Okay so winter time is almost out the door, which means that it is time to put away your knee-high boots and furry jackets or for my fellas the Helly Hansen’s and Tims and bring back out the cargo pants and sundresses. Or wait, is that even still the thing anymore?

First, let’s look at what fashion is and what it means to be fashionable. The basic definition of fashion states, “a popular trend, especially in styles of dress and ornament or manners of behavior.” To many people,  fashion is a way of expressing oneself through clothing and accessories. In fact, fashion is one of the safest ways to express yourself.

Kiara Jones, a senior at Paint Branch, believes “fashion is a form of art that is being expressed through unique clothing and that allows the person wearing a particular style to express who they really are.”

Spring is the time for light and bright pastel colors that are easy on the eye yet so bold it’s hard not to look. Add these bold colors to fun patterns and you’ve got style. In January in New York City, the world-famous spring Fashion Week took place. The event featured well-known designers such as Marc Jacobs, Rosie Assoulin, and Carolina Herrera, just to name a few. One of the top trends that illuminated the catwalk this year was multicolor stripes.

From striped dresses to striped pants, these multicolored lines were on almost every designer’s raidar in Fashion Week. Stripes have never gone out of style; according to POPSUGAR an online fashion magazine that covered the annual Fashion Week noted that stripes are “ the classic print rule for spring.” Roopal Patel, a Fashion Director of Saks Fifth Avenue, said,“Stripes are equivalent to what white shirts used to be back in the day.”

The next must-have trend for this spring is floral print. These are essential items to have in the spring to create a feminine look.

According to Midnight Velvet Blog, a fashion and decor blog, “floral prints are an essential addition to any woman’s springtime wardrobe. The best way to wear florals is to allow your floral print piece be in the spotlight.” Depending on how florals are put together, they can create many different looks and show attitude. According to Fashionisers, another online fashion blog that covered Fashion Week in New York, stated, “The upcoming warm seasons found the leading fashion designers all obsessed with floral canvas artwork, covering the models with tons of itty-bitty flowers. The strangely puffed, oversized numbers at Delpozo demonstrate pretty floral romanticism.”  Florals are prints that are meant to captivate the eye and be the highlight of an outfit.

SLOGAN TEE SHIRTS! Everybody loves a good old school rock band tee shirt or a tee shirt with your opinion on it. Slogan tees have never gone out of style. Glamour, a fashion and style magazine, stated in The 15 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Will Need In 2017, “While a slogan tee probably won’t change the world, it does make a statement. Just like tweeting your opinion or sharing a link to a must-read article on Facebook, it’s a way to make your opinion [known].” Vogue magazine even announced that many designers such as Baja East, Michael East, Ashley Williams and many other well-known designers hopped on the bandwagon of slogan tees at catwalks from New York to Paris.

Just because these few trends that are kicking off spring doesn’t mean you have to follow them word for word. While there are definitely some good looks here – and some bright colors – remember: It’s not fashion until you add your own umph to it!