By Sarah Han
Staff Writer

The problem? Your wardrobe needs a facelift. The answer? Spring’s new fashion trends. If you’re sick of flipping through your boring wardrobe and finding yourself in a slump with nothing exciting to wear, have no fear.

This spring’s hottest new fashion trends are bound to pull you out of those outdated styles and into this season’s fun, invigorating collection.

Who says white is boring? For a pure, refreshing look this spring, feed your starving wardrobe with a classy button down or form-fitting pants.

Styles that liven up white, range from scrunched gatherings on shirts to simple pleats on a sundress for an added flair. Unlike the wonders of black, white is not necessarily flattering. Remember, you can have too much of a good thing so beware of overdoing the look.

Here’s another crucial tip: stay far from anything shiny.  The trick with presenting yourself in white is to do it subtly, unless you’re in a wedding dress.

Springtime always brings the aroma of flowers with the gentle flutter of butterflies, and so does this season’s fashion lineup. Not only do these floral and butterfly prints express romantic femininity, but vivacity as well.

You can choose big, flashy prints or small, unobtrusive prints. Discover them on full, bouncy sundresses for a flirty touch, perfect for any special occasion.

To avoid looking like a bouquet of wild flowers, add floras at your own discretion. Try exchanging an everyday T-shirt-and-jeans outfit with a brightly colored floral top and faded jeans. Even a dash of potpourri on pants or capris topped with a solid colored tank will create an innocent beauty that’s bound to turn heads.

Lavishing yourself with jewelry, however, will only make the outfit appear messy and overdone on top of the floral print. You can sweeten your look up with miniature butterfly clips holding tiny braids in your hair. Cultivate an inner garden this spring, let the butterflies flutter freely.

With the growth of flowers and butterflies, it’s no surprise that ruffles are also springing up everywhere.  From shirt sleeves to the bottoms of dresses, ruffles express a sophisticated sassiness that women can’t resist.

Here’s a hidden plus to wearing them: ruffles have an amazing slimming effect for problem areas as well as making legs look leaner and longer — and no, I’m not talking about the potato chips. So splurge on the frilly, lacy ruffles. I promise these are fat-free.

Ruffles can also enhance the western look, another new growing trend for the spring. An easy way to attain this look is to wear a pair of cowboy boots with stretch jeans, slip on a wide, camel-colored belt and polish it off with a midriff-showing tank outlined with baby ruffles.

Jeans with a suede lace-up front — actually anything with suede — is being snatched up. Go on and grab that cowboy hat, if you dare. Wild and crazy is acceptable here, but I’ll draw the line with spurs on boots. The wild, wild west can handle fashionably cool, but not tacky.

Spring is sprouting fashions that are pure, beautiful and wild. What better way to describe the women of today? Take advantage of these trends while they last.

The good news is that you don’t have to empty your wallets to obtain these items. Here are some places that don’t have outrageous prices and don’t compromise on quality: Bloomingdale’s, Forever21, Rampage, Guess, Gap and Bebe.

March 28, 2002