Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Curious,

Summer 2000 has arrived! Trend buzz words for the sunny season: feminine, global, and retro. Pretty, flowing blouses, skirts, and dresses look oh-so-feminine and flirty for those warm summer days ahead. Skin is in - showing through soft chiffons. Back-baring tie-back tops are all the summer rage and come in all kinds of cool shapes and prints. More spice than sugar, the major Oriental influence on summer trends is hard to miss. The retro hit of the summer comes straight out of the 1950's with tropical print bathing suits, dresses and especially men's shirts and shorts. Skirts are falling knee-length and below, and the gathered waistband circle-skirts of the 1950's are hot. The original 50's pants and capris are staying for summer and the newest styles are cropped just above the ankle.

Colors: Summer is romanticizing and warming up fashion's color palette left and right. Whites are flowing into summer with warm, organic, and romantic tones. Forget the stark hospital white, this summer's whites are "sunwashed," "sanded," and "eroded." To counteract the utilitarian grays of Winter, pretty colors like sherbet pastels are popular. Just like in the grocery store, shop for raspberry, lemon, lime, and pineapple. Also hot are garden colors like sunflower yellow, chambray blue, and soft orange. Water is one of this summer's major color muses. Look for aquatic hues like turquoise, seafoam green, coral, and pearlized pinks. Shoes: Step On Up! By popular demand, platforms are sticking around for summer and beyond. They're comfy, cute, and a little extra height never hurt anyone! Wedge bottoms, platforms, chunky heels; whatever you want to call them, these wide-angle high heels are here to stay. My, how your sneakers have grown! Yes, even sneakers are getting taller with wedge bottoms and they look great with jeans, shorts and capris.Walking On Wood... Wooden shoes are big this summer and designers are carving out everything from sandals to ornate dress shoes. The coolest look this season is lacquered wood. Designers are varnishing shoes like fine furniture, topping the wood with resin to preserve the design underneath. Some are even inlaid with mother-of-pearl floral designs for an elegant Asian effect. Sandals, slides and mules are getting jazzed up with mirrors, sequins, fringe and even fake fur. 1950's bathing-beauty-inspired tropical floral shoes are showing up with big silk flowers on the toes.Get Those Flips Hip! Who can resist a good pair of flip-flops for the summer? Flip-flops are an understated summer fashion classic, functioning for young and old alike on the hot sand or pool side. This is the summer of the hip flip, showing up everywhere under more chic names like "decorative thongs". Embellished flips are hot this year, and come in all price ranges. Save some cash, invest in your own creativity and make yours unique. Wrap the straps with fabric trim or different colors of embroidery thread for "friendship straps". Get adventurous with a hot glue gun and attach plastic trinkets, beads, flowers, small toys, or fake jewels. Let your summer feet belly dance by tying on tiny bells.Now that you're up on all the trends, have fun shoping for this summer of love!

Sincerely, Fashion Girl