Petal Pushers: Strut Into Spring Wearing Floral Print Pants

For some of us, the idea of flowers popping out of the ground any time soon is just wishful thinking. But you can still give spring a nudge in a pair of fresh, fun, and florally bold printed pants.

• Look for a straight or slightly tapered pant leg, cropped at or a few inches above your ankle.

• For this blossoming trend, go bold or go home: choose trousers with flower patterns in vibrant hues that burst with the colors of the season.

• Keep in mind that your should choose print sizes that are proportional to your frame: petite ladies are less likely to be “worn by” their pants if they stick with smaller prints, whereas taller and fuller-figured lasses can get away with larger prints.

• Revel in spring’s arrival by wearing these heavy-petal pants with a pair of entrance-making stilettos imbued their own splash of color.

• Top off the look and balance things out with a simple, textured tee in a solid color.

Clockwise from top left: Peter Som ($795), Dolce and Gabbana ($414), J. Crew ($348), Erdem ($990), DKNY ($225)

Chic Shorts

Nothing says summer fashion like a stylish and cool pair of shorts, and these days there are more lengths, colors and silhouettes to choose from than ever. The new breed of shorts looks nothing like the ones you wore in grade school; fashion designers are turning out smart, tailored shorts styles cut just above the knee and mid-thigh that are flattering to most body types, and are a sophisticated, fresh alternative to summer dresses and skirts for day or night.

Shorts for Petite Women

Women with a smaller stature or short legs can create the illusion of longer legs by wearing short shorts — that is, shorts with a shorter hemline. Petite ladies should never be afraid of high heels; adding a heel is the perfect way to further lengthen the leg and add an instant elevation.

Shorts for Tall Women

Tall women look extremely chic in a mid-thigh or knee-length short (also known as the Bermuda Short), which compliments and flatters the proportions of tall ladies’ long legs. Keep your long legs going on for miles and miles by choosing shorts in a neutral shade that compliments your skin tone.

Whether you’re tall or short, wearing fashionable short shorts or preppy Bermuda shorts, be sure to avoid showing too much skin. Balance shorter shorts with a long sleeve dress shirt or tunic, or a billowy blouse. If you’re sporting longer, mid-thigh, knee-length or Bermuda shorts, you can keep cool by pairing them with a sexy and interesting, embellished tank. Slip on a tailored jacket for a polished look.

Flattering Shapes of Shorts

The most flattering shorts sit low on the waist with a narrow, straight leg, but ladies with wider hips and thighs may wish to choose a wider leg.

Shorts for Women with Large Hips

Pear-shaped or hippie ladies can flatter their curves without calling too much attention to their hips by steering clear of narrow, form-fitting shorts. Instead, opt for straight-legged shorts that fall straight from the hips.

Shorts for Women with a Belly or Un-toned Midriff

Draw attention to your fabulous legs and away from your midriff by wearing tapered, sharply cut shorts with more voluminous tops, such as looser fitting camisoles, peasant tops, tunics and smock tops, which all provide cover and balance the proportions of a neatly cut short.

Wearing Shorts At Work

Depending on your workplace shorts may or may not be a suitable option for work; they may be an absolute no-no in more formal offices or during meetings with certain clients. In any case, rest assured that it is never appropriate to wear short shorts at work. Keep your look professional and polished by wearing styles that come at least to mid-thigh – but a cut just above the knee is ideal – and wearing them with a crisp, light cotton shirt and a tailored blazer.

Shorts with a Night Life

This is where we can really have fun and mix things up, enjoying flirty styles of shorts like paper bag style shorts which have a cinched waist and a slightly voluminous leg; we love Edun silk-georgette shorts, which make a relaxed alternative to a skirt when heading out for drinks or dinner. Look the part: opt for lux fabrics and always wear a heel or ultra fancy sandal when wearing shorts out on the town.

Are Your Shorts Chic?

Not all shorts are created equal. The biggest no-no when it comes to shorts for spring and summer is the ultra tiny, tight short known as the hot pant. Here are some chic choices for shorts that are definite “dos”:

• Bermuda shorts for a modern preppy look: Lafayette 148 New York Stretch Bermuda Shorts
• Super smart knee length denim shorts: ASOS Chambray Wide Leg Shorts
• Cargo shorts kicked up a notch: Catherine Malandrino Silk Cargo-Style Shorts
• Loose, structured boxy shorts in bold, trend-right cobalt blue: DKNY Cuffed Shorts

Shoes for Shorts

Complete your look with the right footwear. Ballet flats are a cute and practical option, but don’t forget to take advantage of the leg lengthening power of a high heel. Not only will a heel make your stems look longer, but they’ll also give an added sense of polish to your outfit, making it a little less casual and a lot more fab: wedges look super smart with tailored shorts, and sky-high stilettos are the perfect way to accessorize shorts for a night on the town.

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Menswear-Inspired Fashion

Once upon a time, woman wanted to get noticed in the corporate world. Along with working her butt off and quashing weaker-sex stereotypes, she donned a set of ham-sized shoulder pads, covered up in a button-down, and boxed her figure in a straight skirt and oversized blazer. This was the eighties and she was a powerful woman in a power suit.

Boy Meets Girl: Menswear-Inspired Elements

Since lapping up the realm of menswear two decades ago, the “fairer sex” has never turned back. Creased trousers, fitted blazers, crisp button-downs — all staples in the closet of the woman who wants to be taken seriously. But this season, fashion has taken those staples and let them flourish in the limelight.

• Menswear Fabrics for Women
• Button-Down Shirts, Knits & Pinstripes
• Vests & Blazers
• Trousers & Pencil Skirts
• Plaid, Herringbone, Tab Details & Oversize Buttons
• Dashing Trench Coats & Fedoras
• Dapper Details: Boots, Ankle Boots, Tassels, Wingtips, Studs & Plaid
• Hats, Gloves & Handbags

Menswear Fabrics For Women

Traditionally masculine fabrics such as herringbone, tweed, plaid, check, pinstripe and flannel, are now front and center in women’s wear. And the classic gentleman silhouette is cropped, tailored and cinched to create conservative yet sexy styles that drip in old-school class. But with a whole closet to choose from, your no-flub philosophy is to embrace moderation and respect the diadem of detail. Avoid matchy-matchy head-to-toe fabric frenzies and choose signature pieces that give a masculine flair to your otherwise ultra-fem style.

Button-Down Shirts, Knits & Pinstripes

To master menswear, begin with your basics: the button-down shirt and the crease-front trouser. These unisex garments, in a trimmer, more feminine physique, easily transfer from his closet to yours. Up top, layering’s the word and knitwear, vests and blazers work their masculine magic. Over a flirtified dress shirt with ruffle-front detailing, slip into a heather-gray cable-knit V-neck that’s aglow in academia. A pinstripe button-down will fall in love with a sweater vest, and a crisp white shirt is begging to be tucked into a waistcoat.

Vests & Blazers

For button-up vests, masculine shapes that date back to when chained pocket watches were a necessity are seen from a feminine perspective, resulting in tailored and trim pieces that flatter a lady’s curves. Single or double-breasted, these miniature vests are painted in the season’s palette – tweed, herringbone and plaid — and are lined in signature menswear shirting.

Though not new to your wardrobe, blazers are playing a lead role in your borrowed-from-the boys production. In luxurious tweeds and herringbone, these classic pieces are seeing leather and corduroy elbow patches and a slimmed, sleek line. Black tux jackets (velvet optional) provide a red-carpet option – or at least the laywoman’s version – for dressing up while dipping delightfully into menswear.

Trousers & Pencil Skirts

Below the belt, the man’s closet is a wee bit sparse. You’ve got trousers, and that’s about it. And that’s why fashion has used menswear as a spring board to much greater heights. Yes, love your cuffed, wide-leg, crease-front trouser, but also adore a trim pencil or flouncy skirt in our new favorite fabrics.

Plaid, Herringbone, Tab Details & Oversize Buttons

Combine manly with girly by dousing a ruffle-back skirt in bold black and red plaid, or pair herringbone up top with a pair of cropped trousers equipped with tab details and oversized buttons.

Those mysteriously adorable (yet wildly impractical) formal short-shorts can also work here, but wrap your lower limbs in opaque hosiery and slip your feet into something flat.

Dashing Trench Coats & Fedoras

Style’s love affair with menswear hasn’t left you out in the cold – bundle up for the chilly season in classic coats that whisper of dashing detectives, feathered fedoras and dark alleys. The trench coat has been suped up with the signature masculine fabrics, while feminine curves are drawn with empire waistlines and ribbon-tie belts. The traditional trench is not to be forgotten, though, giving you the houndstooth-, plaid- and tweed-free option of a sandy beige or warm taupe. Keeping in tune to our desire to give the boy-borrowed pieces a much-needed slice, this season features oodles of cropped jackets with shortened hemlines and sleeves. Most stunning in a bold, inflated black-and-white herringbone print, these round-collar jacket often come to a single-button close and succeed at being both dashing and adorable.

Dapper Details: Boots, Ankle Boots, Tassels, Wingtips, Studs & Plaid

Toss aside your needlepoint stilettos and slender sexy boots and make room for chunky heels and clunky lace-ups – menswear-inspired footwear charts brand new territory. Keep rocking your peep-toe pumps and your sleek patent leather platforms, but save some mileage for a round-toe shoe that’s got some meat on its heel. Look out for such masculine detailing as antique metal accents, fringe, lacing, tassels, wingtips, studs, perforated leather trims and clunky soles. Fabrics range from your classic and reliable leather and suede, to daringly of-the-moment flashes of tweed, herringbone, and, you guessed it, plaid.

Hats, Gloves & Handbags

Such footwear perfection deserves a bookend of similar style success, and, when used sparingly, menswear-inspired accessories have got the right ingredients. When it comes to hats, all the boys are out to play — baker boy, newsboy, derby, fedora, bowler, oxford, and cabbie! Cute and coy, these tête-toppers in menswear-inspired prints keep you toasty without straying from style. Save your fingers from the cold, too, with a dashing pair of cropped and cuffed leather gloves, and wrap yourself up in a classic red plaid scarf. Chunky over-the-shoulder bags, doused in loads of leather detailing and swimming in herringbone, tweed and plaid, are right on cue, as are our favorite little clutches finished off with leather, metal or wooden hinged openings.

Add Feminine Flair to Menswear-Inspired Clothes

As this season continues its love affair with menswear, don’t let all the gentlemanly charm scoop you up and cloud your judgment. The trick to owning menswear-inspired style is to wear it all in moderation. We may adore the trusty trio of masculine fabrics, but head-to-toe pattern is never a good thing. And even though you’re borrowing from the opposite closet, aim for feminine silhouettes featuring details that are anything but masculine. With the perfect mix of masculine and feminine, you’ll be one stunningly stylin’ woman.

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Ballerina Inspired Party Dresses

What could be more graceful and poised than a ballerina? Look to romantic, ballet-inspired ensembles to give your style a subtle seductiveness that will make you feel like a princess, and make your man melt.

Elegant silhouettes, lace, delicate fabrics, full skirts, nude shoes, corsetry & muted shades create a dainty, come-hither look that’s one part lady, one part bombshell.

Tutu Dresses with Feminine, Pretty Skirts

There is nothing more feminine and romantic than a pretty skirt.

Dainty skirts with elaborately frothy layers or a flounce of lace look utterly ethereal and will have all eyes on you (and your legs) as you sweep and float across the room.

Pair a full, voluminous skirt with a structured, boned top such as a curvy corset to create a charmingly modern twist on a ballerina’s tutu.

If a full skirt isn’t your thing, increase the sexy factor by wearing a pin-tucked skirt, straight pleated or fluted skirt with a corset or slim-fitting lacy blouse.

Play Up Your Curves

Dresses cut on the bias have a wonderful way of skimming your curves in a way that is both tasteful and tantalizing. Make sure that your frock of choice is impeccably cut; ill-fitting bias cuts will be anything but flattering, putting emphasis on bulges you’d rather hide.

Ballerina Details: Lace, Silk & Satin Skirts

Take a page from Swan Lake and incorporate a ballerina’s statuesque neckline you’re your ensemble. Look for dresses in silk or satin fabrics with vee- or scooped necklines, which elongate the neck.

Add flounce of lace at the hem for a sweet yet sensual appeal that’s inspired by the many foamy layers of a ballerina’s skirts. If you’re feeling creative and can’t find a dress or skirt with its own lacy detail, simply wear a lacy slip underneath your dress or skirt, and allow a couple of inches of its lacy trim to peek out from beneath your skirts.

Romantic, Antique Colors

Avoid crisp white undergarments, and instead opt for cool, muted, or faded colors that create an antique, Old World feel: look for pearl, buttercream, toe-shoe pink, the lightest silvery-lavender, nude or tea-stained hues, and washed-out blues and greens.

Ballerina-Inspired Accessories

• To complement the delicate fabrics and soft palette of this romantic fashion trend, look for nude shoes and bags which keep the style soft, and choose only one or two ornate details to add sparkle and interest to the outfit.
• Tiny drop earrings and a single theatrical jewel, such as a sparkling, delicate bracelet or cuff are perfectly understated accessories for the ballerina fashion trend.
• Nude, leg-elongating pumps or shoe-boots, or even neat ballet flats look divine with floating fabrics and muted hues.
• A small embroidered satchel or petite ruffled purse will highlight the girly mood of the pretty, romantic fashion trend.
• Ballet flats are the perfect complement to this ballet-inspired look; check out the adorable assortment of slipper shoes to choose from this season.

How to Wear a Mini Skirt

The trick to revealing skin — be it legs or arms or cleavage — lies in one simple, yet essential element: balance.

• Wear short skirts approaching mini territory with a top that offers more coverage: opt for full or three-quarter length sleeves, or wear a high neckline, concealing the cleavage and casting all eyes downward toward your legs.
• Try pairing a snug turtleneck with a sexy mini skirt, fashionable stockings and tall wedge-heeled boots.
• You can get away with wearing a shorter skirt by wearing opaque or patterned tights instead of bare legs, sheer hosiery or fishnet stockings.

• If you’re wearing a short skirt, avoid baring too much cleavage and above all else: do not expose your belly.
• Wear flat shoes to tone down a look which otherwise might come close to crossing the “too-sexy” line.

Follow this simple guide as an easy way to keep your skin factor in check: If you are exposing skin below the waist (preferably below the mid-thigh) leave something to be imagined when dressing your upper body. And vice versa: avoid wearing skirts cut above the mid-thigh or short shorts when showing off the assets of your upper body.

 

Designer Jean Fit Guide

Denim aficionada Amanda Casabianca scoured stores for designer jeans to fit-test them with a group of girlfriends; Casabianca categorized designers jeans as fitting either true to size, running small, or extra small.

Here’s what she found:

Fit True To Size: Size 30 = Dress Size 10

• Abercrombie
• Blue Cult
• Fidelity Denim
• 
  James Jeans
• Joie
• Juicy Couture
• Notify
• Paige Denim
  
• People’s Liberation
• Sacred Blue
• 
  Serfontaine Jeans
• Taverniti SO
• 
  True Religion Jeans
• Yanuk
• YaYa

Run Small: Size 30 = Dress Size 8

Run small mainly through the hips, thighs and bottom but could still work on a curvy figure, depending on your proportions:

• 575
• 7 For All Mankind
• AG
• Alice +and Olivia
• Antik
• Big Star
• Chip and Pepper
• Citizens of Humanity
• Corleone
• Da Nang
• Diesel
• Edun
• Frankie B
• Habitual
• Joe’s Jeans
• Kasil
• L.A.M.B.
• Loomstate
• Lucky
• Miss Sixty
• Paper Denim & Cloth
• People For Peace
• Red Engine
• Rock and Republic
• 
  Rogan Jeans
• Salt Works
• Union
• Versace

Run Extra Small: Size 30 = Dress Size 6

Fit most comfortably on the very tall and slender or petite and slim:

• Bebe
• D and G by Dolce and Gabbana
• Ed Hardy
• Evisu
• Ezra Fitch
• Fornarina
• Grass
• Hudson
• Just Cavalli
• Oligo Tissew
• Pringle
• Reo Starr
• Roberto Cavalli

Jeans pictured are: True Religion Billy Super T in Medium Lovestruck

Jeggings

Skinny jeans just got even skinnier, and even more unflattering with “jeggings” the newest moniker for this generation’s version of spray-on-tight jeans with an elasticized waistband.

What are Jeggings?

Please note: since “jeggings” have been pegged as the new “it” pant for fall, I’ve witnessed many designers and brands trying to pass of what are clearly skinny jeans, cigarette pants, and even ordinary straight jeans as jeggings, in a misguided attempt to be hip, cool, and “now.”

Jeggings are really just leggings which are styled to look like ultra tight denim jeans. This regrettable hybrid is typically made of denim-spandex blends, but you can also spot jeggings which have been cut from other materials and merely make a nod to denim in their detailing – such as faux washes and grain, false zippers, pretend pockets, and imaginary top-stitching to create the illusion of jeans.

How to Wear Jeggings? Don’t.

Unlike leggings, which women often sport under a skirt, dress, or (at the very least) a long top, jeggings are almost always worn as a stand-alone garment, leaving absolutely nothing – and I mean nothing – to the imagination. I’m all for owning your curves, but does that mean we have to put it all out there for the world to see, sheathed only by a thin film of wannabe denim? If you’re going to wear jeggings, follow the leggings side of their family tree and and layer them under dresses, skirts, and longer tunics.

Who Should Wear Jeggings? Almost No One.

If you have to be skinny to wear skinny jeans, what body type must you have to pull off a pair of jeggings?

Have you ever noticed that the women shown modeling jeggings have no asses? Yeah, and they also haven’t got much in the hip or thigh departments, either. Unless you’re anorexic (which is neither healthy nor cool) or haven’t hit puberty yet, these jean-legging chimeras are a seriously bad idea. The way I see it, there are about nine women in the world over the age of thirteen who can get away with wearing jeggings without looking like their legs are the sausage side of a banger ‘n’ mash meal. Purchasing a pair of jeggings as a gesture to being trendy would represent a massive misstep on the elusive path toward taste and style.

 

Maternity Jeggings

Oh wait, I just came across a pair of maternity jeggings. As a woman who has had two (very fit) pregnancies – I can tell you that there is no way in hell that I would want to even imagine seeing myself in a pair of skin-tight pants while sporting a bulging baby bump and the extra ass that comes with it.

Jeggings: Frankensteins of Fashion

And there’s more: Macy’s is now carrying a brand called Tyte Jeans, whose creative folk have decided to take the 1980s fashion mashup experiment one step further, fusing denim jeans, leggings, and – wait for it:leg warmers. Is this really necessary?

Why Do Jeggings Exist?

The excuse given to justify this sartorial atrocity is that jeggings are so much easier to tuck into tall boots, a smart and enduring trend over the past several years. Whatever. That reasoning is totally bogus, as jeggings are almost always styled with ballet flats, stiletto shoes, ankle boots, or (ugh!) sneakers. My retinas are still burning.

Okay, so thanks to their largely spandex composition, they may be comfortable, but since when does comfort equal style? And what’s so comfortable about not being able to breathe or having to peel (or cut) yourself out of a pair of pants?

Jeggings Give a New Name to a Familiar Fashion Faux Pas

People probably think that jeggings are somehow a fresh invention of the 21^st century, but like so many of today’s trends, jeggings are nothing new. Need we revive everything from the eighties? Maybe I’m just prejudiced against the ever-so-trendy jegging since I am just old enough to have owned a pair of bubblegum jeans, acid washed, no less; I believe I was eleven and succumbing to peer fashion pressure.

Just because marketing teams have come up with a shiny new name for the legging-denim lovechild, doesn’t mean we haven’t seen them before. They were awful then, and they’re even worse now. And even if they were a fashion first, pumping out umpteen styles, colors and cuts will not make jeggings any more flattering. Jeggings and their elasticized waistbands can take their bandwagon and drive right on by.

How to Wear Skinny Jeans

The 1980s are making a comeback with the recent resurrection of skinny jeans.

You may be cringing right now if you remember the horrific bubblegum jeans of one of the tackiest decades of fashion, but don’t worry, this season’s incarnation of the skinny jean is much more tasteful.

Styles of Skinny Jeans

Straight Jeans: The skinny-jean-shy can ease into the trend with the widely appealing and most universally flattering cigarette or straight leg cut. This slim style closely grazes your curves without clinging to them as much as other skinny cuts.

Skinny Jeans: These are the middle-of-the-road: stretchy, tapered (ankle-hugging) skinny jeans.

Super-Skinny Jeans: Super-skinny jeans have the highest percentage of stretch fiber and deliver a sprayed-on look (without the ribs of the 1980s bubble-gum jeans).

What to Wear with Skinny Jeans

A long, lean top that hits at hip level (or below) is the perfect top for skinny jeans; an empire waist top that billows out over the hips flatters wider hips and an ample bottom. For boyish silhouettes, wear skinny jeans with leaner, body-skimming jersey tops.

Tips for Buying Skinny Jeans

The key to finding the perfect pair of jeans is in the fitting room, and this is even more true for skinny jeans. You’ve got to try on every pair of skinny jeans you can get your hands on until you find the right fit.

Buy dark washes – indigo, dark grey or black – to create a lean silhouette and minimize your wider parts.

How to Wear Skinny Jeans

There are essentially four ways to successfully wear the skinny jean trend:

Skinny Jeans Tucked Into Boots

Flare, bootleg and wide legged jean styles are a total pain to tuck into boots: they bunch, wrinkle, and can even make it impossible to zip up the boots themselves. That’s why the typical mode of wearing skinny jeans is tucked into high boots.

Not only does this style allow you to show off your hot, fashionable boots, it’s also the most flattering way to wear the skinny jean. The visual mass of the boots help balance out the hips and bottom, making the skinny jean becoming on even curvy figures.

Skinny Jeans with High Heels

The second way to wear skinny jeans is with stiletto high heels. When worn with pointy toe, peep toe or even strappy high heels the effect can be very slimming by creating the illusion of longer legs. This is a fabulous look for all women, but especially for hippier women, and those with shorter legs. To play up your curves, wear this style with a slim-fitting shirt or trendy boyfriend blazer.

Rolled-Up Slim Jeans

You can get creative with skinny jeans by rolling them up six to eight inches and wearing them over high boots, ankle boots, or even stilettos.This is a significantly more casual way to sport the skinny jean, and it works even for those who shy away from slim-fitting denim.

Skinny Jeans with Flats

There is another way to wear designer skinny jeans, but it’s difficult to pull off, as it exaggerates the hips and butt, and can make even slender women look heavy. This infamous style is, of course, the skinny jean worn with flat shoes. A word of warning: skinny jeans should never be worn with sneakers.