Spring Fever for the Fashionable

– By April Miller –

Whether or not it feels like spring, the clothes and accessories in the windows of Purchase Street stores are made for warm weather. Shorter hemlines, bright colors, big prints and beachy nauticals are just a few of the trends expected to spread this season. Even if you have to cover it with a raincoat for a while, it's time to build your spring wardrobe.

Shoes

If you've seen the marshmallow Peeps in the window display at Plaza Too, you probably thought they were Easter decorations. You'd be wrong. The colorful baby chicks represent the biggest trend in shoes for spring, the peep-toe. Seen on both flats and heels, the shoe can dress an outfit up or down. Pedicure required.

The winter-favorite basic flat continues to be a top-seller, updated for spring in patent leather and found in bright colors as well as silver and gold. Socialite-turned-designer Tory Burch's flat with the double-T logo can still be seen on the well-heeled in Hollywood and in Rye.

Espadrilles and wedges are everywhere at Shoes n’ More in patterns from nautical stripes to Pucci prints. These are a perfect pairing for the season's flirty dresses and a comfortable alternative to a stiletto heel. Flats dominate here as well, in patent and in satin. For Jackie O cool, try flat sandals by Bernardo and Jack Rodgers in metallic colors or with opulent stones.

Swimwear

While vacations and the beach are fun, swimsuit shopping is not. Standing before a dressing room mirror after a long winter can be a very rude awakening. But this season offers plenty of flattering swimwear, as well as beautiful coverups that can be worn at the pool and out to lunch. At Tahiti Street, bright colors and big ’60s style prints are the new black. Ruffles and other feminine touches, especially at the bust, are popular, along with nautical stripes. Still nervous? Try designers like Eres and Karla Colletto, who use European fabric, which is lightweight, and with a little Lycra and underwire, offer flattering shaping.

For the first time this year, Tahiti Street is selling more two-pieces than one-piece suits. The store's selection of mix and match bikinis is great for anyone who's a different size on top than on the bottom. Rags also carries a good selection of mix and match suits by Shoshanna, as well as Eberjey bikinis in fun animal print, polka dot and stripe designs.

Dresses

Invest in self-tanner this spring because dresses are everywhere and they are showing a lot of leg. Whether you call them baby-doll or empire-waist, these feminine dresses are the must-have item of the season. At Rags, dresses are an inch or two above the knee and come in sweet white eyelet to wear on a picnic, or brown and turquoise to wear in the tropics.

At Great Stuff, dresses pop with rich colors and creative prints. A Diane Von Furstenberg design makes being covered in bees look appealing. Here, the dresses are short and shorts are long, but don't call them "Bermuda". This season is all about the city-short.

Spring dresses fill the racks at Panache too, though the hemline is a little more generous, hitting at the knee and below. Look for styles with big prints and the color brown. If you don't plan on wearing dresses daily, Panache carries another big spring trend, wide-leg trousers, in denim, cotton, or linen. A happy reprieve for those sick of "skinny jeans," the wide leg look fits perfectly into spring's nautical trend.

Accessories

Warm weather means showing more skin. Skin that in turn should be covered by spring's hottest accessories, from long necklaces to dress-up swimwear to bracelets that match spring's colorful shoes, like the metallic python bangles at Lola. Sunglasses are fashion for your face, so be sure to try on popular styles for the season like aviator and giant-frame. Uber-trendy white sunglasses aren't for everyone, but then again it's spring, so wear them with that new bikini. Winter will be back before we know it.