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Let’s Spring into 2009!
Retail and Fashion Trends for 2009        by Madison Owen

As you put that flirty green Christmas dress and shiny gold lame’ New Years Eve cocktail dress in the back of your closet, make room for the bright, new clothes of 2009. Next year’s trends are a complete turn around from the dark purples, blacks, and browns of this fall and winter. The real question is: are we bold enough to wear these trends on the street?

Color Me Happy
Spring fashion fabrics include soft sheers, funky prints from the 70’s, exotic floral prints, lime green, soft coral, daffodil yellow, vermillion oranges, verdant green, fuchsia, violot, cobalt blue, and bright metallics. The Spring 2009 runway shows showcased happy, bright colors walking down the runway. Confident fashionistas might decide to wear these bright colors from head to toe, and apparently this is deemed “stylish” in 2009, however, the more conservative of us can go bright with simply an accent of bright color. The actual season of spring was also a key inspiration for designers. Many of them embraced the floral prints with huge illustrations of flowers or went for the more understated look with a smaller floral pattern on silky scarves.
Elie Saab Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear >

Sheer Elegance
Want to leave little to the imagination? Well, then this trend is for you. Spring 2009 models walked down the runway in transparent fabrics and sheer garments. This might make some men happy, but trendsetters will have to be careful pulling off this trend in the workplace. Women can choose to layer multiple sheer fabrics over each other and/or wear a nude or white form fitting top underneath to pull off this trend without showcasing too many of their attributes.
< John Galliano Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear

Black-Tie Affair
An interesting take on women’s work-wear will take a starring role in the spring. Designers switched roles and played around with tuxedo suiting, tight fitting blazers and vests, trousers, and even cummerbunds, bow ties, and boutonnieres. Wearing all of those garments as one ensemble may be too over powering and dominating for some women. However, a bow tie blouse with a vest is a cute way to incorporate this trend without going too overboard.
Hermes Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear >

Stepping Out
How would you feel wearing beautiful art on your feet? I think I would feel elegant and beautiful myself if I owned just one pair of the gorgeous shoes for 2009. Theses shoes will have everyone talking, looking, and drooling at your feet (so make sure you have a nice pedicure). The Prada shoes shown here are over the top with their petaled heels and intricate details. Color makes another appearance in spring shoes, this means no blah black or brown flats. Polka dots, stripes, prints, florals and embellishments (such as bows, fringes, jewels, and buckles) will also make their way to our feet this spring. In addition to color, patterns, and embellishments, short white leather boots showed up on many runways and will be favored with skirts this spring.
< Prada Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear

Spring fashions of 2009 are vibrant, fun, flirty, bright, beautiful, bold, and intricate. Make it a must to embrace at least one of these trends in your own way. I promise you will have fun!