Spring Fashion Trends 2012: Five Tips to Keep You Chic

Spring fashion trends 2012 emphasize fabric prints, billowy sheer fabrics, crochet and lace trim, and a new interest in pastels and nude beige.

The feminine silhouette of the sheath dress and wide-leg pants carries over from previous seasons.

The color orange, which burst on the scene as melon and then transmuted into the rust hues of Fall-Winter 2011-12, is back again in its most fiery incarnation yet.

Let's take a look at what some of the trendy forecasters are saying and how this translates into clothes for older women.

Trend #1: Adolescence Envy -- Kitten Shoes, Peter Pan Collars, and Cat-Eye Sunglasses

Kitten shoes are slides with low stiletto heels of about an inch or so high. They often strike me as more appropriate for lounging. Satin innersoles and puffy or strappy fronts are not meant for walking.

Ask yourself, "Would Helen Mirren wear these?"

This great British actress has somehow managed to become a sex symbol in her 60s.

I cannot imagine her inhabiting kitten shoes outside of a role she is playing, a costume party, or perhaps lounging very privately on her patio.

Peter Pan Collars Re-Vision Youth

A sweetly prim collar named after the famous children's classic is another fashion trend that we must question as clothes for mature women.

Decide for yourself if you want this recycled look. Sophia, with her penchant for modest clothing and simple lines, may like this return.

As for the large, slant-eye sunglasses known as cat's eye, well, there are cat-eye glasses and then there are cat-eye glasses.

The Many Lives of Cat-Eye Sunglasses

Avoid large red ones with rhinestone trim that evoke the Nabokov nymph, Lolita. Hers as depicted in the film made from the novel were heart-shaped.

Kali, Baubo, and Hecate fashion archetypes may be able to carry off this new twist in spring fashion trends 2012 without looking juvenile.

Metis, in a playful mood, may look good in less exaggerated black cat-eye frames.

Me, I'll stick to my big Jackie-O super-dark sunglasses.

Trend #2: All the Colors that Are Fit to Print

Big, bold color-block costumes – dubbed Bauhaus by one fashion commentator – and geometric prints continue to recreate the 60s and 70s.

Bird print fabric is fresh, whimsical, and frequently favored by photographers.

Large prints look best on large-framed women and should be avoided for most petite clothing.

Snakeskin prints continue to slither through the style scene and are another apt choice for clothes for older women.

Mesh fabrics and mesh prints, like one that imitates chain link fence, are other choices.

Variety of Fabric Prints Ensure Something for Every Style Preference

Delicate florals are among the newest of the new spring fashions. They are often shown in ladylike dresses with demure lines.

These styles will appeal to the Aphrodite and the Sophia in you.

Bird Print Fabric Is Flying High

Credited to Kenzo, bird print fabric that depicts flying shadowy silhouettes are featured in many photos for 2012 spring and summer.

This includes all-over print slacks and tops.

I'm not sure that I like this look which seems a little too much like pajamas. Kali may like this fresh new look.

Call Any Vegetable, Quoth Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana's big, bold, and beautiful vegetable fabric prints take the Hawaiian shirt tradition in a whole new direction.

I can't resist quoting the late, great Frank Zappa here: "Call any vegetable and the chances are good the vegetable will respond to you."

If these delightful whimsical patterns are not your cup of ratatouille, you may like the fluid and equally bold photographic florals featured elsewhere.

Bold prints will appeal to Bohemian Hecate.

Trend #3: Neutrals Get All Nuded Up; Black and White Hold Steady

Fleshy-toned neutrals are the color for getting all dressed up, according to spring fashion trends 2012.

This romantic look may be carried out in fluid and billowing chiffon, structured lace, or handcrafted look crochet. Nostalgia meets contemporary in these clothes for older women.

Lightweight and sheer fabrics are perfect for the feminine silhouette that emerged strongly in the 1960s and 1970s styles that continued to be featured.

Black and white remain strong style preferences, often in color-blocked combinations. This practical and timeless look is perfect for Athena.

Trend #4: The Color Orange Lights Up Like a Rocket

The color orange is a spitfire for spring fashion trends 2012, brighter and bolder than ever.

Some of us cannot wear orange without looking sallow. In fact, more than 300 people a month search for the term "annoying orange."

Use a pop of the color orange to look updated – perhaps a wristlet, scarf, shawl, or belt.

Trend #5: Sporty But Not Masculine

With the summer Olympics on the horizon and interest in sports flourishing, sportswear and exercise clothing makes a strong showing among spring fashion trends 2012.

This is good news for Artemis.

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Rugged, athletic sports wear is in, but the faux-masculine look of the over-sized boyfriend blazer is on the way out. You weren't wearing grunge anyway, were you? If so, please stop. That, too, is over.

Metallic Is Starting to Look Old

The last few times I’ve noticed metallic shoes at work and a metallic sheen on a tonal-print suit jacket on a business place elevator, I’ve felt a little sorry for the wearers.

A tee-shirt with shiny bling prompted my inner critic to sigh, "That's so yesterday."

I do not have any insider information from fashion leaders about this, but my gut-level feeling is that it is time to stop buying metallic shoes, handbags and emblazoned shirts.

Save the good garments in your closet, such as pinstripe or tweed with a metallic thread, for dressier occasions.

Metallic cocktail dresses never get old and appear and reappear as glamorous vintage items.

Eclectic Style Continues An Almost-Anything-Goes Fashion Environment for Spring Fashion Trends 2012

In today’s fashion marketplace, trends clash, collide, co-opt from each other, and blend.

Racer-back sport tops take their place next to racks of pastel floral dresses. Geometric prints and color-blocked designs compete with whimsical bird print fabric and extravagant vegetable prints that are eye-candy clothing.

The color orange is the favorite accent for spring fashion trends 2012.

It's always wise to start your basic wardrobe planning in your closet. Then think about how to update what you own with accessories and pieces from new spring fashions.

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