Last September during Fashion Week, fashion designers, brands, and houses displayed their latest collections for buyers and the media. Their hope was to influence trends and markets for the upcoming 2018 Spring season.

So Spring/Summer 2018 is finally here, and online and in our stores are the latest fashions inspired by fashion week last fall. Below are examples of what I found, several of which are too rich for my pocketbook, but are beautiful examples.

Here’s What to Expect

Ice cream colors. Pick a pastel shade but do it up right from head to toe. Maybe a muted peachy pastel.

Tailored, polished denim. Does this mean it’s time to pack up those holy jeans?

Wider shoulders, a la the 80s.

Pants legs all over the place. Skinny, wide, shorter, ankle, whatever you like.

Shorts, mostly short. Sorry, not something I still do, but it’s great for the younger women.

Vinyl–raincoats, boots, jackets, ponchos, even dresses, and skirts. It started last fall; but will it make it through the summer? I’m not even sure we can do vinyl down here in Florida in the summertime.

Pencils skirts with pointed kitten heels for a touch of class. I would love a sailor blue pencil shirt to add to my wardrobe.

Styles

The trench coat reappears mainly in softer earth colors, especially warm sand. And trench details are in our blouses and dresses. Again with wider shoulders.

Colors

Other than the all over pastel shades, there are bright colors. Especially worn together. Think a jeweled purple like ultraviolet and a chili red…or a neon lime mixed with a cherry tomato, though the latter seems a little Christmasy to me. All the same, be colorful!

Think multi-faceted and very colorful. There’s a sunny yellow and a soft rosy violet. The reds are a cherry tomato and a chili hue. There’s an azure blue and a violet so deeply purple that it’s called ultra violet.  Expect to see this color in shades of nail polish and eye shadow.

There’s a green that’s somewhere between mint and emerald and looks like a retro color. There’s a muted peachy tone called Blooming Dahlia that will look great with Almost Mauve which looks more like it is almost white.

For a good foundation color, there’s a deep cognac brown. I need some new brown pants, and something in this color will be very useful. Or maybe some chili red ones.

Finally there is a fuchsia orchid and a neon lime.

Rounding out the foundation colors are coconut milk, harbor mist grey, warm sand, and sailor blue, a navy shade.

Prints

Prints include all-over checks and tartans; and there are stripes up and down, horizontal, and all directions including vertical candy stripes.

Lots of floral patterns–some soft romantic and airy, others like we had in the 60s, and some micro sweet and tiny. Florals are definitely in.

Rainbow patterns, black and white polka dots, and statement shirts that try to tell us how to think. Included are tropical and art inspired prints.

Trends I’ll Reject

One trend I’ll refrain from trying is the “in your face” nipples…all over the place—maybe in The Big Apple or Los Angeles, but goodness, not in out here in Realville.

Reminded me of the cool see-through blouse I brought back from Miami, while visiting my cousins in the early 70s. It was hard to see anything with its dark, dark fabric and large pockets strategically placed. Black and supposed to be worn with a black bra, that shirt didn’t last two days in my parent’s home. It vanished into thin air never to be mentioned again.

So that’s my take on what to expect. Go forth ladies and discover what’s out there in fashion for Spring, 2018!