Today’s Outfit Idea: Showing Your True (Neon) Colors

All right, all you ladies who push your style aside because you’re too dang busy just trying to get your kids or your partner or yourself out the door in the morning – the Fastionista is here to ease your style fear.

It never seems to fail: whether my winter happens to be filled with snow and cold, or, like this year, unseasonably warm temps, right around mid-February is when I start craving short-sleeved dresses, walking shorts, and eighty-degree days. Unfortunately, we still don’t have control over the weather (really wish they’d find a way to correct that). But I’ve found that wearing bright, bold colors evokes the same summertime happiness as donning warm-weather duds. And with neons being one of the go-to color palettes this spring, how can I not jump right into the trend and make a nice big color splash?

So here’s what’s in my closet today:

· Multi-colored Neon T-shirt: This layering piece not only incorporates bold blue, pink, and yellow, but blends them into an equally bold pattern. On its own it’s not all that work appropriate, because it’s cropped at the hem and its cut is that of an understated, casual tee, but as a layering piece for under a more conservative completer, it provides the perfect pop on which to base the rest of my ensemble.

· Cardi Completer: Many times for office attire, when wearing a layering top that’s on the edgier side, it’s best to pair with a quieter completer piece. This gives the outfit some professional balance. So for my completer today I’ll wear a khaki-colored cardigan that’s got elbow-length sleeves and a tie belt at the waist (the belt nips in at the narrowest part of my mid-section, which has a slimming effect and accentuates my feminine silhouette). As a balance to my layering top, this piece exudes softness in its color, texture (cotton), and cut.

· Pinstriped Pants: Yes, I am introducing a second pattern into my ensemble, but because my black pants have such a subtle gray pinstripe, this won’t clash with the print of my layering top. Provided one pattern is decidedly bolder than the other, it’s perfectly fine to mix patterns and prints. Since my pants are a neutral color, too, my outfit isn’t going to look too busy, even with that second pattern going on.

· Accessories: Many times we go for the obvious with accessories: bracelets/necklace/earrings/rings. I do it all the time. (Why mess with it when we know it works so well?!) But when considering accessories, we also have to think outside the jewelry box and remember our hair, our waists, heck even our ankles. Think scarves, or hats. I like to check out my local Claire’s or The Icing stores from time to time for ideas. Today, since I’ve already got a lot going on with my outfit, I am going to stick with relatively simple pieces for my accessories: first up is a silver cuff bracelet, and then an understated silver fashion ring. But to give my outfit 360-degree visual interest, I’ll also wear my hair in a messy bun, and secure it with decorative hairpins that incorporate black and silver metal and faux diamonds. Even if you need to keep things subtle, that doesn’t mean you can't add a touch of glam here or there.

· Purse: I already have my shoes picked out, and they’ll be my last splash of color for this outfit, so I’m going to go pretty simple with my purse: a black shoulder-strap handbag.

· SHOES!: How can I wear anything with this outfit besides my hot pink pumps with patent finish?! Bold accents (like accessories, purse, or shoes) are not only trending right now, but they’re always a great idea to bring a last blast of personality to any outfit.

Voila! There you have it: great fashion fast. And you, gorgeous lady, are ready to take on the world, Fastionista Style!

Be ahead of the trend and work these styles into your ensemble before they hit the mainstream.

Today’s Trend: Neutral-on-Neutral Color Blocking

Color blocking is a trend that designers seem to have really latched on to, and according to the Fall 2012 Ready-To-Wear collections that have been showing at Fashion Week, they’ll still be going strong long past summer. One of the twists to the trend that I particularly like, though, is BCBG Max Azria’s take of neutral-on-neutral blocking: brown and white tones, specifically. (Here are highlights on elle.com.) The great thing about color blocking is that anyone can do it: wear a long-sleeved white tee under a brown short-sleeved sweater and you’ve just emulated the BCBG style for fall. The other cool thing about incorporating this look into your wardrobe now is that brown is the neutral for spring this year, and, really, is there any better style than being on trend and ahead of the trend all in one outfit? I think not.