Fashion Forecast – Sunny and Bright For Spring and Summer

Now that I’ve caught up on all my spring magazines – InStyle, Vogue, MORE, Allure – and read the fashion news from “T” The New York Times Style Magazine and perused my monthly Nordstrom catalogs, I’m here to report on spring and summer fashion trends.

Each spring I pack away my non-woolen winter clothes in a big suitcase.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, I love the seasonal changeovers and clearing the clutter from my winter closet to welcome the warmer weather. This week I took my woolens to the dry cleaner and packed away my corduroys and heavy sweaters in my big brown suitcase. (Check out JudiBoomergirl’s Spring Closet Changeover at my new YouTube channel. This is my first try at video  – a work in progress for sure!)

The forecast is sunny and bright for spring and summer. What should you have in your wardrobe? Here’s the scoop:

– Floral Prints & Modern Floral: Flowers abound on all sorts of attire from bathing suits to skinny jeans, dresses, skirts and even shoes. According to the InStyle editor, “modern florals should wind down the center of the dress or skirt to create a slimming illusion.”

This modern floral dress has a dramatic black background.

(These florals remind me of the designer Laura Ashley from years ago. I loved her small paisley prints and once made a dress with Ashley fabric for a college sorority formal. I was quite a seamstress back then. Maybe it’s time to buy a portable sewing machine and start sewing again during my life after 50.)

– Stripes and Bold Geometric Prints: There are wide stripes and narrow stripes, big squares and small squares. Stripes can also be found on jackets, sweaters, shirts, pants and even espadrilles. I bought two Caslon cotton knit striped jackets at Nordstrom – one in beige and one in blue – to wear with my Not Your Daughter’s Jeans. I like these jackets because they go with a variety of my favorite Banana Republic Timeless  crew neck tees and you can dress them up or down with jewelry. They also sell these jackets in a variety of colors. For a stylish look, you can mix stripes with polka dots too.

– Tuxedo Jackets: Not just for an evening out, these longer jackets are worn during the daytime with skinny jeans or pants. (Think my DKNY black linen suit will work just fine for this trend. It has a tuxedo-style jacket and skinny-legged pants — cool and casual even for a non-corporate summer wardrobe.)

– Sweet & Soft: These clothes are unstructured and flowy. They are often in pastels and with chiffon-like fabrics. (Not my favorite.)

Back to the Future: Check out the PUNK Chaos to Couture Costume Exhibit at the MET this summer.

– Spectacular Effects: Wild prints, crystal studs, ornate details. (Speaking of studs and ornate effects, my friends and I went to a preview of the PUNK: Chaos to Couture Costume Institute exhibition at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. It is a fabulous show and I encourage you to see it if you are on the east coast this summer. It is on view through August 14. There are clothes and accessories made with safety pins and outfits made with black garbage bags – just amazing designs!)

– Black & White Graphics: The InStyle editor says “not to add any other colors to the mix.” So no gray this summer, absolutely no gray! Okay?

– Warm Weather Leather: This is more for spring. I think leather no matter how thin is too hot for summer. How about that punk leather jacket above?

– Lace Dresses: The InStyle editor says to wear vibrant hues with shoes in the same color.

– A-line Skirts and Bold Ruffles: These skirts have a flair and are below the knee. (I prefer pencil skirts since my body is more pear-shaped. Flairs tend to make me look like I am wearing a tent.) As for ruffles, I like Ruffles potato chips but don’t like to wear ruffles. I think I am too petite for ruffles – they tend to overwhelm my body and face.

– Peek-a-boo.…I see you! This trend is for the adventurous boomer girl who wants to have a little see-through.  Ooh, la, la! I do like the Miracle Suit ‘Mystify’ one piece bathing suit that I saw in the Nordstrom catalog. It has a side mesh detail. I plan to be on the beach a lot this summer at my condo on the corner at the Jersey shore. Won’t need too many clothes this summer, just some bathing suits will do.

A colorful mix - this pink dress and yellow shawl caught my eye in a Madison Avenue window. A gorgeous combination.

What colors should you buy this summer? Definitely get your greens – pistachio, mint, aquamarine, blue-green, bright green. Reds are hot, hot, hot – flaming red or blood-orange red. And pastels are always a favorite during the spring and summer.

Now go shopping and buy yourself something new, something beautiful to wear. I hope you have a glorious spring and summer…and let me know what you bought and where you bought it!

Judi

Congrats to Cindy Eyler on winning the Mother’s Day raffle including a box of GODIVA chocolates (courtesy of my friends from GODIVA Chocolatier.) Thank you for your readership and for your comment on my Mother’s Day blog post.

Stay tuned for the June raffle featuring the Spa Sonic Skin Care System (courtesy of EpiCare LTD.)