These tops, toppers and shoes could refresh your Spring wardrobe in two ticks. Remember to check out all the colour options. 

• Tildon Dash Flat: Pointy toe footwear is trending. These flats offer little support, but some actually find this style of shoe comfortable – like me! It’s not a soft, cushioned, well-made shoe, but for $49.95 it might do the trick. Available in pink, silver and black. 
• Tildon Astoria Oxford: Also unsupportive, but quite comfortable, on trend and affordable at $59.95. A fun and fab ’80s flashback. Comes in silver, a pattern, and black. 
• Jeffrey Campbell Everly Bootie: A super bootie for mild weather. It comes in black too. 
• ASTR High/Low Field Vest: A cropped utility vest with a drawstring tail. Unique!
• Mural Mixed Media Moto Jacket: Crisp and happy. Perfect for a cool Summer too.
• Mural Floral Sweatshirt: A happy combination worn over a pencil or full skirt. Modern. 
• Ted Baker London Digital Bloom Print Sweater: This is like a fancy long sleeved t-shirt and I’m loving it. Runs small.
• Maison Scotch Leather & Ikat Trim Field Jacket: This is for Team Mega Casual. Crinkle linen with leather and patterned trim. Fab paired with faded jeans and a layering tee. 
• Steve Madden Colorblock Trench Coat: Fresh, sophisticated, structured. What’s not to love. 

Do you enjoy shopping for Spring clothing? Or is it your least favourite season. 

It’s not always possible to make a final decision about a purchase at home, but if you have the flexibility of returning the item, here’s why it’s a good idea. 

1. The most important dressing room in your life is the one you have at home. That’s the mirror you look into each day, so that’s the mirror that should make you feel fab about your new purchase. Mirrors and store lighting do vary, so it’s always worthwhile double-checking the fit, fabrication, comfort level, style sensibility, and colour of a new piece in your own mirror. 
2. If you’re after a second opinion from family, friends or a fashion forum, home is often the best place to get that extra viewpoint.
3. Bringing an item home allows you to compare it with other items and establish whether it’s worthy of a place in your wardrobe. The item-outfit-capsule test is easiest and most effective when you have the rest of your wardrobe on hand. 
4. If you’ve bought an item with the specific intention of wearing it with another item, you can pop on both pieces together in the comfort of your personal dressing room.
5. We are often rushed and tired at the time of the purchase, but home is that tranquil place where you can regroup and effectively think through a decision. 

Granted, this isn’t always possible. Like when I find a wardrobe gem while traveling, or occasionally purchase an item on final sale. In these situations I can’t reassess the purchase at home with the option of a return. But for the most part I prefer to finalize my purchasing decisions in my own dressing room, just to be absolutely sure.

Baggy and slouchy trousers started appearing on runway shows in 2008. I remember talking with fashion stylist and author Kendall Farr about the “new soft drapey pant” when I first interviewed her in 2009, and she was as excited about the new silhouette as I was. We both enjoy ’80s inspired fashion and for me in particular, there was once again a trouser style that was my cup of tea. I loved trousers in the ’80s and ’90s, but went off them after that, favouring skirts, frocks and jeans. It’s thanks to the new baggy and slouchy trouser silhouettes that I have fallen in love with non-denim pants all over again.

The new trouser silhouettes are tapered at the hems but loose fitting everywhere else, in both soft and sturdy fabrications. The pictures below provide a good visual of typical styles. Some are pleated, some flat front. Some are cropped, others full length. Some are high rise and some low rise. Some are baggy, which means that the fit is roomy over the thigh, hip and leg area, but the crotch point is still in its normal tailored place. Some styles are baggy AND slouchy, which means that the crotch point has dropped below its “normal” point.

I watched the recent New York Fashion Week, Fall 2013 runway shows online, and I’m currently watching the London shows. Pants are once again very dominant. I’ve pinned my favourite hot off the press runway trouser silhouettes so far if you’re after more visuals. 

There is no stopping the force of the baggy and slouchy trouser silhouette on the runway, yet the trend is slow to filter down to retail. These trousers were very, very fringe in 2009 and I immediately posted my thoughts on the style. The look became slightly more popular in 2010, although skinnies and cigarette styles were an easier sell. Slouchies and baggies appeared with sparkle for holiday wear in 2011, which made for a nice change to the LBD. Carlos Miele showed a fun Spanish rendition in 2012 that was completely wearable once the elements were broken down. Wearing baggy or slouchy trousers today with a cropped moto jacket and booties is a fab outfit formula. And we can lengthen cropped versions with booties if desired. 

These modern trouser silhouettes are not yet mainstream, and some of them are currently only available at higher price points. You will find less expensive versions at Zara, Forever 21 and H&M, but even so, retail is keeping the look fringe for now, favouring skinny cropped pants as the mainstream silhouette. 

Where retail has gone mainstream is with the simpler denim version of the baggy and slouchy trouser. Namely, boyfriend jeans. I wonder whether this will pave the way for their dressier cousins to go mainstream too. I hope so, because we need a larger variety of trouser silhouettes at affordable price points. 

I’ve been wearing an assortment of baggy and slouchy trouser silhouettes for three years and feel that I have finally found my pant style. My clientele are also becoming more and more interested in the silhouette after having a generally negative reaction to them at first. As with all styles, you have to find the cut that works for your body type. Pretty pear shaped ladies, I’m especially talking to you! You’d be surprised at how flattering this silhouette can be if you give it a chance and style it in a modern way. The silhouette can flatten curves if that’s your goal. Or it can accentuate the waistline and highlight your curves. Tuck, semi-tuck, faux-tuck or un-tuck the top, add footwear and you are good to go. And did I mention the high comfort factor of this trouser silhouette? Forget jeans and leggings for comfort. Roomy trousers are much more comfortable. 

Over to you. What’s your take on baggy and slouchy trouser silhouettes? Will you wear them? Have you even tried them? Feel free to raise potential fit challenges in the comments section and let’s address them.

In 2010 I suggested guidelines for the belt-challenged because most of my clients (and many of our forum members) had belt phobia back then. However, things have changed. These days many more of my clients and our forum members are wearing belts looped through trousers and jeans. The reasons for this are two-fold:

1. The semi-tuck and new semi-tuck are a genius styling tool. The concept allows you to half tuck roomy tops into jeans, trousers and skirts that hang lower than your natural waist. The visual effect is forgiving and camouflaging on the midriff, thereby concealing those extra bits that make you feel self-conscious when you expose them. Semi tucking also adds a little more structure to a casual outfit. In this way, you can showcase the front of a belt without feeling like you’re wearing a straight jacket or that it’s cutting into your waist. Gone are the days where you need a defined waistline to wear a belt. This is brilliantly liberating. 
2. On trend slouchy pant silhouettes and boyfriend jeans often require a belt in order to stay up because they hang lower on the hip. Tuck or semi tuck a top and showcase the belt. 

Furthermore, some of my clients have found that wearing a wide belt over a tucked blouse and skirt combination is slimming. The belt acts like a mini girdle and skims over the contour of the body achieving a smooth silhouette.

I full tuck and faux tuck (that’s different to semi-tucking) loose and formfitting tops into jeans and trousers not because I want to create outfit structure, but because I love how broad belts fill out belt loops. I wear them on my hips because I prefer lower rises. Perhaps that’s because of my tomboy style gene, or my need for outfit polish. Or it’s because I don’t wear jewelry so my belt becomes my jewelry. I really enjoy the way belts finish off an outfit and can create a fun pattern mixed effect. I don’t wear belts as often with skirts and dresses, but do sport belts with those items too. 

Do you sport belts more frequently today than a few years ago? Was it the changing fashions that encouraged this shift? Or are you still feeling belt-challenged? If so, raise your concerns in the comments section and let’s get to work.