So just how do you shed your Winter Snuggie and make the leap – elegantly – into sleek summer chic? How do you navigate through the new season’s crop of trends to find perfect spring dresses? Follow my tips below to become a glorious springtime goddess.
1. Get in the Zone – Before you even step foot into a store, preparation is key. Cast off dull winter skin and exfoliate, wax and bronze until you glow. Blow dry lank hair until it shines and bounces. Pop on a stiletto heel and a bright printed dress. Now you won’t feel like a pale, bloated yeti as you tiptoe through the springtime tulip dresses.
2. Stick to your body shape rules – make sure the trend works with your body shape. There’s no point being distracted by a fabulous new frock if it just makes you look like a gussied up gonk with a thick waist.
Here are some simple tricks:
Pear shaped: Look for maxi dresses and long billowing skirts. Clever colour blocking will distract from the hips and thighs. Balance out narrow shoulders with a cap sleeve.
Thick waisted: Colour block in a darker shade to instantly shrink a thick waist.
Top heavy: Stay away from halter necks; instead opt for low plunging necklines with a sheer sleeve and balance hips with a full skirt.
Heavy frame: A bold print will shrink a heavier frame in a flash.
Petite or vertically challenged: Overly full maxis will swamp your frame, so be careful to choose less voluminous full skirts. Long dresses will elongate, as will very short skirts, but stay away from below the knee lengths.
Long torso and short legs: Colour block from under the bust to give a long legged illusion.
Boyish figure: Add some feminine curves with a cinched waist, tulip skirt and halter neck.
3. Get Fitted – you should always have your new wardrobe pieces tailored to fit your body proportions like a glove. An inch shorter on the skirt, or nipped in at the waist a pinch, can mean the difference between a wilting lily and perky peony.
Spring Key Dress Trends To Invest In Now:
Colour Blocking
Bright bold colours are SO hot right now. If you only purchase one item this season, make it a bold colour like spicy red, tangy orange, sunny yellow, shocking fuchsia pink or vibrant cobalt blue. Look for dresses that feature a few blocks of colour together – think about the proportion of where the colours change though and ensure it’s flattering to your figure. There’s no point accentuating a thick waist with a wide horizontal band of blazing colour that screams “look at how many cupcakes my waist consumed this winter”. Remember that bright colours pop brilliantly against white or beige, black or dark denim so you can mix it in with some existing wardrobe pieces too.
Sophisticated glamour of the 1970’s Jet set
Forget Vintage Boho and Hippie Chic entirely, we are talking about seriously luxe ultra chic glamour. Look for sheer wafting chiffon long skirts, halter necks, fluid slinky jerseys that skim the body and gentle glistening metallic threads for evening. Calm and quiet colour palettes such as platinum dove grey, beige rose and almond cream. Take cool inspiration from chic 70’s style icons Bianca Jagger, Halston and Lauren Hutton.
Prints
Bold flower prints are blooming everywhere this spring! Pretty pastel floral micro-prints are reminiscent of a sweet and delicate English cottage garden – and look great teamed with rough faded denim. Botanical beauties in super sized large format take on an abstract form in more structured silhouettes. Asiatic florals and oriental blooms make for bold statement pieces in billowing maxi-dresses. All manner of classic stripes and polka dots are still with us, and go for wildly coloured animal prints.
The Sheer Maxi Dress
The new incarnation of this modern wardrobe staple has evolved into a sheer sea of flowing chiffon this spring. Show a little leg in versions that have splits at the front. Be sure to remember your good knickers though.
Loungerie
The luxe chic combination of swimwear, lingerie and loungewear gives us spring’s new fashion euphemism “Loungerie”. It’s the new take on “underwear as outerwear”. Think lacy camisole slip dresses worn under a tough leather biker jacket; tailored maillots worn under sheer maxi-dresses; and corset style stretch tanks worn beneath lace tunics.
Lace
This is a trend that has carried over from recent seasons and isn’t going away soon. This spring, look for bold, chunky, textural lace reminiscent of macramé, crochet and broderie anglaise. Opt for dresses made entirely of lace and you’re on a winner.
All White Hot
A top to toe white look is always gorgeously crisp and perfect for summer, and by summer I mean buy it now and stash it until temperatures soar. Rather than risk a “Perkins Paste” white wobbly arm that reaches for a cardigan to hide goose bumps as a fresh breeze pops up, think sun-kissed golden tanned limbs languishing with a cocktail in the sizzling afternoon sun.
And with weather as gorgeous as we’re currently having, why wait any longer? Banish that Snuggie and come up smelling like roses this Spring!
By Alex Perry
www.alexperry.com.au
@AlexPerry007
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