With Spring rapidly approaching, we will be trading in our winter coats for shorts and snow boots for sandals. As spring/summer clothes hit the shelves, magazines and influencers have begun to identify this season’s hottest trends. After many hours of scrolling and flipping pages, I am writing to fulfill my duty as a future fashion business major and to share my top five favorite spring trends and how you can execute them.

1. Sleek Shoes

I think the best version of this trend is the square toe pump. The square toe pump is a style that has been associated with the designer Roger Vivier for decades. I love the strength of this design. A traditional pump, with a pointed toe, appears more delicate and prim. A square toe box gives off a more powerful and sturdy energy. Some great places to look for square toe pumps are Zappos and Zara. 

Another popular version of this trend is the ballet flat. This shoe is generally associated with Chanel as the style has remained a staple in their collection.  This shoe is the perfect alternative to a sneaker. It is comfortable and easy to walk around in, but it looks much nicer than a pair of tennis shoes. My favorite place to buy ballet flats is FS/NY, but Amazon also has some great options.  

As we move away from the chunky shoe to a more sleek look, loafers will continue to be a staple of casual fashion. However, loafers are also making the shift to a more classic silhouette. The chunky and boxy loafers, made popular by Prada and Gucci last year, are shifting to a far plainer shoe, similar to the style popularized by Tods. Loafers are a slightly more comfortable alternative to a ballet flat. They can be easier to walk in since they generally have a soft sole. DSW and Steve Madden are both great options when shopping for this look. 

2. Rise of y2k

The rise in popularity of the y2k aesthetic has been a constant throughout the past two seasons; however, we are seeing it in new ways this spring. In addition to the low rise jeans and track suits we have seen in the past year, we have also been seeing a rise in the popularity of cargo skirts, sheer articles of clothing, early two thousands style belts, small sunglasses, and bags which were all the rage in 2005.  

In March, Marc Jacobs re-released their iconic yearly 2000s bag, The Stam Bag. The Stam Bag is a bowling style bag that was seen on many celebrities, such as Rihanna, Ashley Tisdale, Kim Karsashian, and Paris Hilton, when it was first released. The bag was introduced in 2005 and discontinued in 2013 after the y2k aesthetic decreased in popularity. The bag re-released by Marc Jacobs for the 2023 Spring season is nearly identical to the one sold in the early 2000s, except it is being sold for nearly $1,500. This is a dramatic price increase over the price in 2005 and is a far higher price than other Marc Jacobs handbags. Though this bag is sure to make a big comeback, I would not consider it worth $1,500. If you want to participate in y2k trend, there is an alternative option to the re-issue. Buying a vintage Stam Bag is a great option. I got my Stam Bag from the Vestiaire Collective for only $170. I found that Vestiaire Collective has a great selection of bags, for pretty reasonable prices, compared to other sites like The Real Real and ReBag. 

The newest and hottest trend in y2k clothing is the cargo skirt. Cargo pants have been popular for a couple years now, but thanks to Miu Miu the cargo skirt is the hot new clothing item. I personally have not yet participated in this trend, but some good buying options are Free People, ASOS, and Reformation. 

A great way to pull a bit of y2k into your outfit is through accessories. Excluding bags, my favorite ways to do this are through sunglasses and belts. There are some great y2k leather and chain belt options on Amazon and Revolve. In terms of sunglasses, I think the best way to get your hands on y2k styles is by going for vintage. I have gotten a couple pairs off of Amazon, but vintage glasses tend to be better quality. You can go on Poshmark to find some great options, but my favorite way to get vintage glasses is by asking family members. A few years ago my mom cleaned out her sunglasses and gave me a couple pairs. Those are the glasses I find myself reaching for the most these days. So my recommendation is save your money and see what your family has lying around.

3. Maxi and Midi Skirts  

Short skirts are out and long skirts are in. Am I the only one saying thank the fashion gods for that? Short skirts can often be impractical when walking around all day. Pale girlies like myself will also know the pain of not having your legs covered and then turning into a lobster cause you got sunburnt. We are mainly seeing long skirts in two ways. The first way is in denim. Long denim skirts are all the rage this season, especially if they have a slit. I got my denim maxi skirt from Alice and Olivia, but most denim companies have started to make them as well. The other way we are seeing maxi/midi skirts is in a flowy or poofy style. The skirts are practical because of their movement. In the hot summer sun, a flowy skirt allows for you to cool off. My recommendations for where to get amazing and elegant maxi skirts are Revolve, Amazon, and LoveShackFancy.

4. Statement Bags

Of course, bags are a constant accessory in the fashion world. Handbags fulfill a practical use and so never go out of style. However, the use of a bag as a part of an ensemble changes depending on the season. This season it is all about statement bags. We are moving away from the mini bag trend and into an era of bigger and bolder bags. Mini bags are still in, though. This season the bag scene is going through a transition, so bags of all sizes are fair game. 

A way to really get into the statement bag trend is through sequins and bright colors. As an addition to the y2k trend, we are seeing a call back to the 90s and early 2000s to bring back Carrie Bradshaw’s iconic purple sequin baguette. The Fendi baguette is an iconic bag, in part because of the famous “it’s not a bag, it’s a baguette” scene in Sex and the City. Sarah Jessica Parker did a collaboration with Fendi to make a purple sequin baguette last year, and since then the style of bag has been all the rage. The most important part of the baguette trend is to make the bag as outrageous as possible. Bright  colors, sparkles, and patterns are what make the baguette a statement purse. One of my favorite baguette interpretations is the Le Bambino Long from Jacquemeus. The bag is very high quality and I find it fits comfortably under my arm, unlike some other bags of the same style. Polene and JW Pei also have some great baguette options. If you are looking to go the more sustainable route, there are tons of vintage baguettes, from all different brands, on second-hand sites that are pretty reasonably priced. 

Another great way to participate in this trend is through huge bags. Tote bags are often a statement simply because of their size. When you are carrying a bag that large, it becomes difficult for the bag to not become the center of attention. The viral Goyard tote bag has shown many people the practicality of carrying a larger bag, through influencers posting what they can fit in their St. Louis or Artois. I am a big fan of tote bags, in fact I carry one every day instead of a backpack. The bag I carry is a Tory Burch bag that I received for Christmas around five years ago and it is still in perfect condition. Based on that I highly recommend looking for tote bags at Tory Burch, but I also recommend Kate Spade, Coach, and MCM. 

My favorite way to do this trend is through an art piece. Fashion is my favorite art form, but in the era of mass-produced clothing and fast fashion we are losing some of its beauty. There are hundreds if not thousands of handmade bags on Etsy that would make great statement purses. In purchasing a handmade bag, you are purchasing a one-of-a-kind piece of art. Bags like that are statements because no one else has one. Aside from Etsy, there are always cute handmade bags at boutiques in the city. Sometimes you will find something beautiful in the most unexpected places. A couple summers ago I purchased a handmade bag in the shape of a typewriter. It was so unique and special. To this day it is probably my favorite bag.

5. Alternative Florals

Okay, I get it. I know what all my Devil Wears Prada fans are thinking, “Florals for spring? Groundbreaking,”  but I think this trend is being done in a way that Miranda Preistly would be proud of. Instead of the typical floral prints, flower patterns are being explored in new mediums. The most common way that we are seeing this trend is through large flowers made of silk or satin. These flowers are mostly being worn as necklaces, but some designers are working the motif into their ready-to-wear collections. There are also a lot of crochet and embroidery flowers. Crochet styles have been popular the last couple years, but they are reaching a new level this year. Crochet is venturing into the third dimension. We are seeing a lot of depth to clothing this year and that includes 3D flowers poking off of clothing pieces.   

To achieve this floral look, you can purchase the popular, and now iconic, flower necklaces at Amazon or Zara. A super fun way to take on this trend would be to get a little crafty. You could learn to crochet your own sweater or stitch some lace onto a pair of existing jeans to make a grunge chic look. 

At the end of the day, trends are just trends. Not every style is for everyone. Wear what makes you happy and what you feel authentic in. That is undoubtedly the best way to look chic and stylish.