After a chilly winter, it’s fitting that the trendiest looks are bigger and bolder interpretations of perennial spring favorites. Jailbird stripes expand to maximum-security width at Victoria Beckham. Colorful prints burst into bloom not just on a skirt or a top, but both, whether matchy-matchy at Simone Rocha, house of Holland, Celine and Max Mara or in riotous contrast at Temperley, Dries Van Noten, Preen and Altuzarra. Boyfriend jeans cross the border into culottes at Gucci and full-on pant suits at Chloe and Tod’s.
Here are five of the most adventurous trends to warm up to:
1. Bag some denim: Denim is the undisputed fashion champion of spring 2015. Reference the super-loose cuffed jeans from Gucci for a key shape. Another, more body-conscious alternative is high-waist flares at Louis Vuitton, part of the boho undercurrent running through many of the season's looks. Stella McCartney and Fendi offered denim pant suits, Kenzo did a zippered tunic, Bottega Veneta a denim dress. Denim jackets get a fringe flounce at Burberry Prorsum and a raw edge at Rag & Bone. Sonia Rykiel has a long slit skirt. Two words: Any denim.
2. Aprons and overskirts: Layering takes the eccentric turn of a novelist trapped in a hotel through a blizzard — but who clawed her way out on the other side. Aprons, yes, aprons, replace jackets and scarves as the accessory de resistance this spring, layered over skirts at Peter Som, Jil Sander and Maiyet, and atop pants at Marissa Webb. A proxy to the apron is the overskirt — a skirt atop pants at Giambattista Valli and Tome, or a skirt on skirt at Jil Sander and DKNY.
3. Gingham goes boom: This isn't your "Beach Blanket Bingo" variety of gingham; this is the exploded buffalo check version. But it has log-rolled over from lumberjack shirts and flannel to feminine matching skirts and tops at Oscar de la Renta and a shorts suit at Karen Walker.
4. White on white: You could invest in a head-to-toe look from DKNY, Loewe, Zero + Maria Cornejo, BCBG, Tory Burch, Isabel Marant or Celine, but this is one trend that may require no purchase whatsoever. Trot out your white jeans (if you stored them at all this winter) and white skirts. Add a sweater — it doesn't even have to be the same tone. But bonus points if both stay pristine longer than five minutes.
5. The new top: And now for the multiple choice portion of our list: If you pick up just one shirt or blouse to refresh your wardrobe, any of these will do the trick.
A. Off-the shoulder or one-shoulder, as at Ralph Lauren, Antonio Marras and Balmain. This silhouette is the biggest game-changer and the most widely interpreted, seen not just in tops but in dresses at Balenciaga, Zac Posen, Jenny Packham, Tibi and beyond.
B. Retro ribbed knit polo shirts, paired not with jeans but with dressier items like full skirts at Dolce & Gabbana. J. Crew, Tory Burch and Alexander Wang offered interpretations, too.
C. High-neck Victorian blouses at Alexander McQueen, or even a dickie with a dress at Dior. It's the solution for those who aren't willing to risk a cold shoulder just yet.
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