Dresses, whites and wedges make us want warm weather

By CATHERINE HOLAHAN
Warm-weather looks have migrated from the New York runways to the New Jersey mall racks.
But while the sight of capped sleeves and short pants has many women looking forward to higher temperatures, the task of determining what's hot can cool the most avid female shopper's enthusiasm for the new season.
For help identifying the best trends this spring, we turned to a variety of fashion experts. Here are their nominations
Women's wear
Hot: the cigarette pant
Katrina Szish, US Weekly's style director, summed up the trend simply: "no more boot-cut legs."
Instead, pants and jeans are being cut slim all the way to the ankle. The Gap, for instance, has a new boy-cut fit that doesn't flare at the bottom, said spokeswoman Katie Molinari. Diesel's spring collection features jeans and cropped trouser pants with pencil-straight legs.
Hotter: the tailored short
This has much in common with dress pants. The most fashion-forward ones are cuffed, slim-cut and extend to just above or below the knee, said Nordstrom fashion director Gregg Andrews. Many feature men's wear details such as pleating and flap closures at the waist, he added.
"We're not talking about Daisy Dukes," said Kelli Delaney, editor of Celebrity Living magazine, but rather "more of a fancy short."
Hottest: the day dress
The casual dress is the darling of seemingly every designer, from Anna Sui to Zac Posen.
Szish said two of the best styles are the baby doll and the empire waist dress, where the garment's waistline is set above the natural waist. But any dress will do.
"Whether it is a one-shoulder dress, the empire-waist skirt dress, sundress -- whatever style, dresses are really the thing that you are going to wear every day," Szish said.
Just don't go with anything too frilly, she cautions.
Color
Hot: soft pastels
The most vibrant colors this spring are borrowed from the French impressionist soft palette. Petal pinks, periwinkles and baby blues dominate collections from designers such as Alice Temperley and Nicole Miller.
The trend goes for guys, too, Delaney said.
"I think every guy, no matter how macho, should have pastel-colored cashmere sweaters in their closet," she said. Her favorite men's color: lilac.
Hotter: earthy, muted tones
Think browns, beiges, khakis, dark blues and grass greens, all of which complete the newly popular pottery-inspired palette, Andrews said. Metallics should be burnished and soft, rather than glitzy, he added. Even black should be toned down (e.g. off-black or slightly gray on sheer fabrics).
Hottest: white
Ranging from bright white to nearly beige, the non-color is the color for dresses, pants suits and, of course, shirts. It dominates spring collections of Narcisso Rodriguez, Calvin Klein and Alice Roi.
"White is a trend unto itself," Andrews said. "From very pure, stark white to ecru, you can look at white as an entire color family. White is the neutral of the season against which all other colors are paired."
Delaney and Molinari say a crisp, white shirt is a must-have for spring.

Pattern
Hot: Magic Eye
Remember those autostereograms from the '90s, with their 3-D images hidden in 2-D patterns?
Designers such as Rachel Comey and Oscar de la Renta have taken the spirit of these and put them into their spring collections by using geometric patterns, thin stripes and paisley prints.

Soft pastel, black and white and muted palettes save the patterns from appearing too busy or retro.
Hotter: nautical stripes
Fabrics with navy and white stripes, black and white piping or stripes are in, Andrews said, adding: "The style has a very classic sense to it. ... It's good, classic American sportswear."
Gap stores are stocked with nautical-striped shirts, sweaters and bags, Molinari said. Ralph Lauren (tanks), Tommy Hilfiger (oversize sweaters) and Lacoste (polos) also are using the trend.
Hottest: florals
Flowers are in full bloom on spring items. Expect a variety of forms, ranging from geometric floral patterns to Asian-influenced chrysanthemum patterns derived from pottery and weaving, Andrews said.
Anna Sui's collection displays the trend nicely, featuring pretty pastel petals and leaves on gauzy creme, lilac and green frocks. Michael Kors favors geometric-style, paisley-floral patterns. Tracy Reese embroiders large, sunflower-like versions into her fabric.

Shoes
Hot: the pancake flat
The nearly heelless flat is the alternative to high-heeled shoes, Andrews said. Stuart Weitzman's spring collection features several flat sandals. Many of Nine West's thong sandals have no heel at all.
Hottest (tie): the platform and the wedge
Say goodbye to the kitten heel, Szish said.
"The huge, huge trend is wedges and platforms, platforms and wedges," Szish said. "Those are the shoes you have to have ... and what is great about them is you can wear super-high heels that are actually comfortable to walk in."
Prada's line of platforms features several with chunky brown and white wicker heels. Gucci's line combines crocodile sandals with wooden platform soles. Stuart Weitzman's spring collection includes lace-up wedges with wooden soles.

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