This spring is all about the feminine. Of late, fashion has emphasized menswear styles for women, military-inspired clothing and accessories, boxy cuts. But 2012 is heralding a new year full of fresh, feminine motifs and silhouettes, which is a nice change for a lot of people out there!  If your wardrobe needs an update, here’s what to look for now:

Color blocking – Bold and bright color combos are all the rage, and you can achieve the concept by combining individual solid-colored items and accessories.  But avoid using more than 3 colors at a time if you don’t want to look like an unusually hip clown.  Check out the most popular hues here – they’re really yummy this season!  Start this look out simply by putting on a solid stretchy headband – there are loads of colors to choose from!

Ladylike pastels and whites - If the sight of bold color blocks makes your head swim, embrace your taste for more subdued colors by playing with pale or sorbet-like summer colors. In addition, floral prints of all kinds (tropical, flower power, botanicals) were all over the NYC shows.  After the royal wedding this past year, “princess chic” has become the byword – think long skirts, lots of taffeta and organza, pretty pumps.  Embrace your inner Kate Middleton with a peach floral tichel or a feathery yellow flower.

Big bangles, earrings – this season, you do not want to overaccessorize.  Have fun picking out the perfect bangle bracelets, earrings, or scarves, but keep the overall added bling to a minimum.

Don’t worry about catching every trend that moves from the runway to retail stores.  Pick a few items that represent your favorite elements of what’s in this year and incorporate them into looks your already own and love.  Put a floral blouse over last year’s skinny jeans, change a pencil skirt with one made of tulle.  Have fun mixing and matching items that show off your personal sense of style.