she also has a link for men’s fashion. One of these spring trends for women is casual dresses with bold prints or solids paired with wide belts.
“I grew up with my sister and mom,” Racine said. “In the spring, you always had spring dresses.”
Shorts are a second spring trend for women this season, in style are either long or short but not in between. Short shorts, or “teensy little shorts,” as Nellis refers to them, are in style, as are Bermuda shorts. She said Bermuda shorts, which are knee-length, are best worn in a slim-cut fit.
Racine said men should stick to cargo shorts and never wear cut-offs. He also said not to wear anything that resembles capri pants.
“I also think man-capris should be outlawed,” he said.
White dresses were the third suggestion for spring, as long as they are worn with bold jewelry and shoes, like metallic slip-ons and wide bangle bracelets. Fourth on the list were large flowered prints and fun colors. Nellis said little flowered prints are out of style.
Large handbags or purses are still in for this season, as they were for winter and fall, but Nellis said black patent is popular for this season, not only for bags, but other accessories, too, like wide belts. Trend five is to not only include black patent items, but also accessories with such bold colors as bright blue, orange or red.
Nellis said metallics have been in style for a long time now, but they are used in a different way for trend six. She said not only are metallics popular in accessories, but now in apparel pieces. A little metallic goes a long way, meaning people should not wear multiple metallic pieces. A metallic top with white bottoms would be a nice combination.
Trend seven pairs baby-doll dresses with leggings or even jeans, a trend Cooper said she is fond of. Nellis said models on the runway wear the dresses too short, but adding leggings or skinny, cropped jeans would compensate for the shortness.
The eighth trend Nellis introduced is wearing a pair of slim pants and baggier or “voluminous” tops. She also said longer tops are in, as are lightweight jackets. Baalmann agreed with the trend toward longer lengths.
“The longer T-shirts are in instead of the crop tops that were once a hot item,” Baalmann said.
Number nine in the lineup was bangles, which Nellis said could be accessorized with anything. She said the main idea for spring is to mix colors and materials, especially with any accessories.
A 10th spring trend is classic animal prints. She said it is easy to go overboard, so people following the trend should limit themselves to one item per outfit. She said a nice look would be to wear an animal print with white. Baalmann said she is a fan of camouflage, but she also said it could be too much for someone to wear more than one camo-print in a single outfit.
Cooper said even though every year features a different style twist, trends are often revived from decades past.
“I think a lot of styles go in a cycle,” she said. “What was ‘in’ in the ’70s is now coming back, like the babydoll dresses. They have their own modern flair, though, of today.”
Nellis said some extreme male fashions like white shirts with ruffled shoulders may not appeal to the ordinary man, but she said there are a couple a spring trends that men may find appealing. She said military apparel is in fashion, with items that have many pockets or khaki-colored field jackets.
Another men’s style she said was in for spring is zip-up jackets. She said men could casually wear these, but they can also look dressy paired with a polo shirt. Nellis said not only layering with jackets is in, but also layering a long-sleeved shirt with a button down – “The more layers, the merrier.”
Lastly, she said the classic trench coat is back in style for spring.
Fashion Faux Pas
*jean jacket with jeans
*every article of clothing in camouflage
*every article of clothing in animal print
*wide stripes with vertical stripes
*too many colors
*dressing for the wrong season
*too many patterns
*stained clothes
*socks with sandals