Spring 2009 Fashion Trends Hot Pink and Feminine

Skinny Pants, Bib-Necklaces, Animal Prints, Polka Dots, and Ruffles.

Feb 19, 2009

Spring 2009 judging from New York's Fashion Week is a little bit retro, a little bit sweet, a lot feminine and it is free and easy with some wild strokes thrown in.

Get out and celebrate the arrival of spring with a ruffle-trimmed sundress to wear to a cocktail party. These dresses are strictly off limits for work, ladies, but great for barbecues. All over frills and ruffles are a big trend for this spring, and tiered ruffles take it just one step beyond into the wild and freedom loving. Spring 2009 is nothing if not feminine.

Colors, Fabrics and Staples, and Retro

Speaking of wild – and did somebody say risqué? – sheer and opaque fabric combinations are a strong look for Spring 2009.

Michael Kors' show proved that polka dots and stripes can be worn together, but make sure the patterns are in the same color family. Anna Sui, Diane von Furstenberg and other designers came up with sweet bohemian print dresses. These easy dresses are perfect for data night, but don't jazz them up with '60s accoutrements like arm bands, floral crowns or love beads, or you'll look like you're left over from that era.

Give your little black dress company this spring with a little white dress, which is popping up as a big spring wardrobe staple.

And the color for Spring 2009? May we have the envelope: sexy, feminine magenta is the shade you must have. Doo.Ri, Matthew Williamson and Adam Lippes used magenta freely in their collections. And magneta, bless it, flatters nearly every skin tone.

Believe it or not zipper accents, once thought of as the sole property of punk bands, now turned up on spring's most feminine pieces. Look to see more flirty zippers on things like silk tanks.

Have fun this season and leave the basic black bag at home. There are so many colorfully printed totes available. On the Miss Sixty runway, models carried bags that matched their sundresses. Never can have too much of a good thing.

Grecian-inspired sandals are back – or did they never leave, because we love them so? What else can walk the line between flip-flops and dressy strappy sandals and be so comfortable at the same time? Let's hear it for ties up the calves--an all-time sexy look.

Dresses have had their day for four straight seasons, but now pants have re-emerged in a big way and they're different from what you're used to seeing. Tailored trousers with slim silhouettes--the new skinny pants as people are calling them--have pleats and they are the big thing for Spring 2009.

Even the normally reserved classic rain coat got upgraded this season. Designers like Tommy Hilfiger lengthened the cut and fashioned it out of less practical materials like silk and satin. Now you have a rain coat dressy enough to wear over a long evening gown or party dress.

Pants Are Back In Two Extremes

And remember skinny jeans tucked into tall boots are a great look for weeknight errands as well as date night. It's always a stylish look wherever you go.

If you're not built for skinny jeans, don't fret. Roomy, relaxed-fit pants are also in style this spring. These harem-style pants are a lot more comfortable too. Wear a slim-fitting tank and heels and and avoid boxy tops and too much gold.

Trends in Jewelry

Shoulder-grazing chandelier earrings are hot, but that usually means tone down on other accessories. The same holds true for the big trend in oversize necklaces. Vera Wang's runway was gleaming with extra-long lariats that silhouette any outfit. Earrings that dust the shoulders are going to be the big spring accessory morning, noon and night.

Biblike necklaces are the literally big thing for this spring. Lanvin, Matthew Williamson and Louis Vuitton runways showed how they made every outfit look trendy. One of these great necklaces can make your T-shirt look like an incipient trend.

Here's a tip. Gerard Yosca's Bib Necklace is brilliant in blues and greens. It retails for $450. The Banana Republic Necklace is quite similar in style, but only costs $49. You get the trend power without the financial commitment.

This Spring Was Meant For FunIt looks like a free and easy fashion season with some things old and some things new, some things girly and some things wild. Ride it out and have a ball.

The copyright of the article Spring 2009 Fashion Trends Hot Pink and Feminine in Fashion Shows is owned by Maryellen Grady. Permission to republish Spring 2009 Fashion Trends Hot Pink and Feminine in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.