Banana Republic has lacked flair for some time, but there is hope for a comeback this season. I recently found out from sources at the chain that a new design team is heading up the ladies wear merchandise department. Spring 2008 is the new design team’s debut collection and I like what I’m seeing in stores. The products look a little more interesting, fashion forward and fun. I would like to see Banana Republic succeed because I enjoy their quality, size range and great sales. Be sure to give this retailer another chance if they vanished from your radar like they did from mine. I’ve got my eye on them this season.

Don’t be alarmed by these brights if they’re not your thing. There are still plenty of neutrals to choose from at Banana Republic.

Not quite yellow and not quite lime, but somewhere in-between, it’s what J Crew calls “citron” (which also happens to be French for “lemon”). I like the colour best when it’s worn with ink blue, white or a rich tomato red. It is also lovely when matched with emerald green, light turquoise, cobalt blue and animal prints. Adding a neutral shade to your outfit (ink blue, slate grey, white, cream or blue denim) is the key to keeping this colour crisp and wearable.

I adore this mouth watering new neon and over the last week have added it to my wardrobe in the form of a camisole, a piece of knitwear, a pendant and a fine knit scarf. The sun is out in Seattle and the sour hue has lifted my Wintery ensembles to a cheerful Spring high.

If you feel that it’s too bright for clothing, add citron to your look through footwear or an accessory.

I talk about the trench coat at the beginning of every season because it is a crucial part of any wardrobe. It is an ideal lightweight coat for a four-seasons-climate, and the only coat you’ll need for warmer regions. A fab trench pulls together most outfits and can be dressed up or down: styled up a notch with dark denims or slacks and dressy shoes; or casual with jeans and fashion sneakers. The trench cuts across all lifestyles, age groups and body types and it’s a question of finding the style that works best for you.

Some things to remember as you search for that perfect trench…

• Trench coats don’t need to have a strict, dressy and classic appearance like the traditional Burberry style. They can be playful and casual. The voluminous trend has given rise to the unbelted A-line and cocoon shaped trench which can be equally chic.
• Spring trenches are often lighter in weight, brighter in colour and shorter in the sleeve than the styles we see in Autumn. You can get away with having one trench for year round use if you choose your style wisely.
• Make sure that you purchase a trench that works for your lifestyle. Keep the fabric and look casual if your life is casual. Select a dressier style if you dress smart casually or business casually daily. It is easier to dress a smarter trench style down than it is to dress a casual trench style up.

I have a black, fully lined, machine washable, stretch sateen single-breasted trench coat that ends just above my knee. I’ve had it for years and it’s the most versatile item in my wardrobe. I wear it casually with jeans and Converse, or smart casually over a dressy top, dark denims and heels. It’s perfect with my slacks on business casual days and takes me straight to a cocktail party at night over a short formal dress. It cost a pretty penny at the time, but the investment has proved its return a hundred times over. I cannot imagine my wardrobe functioning without the perfect trench.

An assortment of casual (top left), smart casual and dressy trenches (bottom right). My Spring trench needs replacing and I have my eye on the white Soia and Kyo style (center bottom row).

Work and family visits take me to Europe frequently and I enjoy observing fashion across the continents. Trends are generally the same, but cultural and regional preferences do create important differences. For example, skirts were big in London last Autumn but virtually non-existent in America. Instead, dresses were the “it” item over here.

Spring 2008 was officially launched in Euro stores this month, which made the timing perfect for my visit to Spain last week. Spanish-based fashion retail stores offer an excellent overview of European fashion trends. Here is a summary of what the new season brought to Barcelona last week.

Colours:

• Brights - tomato red, watermelon coral, citrus yellow, kelly green, lipstick pink, mandarin orange and cobalt blue
• Pastels – antique pink
• Neutrals – army green, mushroom brown, warm tan, ink blue, cream, white and black

Patterns:

• Florals both large, small, monochromatic and brightly coloured
• Black and cream gingham
• Earth toned tribal designs

Fabrics:

• Leather
• Metallic silver and gold man made and natural fibre blends
• Creased futuristic polyester blends
• Linen
• Silk
• Rayon and cotton blends
• Denim
• Cracked patent

Silhouettes:

• Skinnies were by far the most popular silhouette for casual pants. Leg openings for skinnies ranged from extremely tapered to straight. Fashion critics who predicted that skinnies would be gone in one season were so wrong. We are going into our fifth season for this style and it has become a mainstream basic. You can’t wear a voluminous tunic with anything else and nothing tucks into boots quite as well as a pair of skinny pants.
• Bootcuts were the order of the day for pants that weren’t skinny and many of them higher in the rise.
• Knee length pencil skirts in denim and thick cottons.
• 80’s “membership jackets”, but fabulous this time around. They’re fitted, tailored, sometimes belted and not bomber-shaped like they were 25 years ago – a modern day military look.
• “Safari” inspired styling on dresses, skirts and jackets.
• Belted trench coats in every colour and fabrication.
• Fitted biker jackets in black and cream
• Trapeze jackets
• Belted jackets to the hip were just as popular as trapeze and baby doll styles.
• Billowing soft tunics with wait cinching belts
• See through soft blouses either tucked into high-waisted pants or left un-tucked and cinched in at the waist with a belt.
• Voluminous short shift dresses and waist-focusing fit-and-flare ‘50’s dresses
• Soft printed ankle length maxi dresses

Shoes:

• 80’s inspired ballet flats (the pointy-toed kind with uniform circular cutouts patterned into leather or plastic)
• ballet flats with ankle straps
• Heels with “T-strap” detailing
• Floral printed pumps
• Gladiator sandals
• Wedges
• Converse sneakers in canvas and patent

I didn’t see wide-legged pants, colour blocked shoes, 50’s full skirts, acid wash jeans, shoulder pads or preppy blazers. But these trends might follow in the next few months. I’m particularly excited about the new season’s bright colours, gingham prints, military inspired styling, higher rises, biker influences, soft blouses, belted jackets, tunics, waist-focusing dresses, patent Converse sneakers and 80’s inspired ballet flats. Which Spring trends get you excited?

Ballet flats that are characteristic of the season: circular cutout, floral and ankle strapped. The circular cutout ballet flats in Spain were less sporty and generally more retro 80’s looking than this Michael Kors style. I swear I had a plastic fuchsia pair as a teeny bopper and can scarcely believe that I bought a virtually identical cream pair in leather a few days ago.

I got very excited about this colour last year when it wasn’t quite as mainstream as it is today. It’s darker than navy but not quite black. It’s what I call ink blue and it’s a refreshing “new” neutral that works with just about anything. I like ink blue best with citrusy limes and yellows, cream and cobalt. It’s obviously fabulous with emerald and Kelly green, white and any shade of red, but pairing it with a sour hue packs a crisp modern punch.

Darker than traditional navy blue, ink blue is warmer than black, less blah than brown, newer than grey and definitely my favourite neutral at the moment. It’s richness makes it universally wearable and chic.

Combining ink blue with citrus green, white and cobalt is becoming a favourite colour combination.

First it was the ankle bootie, then the Oxford bootie, and now a peep-toe version of these styles is Spring 2008’s trendiest new shoe. This trend sends the same mixed message as sleeveless woolly turtlenecks and short-sleeved coats (Winter items with impractical Summer styling). But peep-toes are super for Spring and this shoe is essentially a peep-toed pump with a little more foot coverage.

The ped is being paired with ankle length skinnies, walk shorts, skirts and dresses. It’s an eccentric look that’s definitely not mainstream. I can appreciate the fresh idea, but I can’t see myself wearing them. Can you?

Hot off the press: peep-toe Oxfords and peep-toe booties from Nordstrom. Heel heights are once again absurd. I quite like the streamlined look of the style without laces.

My “raves” list was long because there was little this season that we couldn’t adapt to suit our fashion persona, body type and lifestyle. As always, it’s a matter of knowing how to sift through the trends and add the right amount of “right now” to our existing wardrobe.

Here are the items that didn’t make it through my filter:

• Ridiculous heel heights were frustrating. Shoe and boot styles were sweet, but often made unwearable with 3 to four inch heels. I draw the line at one pair of pretty “sitting shoes” in my wardrobe.
• Ankle boot season was disappointing. Other than fun ‘80’s inspired slouchy styles, ankle boots were drab. There were plenty of styles with interesting features on the ankle part of the boot, but this is a wasteful feature when the detail is covered by pants or jeans. Interesting design details on the toes of boots are better for this look and there weren’t many of those around. I guess that this season’s ankle boots were meant to be worn with dresses and tights.
• An abundance of unflattering voluminous pieces gave the trend a bad reputation. Billowing sack dresses and overly roomy pieces are unflattering, and there were a lot of them.
• Trapeze jacket overload. The style has flooded the market and there wasn’t enough variety in the jacket category.
• Light grey and acid wash denim for women. I’m not a fan. I do like light grey jeans on blokes though.
• Too much black for the party season. I’d have welcomed more non-black holiday party pieces.

There were also a few missed retail opportunities:

• A deeper assortment of fab looking shoes and boots with one to two inch heels always go down well. It’s interesting that these lower heel heights were not overlooked in Europe this season.
• Winter skirts were few and far between. Knee length skirts go hand in hand with knee length boots and are a great alternative to wearing dresses.
• Denim skirts are a missed opportunity every season. I’m looking forward to the time that they become a fashion statement again.
• Pants without side entry pockets are universally more flattering and they are still hard to find.
• A greater assortment of jackets that weren’t trapeze or baby doll in style would have satisfied all body types.

Bring on your rants for Autumn & Winter 2007 before we close the door and concentrate on Spring 2008.

Adorable winter booties with hectic heel heights. I rest my case.

The space age trend started coming through last year and there’s no stopping it for 2008. Metallic trapeze jackets, biker styles, blazers and trenches are an ultra modern, fashion forward look that has just recently gone mainstream. Metallic jackets are not created equally and you’ll find that some are more overtly shiny than others. If you like the idea of wearing a silver or gold jacket that’s not that shiny, choose one in a natural fiber like cotton or linen. The effect of metallic fiber (lurex) woven together with natural fiber is more subtle, than metallic fiber woven together with non-organic fiber. I purchased a metallic linen jacket last season and it’s an indispensable neutral in my wardrobe for both daytime and evening.

A collection of subtle and very shiny metallic trapeze jackets, bikers, trenches and blazers. I like this look best with jeans or over a dress.

Leather jackets were big in the ‘80’s and pleather or “faux leather” jackets were big in the ‘90’s. Now a mod twist on the once classic item is becoming a fashion force to be reckoned with. Funky designer leather jackets, like streamlined biker styles, trapeze styles and baby doll silhouettes, started coming through a year ago and I was convinced that the trend would not filter down to mainstream fashion. But I was wrong and the cheeky cropped leather or pleather jacket is here to stay. They are everywhere and just as big for Spring as they were for Autumn. I like the look and there is always some form of cropped and playful leather or pleather jacket in my wardrobe. I love the contrast that is created when a short, stiff, structured boyish leather jacket is paired with a soft, flowing, girly blouse. Add a pair of jeans, slacks or a skirt and pretty shoes, and you’ve got yourself a timeless yet current little look.

Leather jackets are expensive, but you’ll find many on sale at the moment. I personally enjoy refined “rock-chic” biker looks. You can’t get that early ‘80’s streak out of me I suppose.

The hottest denim silhouette for 2008 is a slim fit jean with a wider leg opening that’s no more than 8 inches on the half circumference. This makes it wider than a skinny or straight leg, but not quite as wide as a flare leg. This so called new silhouette sounds like a good old modern-classic boot cut to me, and most of us have at least one pair of those. Don’t worry ladies, as far as I can gather, last year’s denim silhouettes continue to reign supreme. Skinnies, straight legs, boot cuts and wide legs are all fab.

Wide leg	Slim fit boot cut	Straight leg	Skinny

Choose one or have fun with more denim silhouettes this year. I take pleasure in wearing all of the styles above, but I’m enjoying my straight legs the most right now.