STRIPES ON STRIPES

The stripes on the Prada Spring 2011 runway were very influential this season. Look around - almost every women's clothing store is showcasing stripes to the max. There's no need to blend into the crowd though. Stand out with very bold, colorful stripes or match two different types of stripes together, as we've shown here. We took a diagonally striped skirt and horizontally striped top and matched them together. Or how about this BCBG skirt that has vertical and diagonal stripes in one piece? There's more than one way to wear stripes.

CHARTREUSE

Of all the bright colors popping up everywhere for spring, we think chartreuse has to be one of the most exciting and intriguing. Why? Because it's not quite yellow and it's not quite green. It's also very bright but not neon. Anything that has that ambiguous, indefinable quality makes it interesting in my book. Besides, it's fun to wear! Most people don't see the color too often so it is refreshing on the eyes. Charteuse also looks to-die-for on brunettes. It was interesting to see that designers like Christopher Kane and Christopher Baily for Burberry used chartreuse quite a bit on their spring runways. This dress is H&M, the bag is Urban Outfitters, and the sandals from Target.

VALENTINO FALL/WINTER 2011

Wow, wow, wow. The Valentino Fall 2011 RTW collection was really gorgeous. It was lovely to see that so many of the pieces were perfectly suited to the Modest Girl. We loved the collection so much we may have to post another installment of our favorite looks from the show as the fall months draw closer. I always get inspired looking at beautiful, modest fashion because I'm reminded that even if I can't afford a Valentino dress I can go out and find something with a similar shape, or intuitive feel, in my price range.

VINTAGE VIBE

The weather is warming up and spring is everywhere. Don't you get the urge to throw on a vintage printed shirt dress, drape a cardigan over you shoulders and go for a convertible drive? This is the perfect spring picnic/Saturday afternoon/strolling through town ensemble. I love vintage because nobody ends up looking just like you and the prints and colors create such atmosphere - nothing is more evocative of spring and summers past. We found this dress on Ebay and the sunglasses are Forever XXI.

SPRING FLORAL PRINT

It seems that floral prints are the print du jour for spring and summer. The question for me is always, how to wear floral prints without appearing overly feminine and precious? First of all, the type of print is important. Mod or graphic floral prints seem dated and not current lately, so I would set that type of print aside for now. Blurred, messy, somewhat impressionistic floral prints feel fresh - think Monet, not Hawaiian swim trunks. I've given my floral a little edge with bright red jeans and leopard print heels, then balanced all the color with a tweed blazer.

PALES, WRAP & RUFFLES

Pales with a little bit of color are so pretty right now. We love pairing anything pale and feminine with gray or white jeans - it makes everything feel so fresh. Here we have a ruffled blouse by Diane von Furstenberg, wrap sweater by Marc Jacobs and Zara jeans. The pretty floral sunglasses are some of our favorite from Topshop.