We’re half way through Spring 2008 and I’m pretty pleased with what we’ve seen thus far. The resurgence of bright colours and higher rises and have been among my favourite trends.

That said, I do have a few complaints:

• Skirts and dresses are generally too short. Most gals require lengths that are on, or just below the knee, which are hard to find. Miniskirts are a fashion statement but the industry has gone overboard when Ann Taylor raises its hemlines to well above the knee. I can’t believe that I’m taking petite clients to shop in regular sizes to gain a couple of inches on the hem.
• The absence of cream jeans and cream pants. Unlike white, cream is a seasonless colour (hence the term “winter white” which is a rich creamy colour). White bottoms are a Summer essential, but cream bottoms should be available all the time. Retailers have opted to make beige a basic instead, which is often harder to wear.
• The absence of A-line denim skirts. Denim pencil skirts are everywhere, but A-line denim skirts are universally flattering. This is a missed opportunity.
• An abundance of wide-legged pants. Most of the silhouettes are too wide and clown-like. What’s worse is that wide-legged pants are selling alongside voluminous tunics which encourages them to be worn together. This is not a good look.
• A shortage of skinnies and straight leg jeans. Voluminous tops continue to flourish which means that streamlined bottoms should be widely available. But they’re not. It’s interesting how skinnies remain the “it” pants in Europe, but they’re few and far between in the US. You’ll battle to find skinny jeans unless you’re shopping in a Euro chain store.

A fab fashion season provides sufficient choice in style, colour and fabric. In some areas this has not been the case for Spring 2008. I’d love to hear your feelings on the current season. Don’t hold back!

Yellow started coming through last Spring and has made an even stronger impact this season. You’ll find energizing shades of yellow clothing, footwear and accessories ranging from the palest lemon to the brightest gold and electric citron in stores right now.

You won’t be disappointed if you incorporate yellow into your wardrobe. If you can’t wear the colour close to your face, sport it through a camisole, shoes, handbag, pendant, necklace, belt or patterned item that incorporates yellow. And don’t rule out wearing the right shade of yellow close to your face either. Yellow seems to soften once it’s surrounded by other colours. Surprisingly, yellow has worked beautifully each time I have incorporated it into someone’s wardrobe. It’s especially striking in shoes against dark denim and brings dull neutrals to life.

I grew up in a Dutch household where orange, yellow and red were regarded as perfectly basic colours for men and women. You’ll find Dutch men sporting these hot shades as if they were blue. So I guess I’m used to yellow and took to the cheerful shade as soon as it surfaced as a fashion colour. Nothing says Spring quite as appropriately as daffodil yellow, so don’t be scared to try it if it’s new for you. I’m willing to bet that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

There is a sea of yellow in my wardrobe at the moment. Something very merry about the colour makes me smile.

Ultra high-waisted jeans started coming through a year ago in skinny and straight-leg denim silhouettes. This season high-waisted, wide-legged jeans are the next big thing. They’re available in both faded “hippy” looks, and dark, streamlined modern styles.

I have fallen in love with this design. I do not have a bohemian element to my style and much prefer the smarter version in dark denim. It’s a great look when the strictness of a high-waisted jean is contrasted with a sophisticated and soft tucked-in blouse. This ensemble is all about tucking in tops to show off the mid section. You’ll therefore need the right body type to pull off the look and preferably a bit of height and a pair of heels. Am I alone in loving this look?

Dark high-waisted jeans and one faded high-waisted “hippy” style. I adore blouses and denim so I’m definitely giving this look a bash.

Spring and Summer 2008 introduces a tribal-rich trend that’s fresh and new. African inspired patterns, animal skin prints, natural fibers, safari looks, beaded ornamentation, gladiator sandals and wooden jewelry are what make the global trend a wearable and mainstream style.

You don’t need to wear this look from top to bottom to achieve a great effect. It can be interpreted in numerous ways and it’s all about mixing it up appropriately to suit your style. Simply add gladiator sandals to a modern black and white ensemble, or a safari jacket to a classic smart casual outfit. Match zebra print flats with a preppy look, or sport a tailored caftan over white skinnies and cork wedges.

Don’t choose beige items if the colour washes you out. Choose white, cream, mushroom brown, black and army green instead. I’ve added a tomato red belted safari jacket and an army green shirt dress to my Spring mix and they’re a nice change to the trapeze jackets and A-line jersey tunics I’ve been wearing for a while.

Athletic-inspired anoraks were fringe fashion last year, but are now mainstream. They’re a super lightweight, casual cover-up that’ll give your look a sporty edge with lots of style. You’ll find them shiny or matte, long or short, and neutral or coloured. Fabrications like nylon, polyester and acetate give them a particularly authentic active appearance.

I like anoraks best when they’re contrasted with dressy attire, like a little black dress, dark jeans, slacks, swanky walk shorts and fancy shoes. This is a rather avant-garde, high fashion look, so it’s a little tricky to pull off if you don’t get the components right.

I’ll bypass this trend – the less sporty trench is more my style. But If you’re an active zip-up-and-go kind of gal, than the fashion anorak look might be for you.

There’s a lot to like about the ongoing voluminous trend, but I continue to see voluminous pieces worn and advertised in unflattering combinations. It’s the retail industry’s responsibility to inform and educate consumers about new trends and how to wear them. The latter is severely lacking.

It’s imperative that you wear only one voluminous piece at a time (volume on volume does not work). Keep it sleek and fitted on top if you wear volume on the bottom and vice versa. This season’s resurgence of the wide-legged pant alongside swingy tops and trapeze jackets is interesting. These items are not meant to be worn together and yet it’s happening on mannequins in stores and on models online.

The model in the blue Rachel Pally outfit looks awful. Add a row of pompoms to the front of this outfit and she’s Bozo the clown. The pants should have been paired with a streamlined top, and the top would look better with a pair of straight or skinny jeans. I don’t like the wide-legged jumpsuit on the model on the right either, but at least the top part of her outfit is sleek which complements its voluminous bottom.

I’m surprised that the blue Rachel Pally outfit has made Oprah’s list of favourite things. Not so stylish.

If you like the structure of a jacket but the comfort of a sweater, then the knitted jacket or “sweater jacket” is for you. Some styles look more like cardigans while others are more like jackets. Either way, these items are knits, which makes them stretchy, soft and relaxed. Tailored or trapeze, collared or collarless, classic or trendy, smart or casual and plain or patterned, there’s a style to pull together your look in a cozy and comfortable way.

Knitted jackets won’t work if your Springs are warm. But they’re ideal for chilly Spring days, which are plentiful in Seattle.

An assortment of knitted jackets.

It’s interesting that some women are more comfortable in heels than flats, feeling that flats are unflattering and don’t provide the support of a heel. Feeling awkward in flat shoes usually makes fashion sneakers a no-no, but with heeled fashion sneakers coming back, they might be an option after all.

I’m personally sticking to flat All Star Converse, but if you like the idea of an uber-casual heeled shoe, the wedged sneaker trend is for you. You won’t look odd wearing this heel to a sporting event.

I had a pair of athletic inspired wedges in the ‘90’s, but they weren’t as sleek as the styles that have surfaced this season. I’ve tried on the silver pair on the right and they are very comfortable.

I’m always on the hunt for comfortable shoes that look fab and I recently scored another pair. They’re dressy Anne Klein snip-toe ballet flats with an ultra soft flexible sole that cushions the foot beautifully. Shoes with decorative buckles on their vamps often cut into your skin as you walk because the buckles spill over the edge of the shoe. But these buckles don’t because they’re positioned away from the edge. They’re also cut low enough so that none of the bones on my feet chaff against the sides of the shoe. My hopes are high that this ped will make the “8-hour” mark.

I ordered these shoes because the Zappos reviews were very encouraging. I can’t tell whether they offer enough arch support because I don’t seem to have a problem with the arches of my feet; but they’re soft and a lot more substantial than many of the flats around. You might need to go up half size if your feet are a little wider because the toe box is snug. Roll on Spring, I can’t wait to break in my new skimmers.

These flats are available in patent and leather in a variety of colours.

High fashion retailers in the USA are selling brightly coloured, ultra skinny jeans and my Euro sources tell me that this style is all over London, Paris and Germany too. I saw glimpses of this denim movement last season and also when I was recently in Spain. It’s a scream. I owned red, turquoise and fuchsia pairs with ankle zips 25 years ago.

Apparently the idea is to treat this silhouette more like leggings than pants this time around. So you’re supposed to wear these lurid skinnies under tunics and dresses instead of tops. Either way I’m bypassing this trend; but I’ll admit that I’m strangely attracted to the look because it’s a hilarious blast from my ‘80’s past.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this trend appeals to today’s teenyboppers and youngsters because it’s so different to most of the silhouettes they’ve been exposed to for the last two decades. I wonder what’s next. Home perm kits and crimping curlers perhaps?

My prediction: this look is a fad that’s going to disappear after one season.