Katrine Alcantara – CollegeFashionista

TREND: CROPtacular

Finals are over. Papers have been submitted. The sun is out and that only means one thing: Summer is officially here. Layers are gone and it’s time to show some skin in a tasteful way, of course; and one of the ways you can do this is by wearing crop tops.

Crop tops come in different shapes and sizes and they are the perfect summer top. They are loose so they keep you cool when the sun gets to be too much to handle. They look great when paired with almost anything, like a high-waisted short or skirt, and they can also be layered on top of a tank top or a dress to add some extra flare to a simple and plain outfit.

Today's Fashionista is wearing a pair of blue and white striped Colette shorts with a bright yellow crop top, navy Toms, wayfarers, black bag and a fedora hat. She looked effortlessly cool – literally and figuratively – on a very hot day. As everybody else looked like they were going to pass out from the heat, she looked like she was not tired at all. She was refreshing and I’m guessing the crop top helped.

Want to feel effortlessly cool, too? It’s easy! Just take note of this Fashionista and this other CollegeFashionista article and wear a crop top for any occasion day or night!

TREND: Simply Orange

Every season has its main color and this season is no different. I think from what we can see from the spring 2011 runways to the stores now that the it color for this season is definitely orange. You can’t go anywhere without seeing that color and the streets are no exceptions.

As I was walking around the city, I saw today's Fashionista fighting the rain with her bright orange high-wasited shorts, Breton stripped top, tan sandals, tan belt and a cross-body bag. She looked completely out of place, with everybody around her wearing rainboots and other rain gear, but in a good way.

Her outfit was a breath of fresh air and it is something that everyone can easily emulate in their own everyday wardrobe. If orange shorts aren’t your thing, try wearing these orange pants from H&M with a white tank top and wedges. Still not convinced about orange? Don’t worry. You can still ease your way into this color by using orange accessories instead. This orange cross-body bag from Kate Spade is simply perfection that gives life to any oufit!

Hint: Remember, the trick to wearing anything in a bright bold is to pick the right shade. The color orange comes in many shade and the brighter it is, the more it might not work with someone with a dark colored skin. Always, try an outfit before buying it to make sure that it’s not a waste of investment. Check out these other CollegeFashionista articles for more inspirations regarding the color orange.

TREND: Ruffle Your Feathers

With the emergence of the military trend, everyone started to toughen up her looks. Everything from combat boots to an olive green anorak became fashionable and we let our inner boys shine through. For some, the girly girl inside of them cried a little, but they can start to rejoice once more, because the girly girls are once again permitted to shine. Ruffles are back in season with feminine details ruling the runways of Valentino and Chloé as well as the streets, and this Fashionista showed further justifies this point.

I saw today's Fashionista on my way to school and I was taken aback by how refreshing she looked. She was wearing a loose white top tucked into a pair of dark skinny jeans, some black flats and a cream colored ruffled cardigan. With all the bright colors that I’ve been seeing, it’s easy for me to forget other spring 2011 trends. Thankfully, this Fashionista reminded me that feminine details like ruffles are also in season and that we should not stick to just one trend.

According to Stylelist.com, ruffles are a great way to add a flirty and romantic feel to your wardrobe. There are so many ways to wear ruffles that it can take you from day to night in an instant with only a few changes to your outfit. For your upcoming internship, you can wear a ruffled blouse like this from Nasty Gal and tuck it into a pair of high-waisted trousers (that’s also a major spring trend!). And when it turns dark, switch it up by wearing a high-waisted midi skirt and cinch your waist with a belt. You will look chic and professional at day and sexy and fun at night.

Hint: The trick with anything ruffled is to work with proportions. A ruffled top can add volume to your torso so tone it down with a clean-cut bottom and not a billowing skirt. The same goes for wearing a ruffled skirt.

TREND: Jump For Spring

It seems like the jumpsuit nee romper trend isn’t going away anytime soon, as it can still be constantly seen all over the streets and shops. Also, it doesn’t help that various style icons such as Katy Perry and Diane Kruge r are still wearing it. Let us not forget, too, that the immortal Iman even wore a gold sparkling jumpsuit by Stella McCartney to the recently concluded Met Gala in New York City.

Jumpsuits and rompers are a fun way to dress up for any season, especially for spring and summer. Wearing a floral romper allows you more mobility than a dress – with twist. Just take a look at the Fashionista for today. She was looking fresh as a daisy with a hardcore twist with this navy blue floral romper and black leather jacket. She completed the look with some black ballet flats, oversized shades and navy canvas bag and she was ready to go! It was chic and comfortable. Perfect for school or for some errands.

Jumpsuits and rompers are so versatile that you can either dress them up or down. They’re the perfect outfit to wear when you can’t think of anything else to wear. Just grab a cardigan and some flats and you’re ready for a cool summer night. For a more sophisticated feel, wear a pant jumpsuit like this one from ASOS and cinch it with a belt with some heels and a clutch bag. If that doesn't convince you to wear one, then remember to just have fun. Another name for them anyway is a playsuit.

TREND: Slip On Slip Off

Almost six years ago, the Northwestern University women's lacrosse team visited the White House causing an uproar. Pictures of the visit surfaced in various media outlets and people were shocked to find out that these girls wore flip flops the White House. It was a major fashion faux pas back then. However, times have changed and you can now wear slippers without committing a major fashion crime. Just take a look at this Fashionista.

Today's Fashionista is wearing a pair of worn out vintage suede slippers with a fringed gray dress, olive oversized button down and a tribal necklace. She used a black belt to cinch her dress at the waist and was carrying a black bag to pull everything together. Her style looks cool and effortless without looking sloppy at all. Her slippers came as a total surprise when everyone around me was wearing sandals and flip flops. Her laid back slippers added a fresh twist to the New York outfits I was seeing around me and it‘s the perfect balance between style and comfort.

Lucky for us, slippers are a huge trend this spring according to Savoir Flair. Various brands like Bottega Veneta, Topshop and even Zara have all caught on with this trend, making it accessible and affordable to us. Slip on a pair like these orange ones from Topshop for travelling for easy security checks or slip on this pair of zebra printed slippers from Zara for a cruise around town paired with cropped trousers for an effortless chic style just like this Fashionista.

TREND: Pop Bright

If you go inside any store right now, be ready to put on your sunglasses because bright, bold colors are back and are stronger than ever. As seen in the various spring 2011 collections by our favorite designers and brands, this season is all about color, color, color! And, it couldn’t be any more obvious as we slowly start seeing color infused back into our wardrobes and on to the streets of New York after such a long and cold winter.

The fashionista today is wearing a black trench coat, gray pencil skirt and a bright purple top paired with flat Mary Janes and a brown canvas bag. Her outfit reminded me of these looks from Gucci and Lanvin that can be seen in almost every editorial and on every starlet in Hollywood. Her bright shirt adds a pop of color and a certain sense of personality to a could-have-been plain and boring outfit. The shade of purple of her top completely complements her skin color, which makes this Fashionista look even more chic.

To emulate this Fashionista’s style, you must not be afraid of color. I know I have said this before, but there’s really no reason to be scared, and this season gives us more of an excuse to play with it. Don’t just wear one color. Wear two! Colors makes dressing up fun and that’s what it’s really all about. Try wearing this high waist bright turquoise skirt paired with an equally bright yellow top both from Zara or this pair of tangerine shorts with a mint sleeveless top both from Topshop and get ready to have a blast!

TREND: Cargo Mania

When shopping, it's important to look for pieces that are not only trendy but will also go miles in your closet. One such piece is this Fashionista’s olive green jacket – this season’s lighter version of fall’s anorak trend and an alternative to the usual khaki trench coat or jean jacket.

The great thing about this piece is that you can find it in various price points. If you’re willing to spend more on a great piece, you should check out this Utility Anorak by Irina Shabayeva for INC International Concepts. On the other hand, if you have more of a budget, you can still find a great piece for almost half the price like this one from Free People. Once you have found the right piece for you at the perfect price you are ready to style it in multiple ways.

This Fashionista styled her olive green jacket with shiny black leggings, a pink top underneath, black pointy flats and gray circle scarf. Her jacket helped her transition from winter to spring, and when the weather finally gets warmer, she can pair her jacket with a fun floral dress to add a boyish feel to a feminine dress. Another way you can style this jacket is by wearing it with another spring trend, the classic stripped shirt. Put together with a pair of dark flared jeans and wedges, you will now be ready for a nice getaway for spring.

Hint: As college students, we need to find pieces that will go a long way because of the small closet space that we have at the dorms. Finding pieces that will go miles is very important, so learn how to invest well.

TREND: Mix and Not Match

You know the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” It’s finally April here in New York City, and before we can get a taste of Spring, we must first overcome the rain – and lots of it. However, the Fashionista can’t seem to wait for May because I can see the flowers blooming already on her top and scarf.

As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the biggest trends this season is prints and patterns. The bigger and bolder the print, the better, and with so many prints and patterns to choose from, why not pick two? This Fashionista did just that and mixed two of the biggest prints this season by wearing a floral chiffon top and a purple paisley scarf. The softness of her chiffon floral top and paisley scarf offsets the harsh weather looming over the city, as well as, the harshness of her black leather boots and bomber jacket.

You can incorporate this Fashionista’s wardrobe into yours by mixing and not matching prints and patterns. Mixing prints and patterns need not be hard if you mix prints that are of the same color palette. Mixing florals and paisley worked well for this Fashionista because she mixed two cool colors that are comforting to the eyes. For spring, why not pair a floral top like this one from ASOS with this paisley skirt from Topshop. You can top off your outfit with a simple pair of brown sandals and a black cardigan like this from J. Crew and you’re ready to go – spring, here we come!

Hint: Remember, mix and not match. You do not want to look like a wallpaper. Stick to pieces that are of the same color palette or pair one bold colored print with another more neutral hues print.

TREND: One for One

One for One. That is one of the taglines of TOMS shoes. TOMS shoes was founded by Blake Mycoskie in 2006 when he travelled to Argentina and found out that the children there had no shoes to protect them. With his desire to help, he created TOMS shoes that would match every pair sold to another pair that will be given to a child in need and ever since, TOMS shoes has donated over 130,000 pairs of shoes already.

TOMS can be seen worn by celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Whitney Port to regular folks like our fashionista for today. Our fashionista is wearing a pair of the gold glitter style, which she tones down by pairing it with denim shorts, a black tank top and a black and white kaftan with a neon watch and brown bag. Even though she toned down the brightness of her TOMS, she still kept it fun by wearing a kaftan with a funky pattern, as well as, by wearing a neon watch to tie her whole outfit together.

TOMS can be worn in a variety of ways. You can wear it with denim shorts like our fashionista here or wear it with a pair of jeans or skirt. The possibilities are absolutely endless and you are only limited by your imagination.

TOMS come in a variety of designs and styles, which make it hard to pick just one and so don’t. Go ahead and pick more than one! It is for a good cause anyway and now that’s what I call fashion with a sole.

TREND: Seeing Spots

Two of the biggest trends this season are prints and patterns. Designers from Prada, Emilio Pucci and Alice & Olivia went crazy for them and so are we! From fruits to flowers and polka dots, these prints and patterns are slowly showing up in our daily wardrobes proving that spring is definitely just mere inches away.

Our fashionista for today further justifies our point. Even though it was still a bit chilly outside, she decided to wear a navy dress and paired it with tights, boots and a coat to keep her warm. What’s special about her dress is that it has a polka dot pattern at the top, which adds that element of surprise to it. The darker shade of navy with the white polka dots combined with the lighter shade of navy for the bottom half can be considered as somewhat the tamer version of what we saw in Moschino’s spring 2011 collection. Our fashionista’s version is perfect for transitioning from fall to spring because it shows elements from both seasons without them clashing with each other.

As the temperature starts to rise, you can take off your tights, boots and coat and opt to wear your dress such as this one from H&M with a tan blazer, brown wedges and a cool fedora hat. Also, don’t be afraid to actually try the exact version of the Moschino collection. Wear your spots proudly by choosing bright and loud colors as if you’re telling the world to look at you! Spring is the time for new beginnings and it’s time to show the world the new you.