Spring and Summer collections are drawing to a close and it’s your last chance to inject a bit of “now” into your wardrobe. We’ve spent six months sharing Spring 2008 trends and here is my must-have list that cuts across body types, age groups and budgets:

• White bottoms: Choose jeans, pants, clamdiggers, walk shorts, a skirt or dress in white. The fresh addition of a white bottom packs plenty of punch to a Summer ensemble. It’s an instant contemporary edge.
• A white accessory: Think white handbags, belts, shoes, chunky beads and watches. If optical white is not your thing, opt for off-white or cream instead.
• Colourful shoes: Get yourself out of the neutral shoe rut and incorporate a cheerful ped in yellow, green, turquoise, purple, orange, pink or blue. If the thought of a bright shoe scares you, go for red, metallic or animal print instead. It’s not quite the same, but I’ll settle for these alternatives.
• A colouful handbag: Get yourself out of the neutral handbag rut. I’ll accept red, metallic or animal print too (faux zebra, giraffe or pony get my vote).
• Clamdiggers or walk shorts: They are the answer to cropped pants.
• A day dress: Nothing keeps you as cool as an A-line, knee-length dress. If you live in hot weather, make this a staple. If frocks aren’t your fancy, try to keep at least one on the back burner to haul out on an extra girly day.
• A cardigan: The layering staple that looks good over just about anything.
• A voluminous item: A superb current trend that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Whether it’s in the form of wide-legged pants, lantern sleeves, trapeze jackets, roomy tunics, sack sheaths, baby dolls or billowing blouses, choose one that suits your body type and go with the flow.
• A wedge: It’s the modern-day heel. Add it in a metal or shade of white and you’ve got a go-to Summer shoe.
• A global accent: Add a tribal twist to your look with an exotic bangle, animal print item or safari inspired piece. Interpret this trend your way and make a statement.

Floral prints, gladiators, shirt dresses, cropped jackets and waist-cinching belts are great trends but not for everyone. You’re fine investing in patent, skinnies and straight leg jeans. These items have become basics and we’ll see them every season.

End-of-season sales have begun. Start ticking off your Summer shopping list and look fab.

Mainstream dress designer Donna Ricco makes a great commercial product. You’ll find her dresses in stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom and White House/Black Market selling for $90-$150. Get them on sale and you’ve got quite a bargain.

A statuesque and superbly polished 5′ 11″ Michelle Obama wore a black and white, cotton sateen, tank-leaf print Donna Ricco dress when she appeared as guest host on talk show “the View” last week. She ordered the dress after seeing it advertised in a New York magazine. She added a black rose to the left shoulder strap and was impeccable. I loved it, and so did the rest of America. The magazine was flooded with orders for the same Donna Ricco dress shortly after the show. Two thousand orders that day alone.

So it’s not all about fancy designer wear for Michelle Obama. Mainstream is just as fab. Style is in the wearer and I can’t think of a better person to convey that message than a politician’s wife. Have a squizz at Donna Ricco dresses when you’re next in store. Chances are high you’ll come home with one. I’ve had mine for two years and it’s still going strong.

I’ve had a client in this exact Donna Ricco dress. It looked great, but we opted for a more colourful style instead.

A wardrobe can’t function without at least one pair of fab jeans. If you don’t have a pair, make it your next mission. A smart casual look is flop-proof and well worth the investment.

So there’s a minimum, but how about a maximum? I see wardrobes full of jeans where many are either ill-fitting or seldom worn. So answer these questions: how many pairs of jeans do you own and how many do you actually wear on a regular basis?

I’ll go first. I have 10 pairs of jeans:

• 2 pairs of duplicated Diesel straight-legs (very dark blue) that are almost skinny. They are my favourites. I can wear everything with these jeans. They work with every tunic, top, blouse, jacket, trench and heel height. I can wear them with flats and pumps in Summer and tucked into boots in Winter. Absolutely brilliant.
• 1 pair of 7 for all Mankind skinnies (mid blue wash) for any heel height.
• 1 pair of AG bootcuts (dark wash) for heels.
• 1 pair of Arden B bootcuts (dark wash) for heels.
• 1 pair Abercrombie & Fitch bootcuts (lighter wash) for flats. I travel in these jeans. They’re a little tatty at the hems and super soft. They come out during my less refined moments.
• 1 pair of skin tight, tapered denim jodhpurs that I wear tucked into boots for a pukka Equestrian look. That’s all. These jeans are like denim leggings.
• 1 pair of David Kahn bootcuts (white) for heels.
• 1 pair of Esprit skinnies (white) for any heel height.
• 1 pair of Club Monaco wide legs (cream) for heels.

This sounds like a lot, but I live in Seattle where we wear jeans all year round. It’s just too cold to wear pretty frocks with flats for more than a few months of the year. I’m also smart casual most days and evenings, so I need more jeans than someone who is business casual during the day.

How many do I wear regularly? Well, I only wear the two white pairs in summer. The one cream pair is very dramatic and therefore only worn from time to time. The jodpurs are reserved for winter when I am wearing boots. The remaining six pairs are in constant rotation. I did have a pair of wide-legged orphans, but they have been passed on.

Now it’s your turn to confess.

Shocking pink (or hot pink) was “the” fashion colour of the ‘80’s. After a sickening overdose, pink disappeared, but was revived in many shades from 2002 to 2004. It disappeared again until this season. It’s the last fashion colour to hit collections before end-of-season-sales (yup, Autumn collections are lurking).

The last fashion colour to emerge before a retail season ends often becomes the “it” colour of the following season. This is common international retail practice and the path yellow followed from last season into the current one.

I like pink, but I’m fussy about the shade. I prefer a saturated purple-pink that’s more like fuchsia. I like it best paired with orange, yellow, a sour green, smoky grey or white. If my predictions are correct, turquoise is going to be big next season. If shocking pink comes to play we’re in store for the biggest ‘80’s colour revival yet. Do you like pink, or have the ‘80’s killed it for you?

I’ll wear shocking pink clothing before I sport it as an accessory. I do fancy the idea of the bright pink pencil skirt though. I might need to have a squizz at J Crew.