The Top Six Hot Fashion Must-Haves to Survive Spring/Summer '08

There are a lot of awesome spring / summer fashion trends to choose from this year, but here is a list of what I believe are the essentials!

1) The Trench

I love this piece as the perfect transitional coat from winter to spring. It is also great for those cooler summer days and evenings. This season, the trench has become wildly popular in bright, bold colours and interesting shapes, such as skirted waists and puffed sleeves.

For me, the best buy is the classic straight-cut tan trench, à la Casablanca. Anything worn by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman can never go out of style.

2) Gladiator Inspired Footwear

Wish you were on America’s Next Top Model this season and had the chance to visit Italy? Now you can take the best part of it with you with this season’s latest historical influence, the Roman Gladiator. Often taking shape in a weaved pattern, these sandals look great as either a flat or a heel.

3) Bright, Bold Colours

You’ll be sure to feel cheerful this spring and summer even when the weather outside is less than forgiving. Rich colours can be incorporated into almost anything you wear this season, from head and shoulders to knees and toes. My favourite way to wear bold colours this season? Footwear! Nothing is more fierce than seeing a woman (or a man if he so chooses) strut her way down the street in a pair of shockingly bright coloured and insanely tall stilettos.

4) A Native Inspiration

Two truly hot commodities this season are feathers and dream-catcher shapes, which are quite amazing in their versatility. They can accentuate a hair or forehead piece, dangle as earrings or even as charms on a necklace. Any way you decide to incorporate these pieces, they will be sure to transform your outfit and complete your look.

HOT TIP: If you don’t already own one of these native inspirations, Aldo is selling beautiful dream-catcher style earrings for only $7 a pop!

5) Do As the Hippies Do

If you’ve grown out those cute bangs and bobbed hair, try adding shape to your long tresses by wearing a forehead band. (They can also be worn with short hair.) Although these bands come with various details, some of my favourites include bright colours, jewels or feathers, graphic prints such as peace signs, and even buckles to provide a semi-turban appearance.

Just make sure the band is not too tight around your head or your hair will come up too high and give your head a strange shape. Not to mention it will hurt and you’ll have to remove it, thus exposing the red streak it left across your forehead. And no, I am not speaking from personal experience.

6) Long Patterned Dresses

Casual breezy summer dresses have always been a favourite of mine. As someone who always takes a year to figure out what to wear, the dress is the ideal since it’s an all-in-one outfit. This season it’s even easier as the “it dress” is shown with so many wonderful patterns. Floral patterns appear to be quite popular, but don’t forget about those bright colours and tribal influences. A nice dashiki-inspired dress is always great for the summer. Top it off with some feathered or dream-catcher accessories and a pair of gladiator sandals, and you’ll be good to go. No Fuss. No Muss.

HOT HINT: As someone who is short, I find that certain ankle-lengths can cut me off and accentuate my “height impairment.” Be careful and try to find the length that works for you.

P.S. Just because I love these items does not mean that I can afford to own them. Donations are always welcome!

© 2008 Alexandra Trottier; licensee (Cult)ure Magazine.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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