Category: Women’s Fashion

Soon enough, we’ll be able to lose the scarves and puffy coats in favor of lighter pieces. That’s right, spring is fast upon us — and we’ll want some fresh duds to celebrate the warmer, longer days.

As usual, the spring/summer 2024 runways were loaded with weird stuff. Marc Jacobs’ paper dolls theme was the stuff of nightmares. And some of the Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear collection felt like a surreal mashup of Ricky Bobby and a princess Halloween costume.  

Still, despite the craziness, the runways always manage to inspire the more wearable spring trends that end up in stores. And that’s our focus today. Here’s a look at eight winning styles of the season, and how you can get them on a budget.

Trend 1: Flow

Flowing fabric is the name of the game this season. Think in terms of gathers, pleats, ruching, and draping. For everyday wear of this spring trend, lean into lightweight fabrics that hang elegantly. You might team a belted, wide-leg pant, silky camisole and a spring trench coat with a waterfall collar.

Some on-trend pieces to check out under $75 include:

1. H&M’s gathered sleeve jacket
2. Asos pleated wide-legged pants
3. Lulu’s cowl neck bodysuit
4. Nina Leonard dolman sleeve dress

Trend 2: Structure

In the same season that flow and draping are hot, so are structure and form. Some labels, like Sacai, managed to incorporate both elements into the same collection. My high-minded self might ask if that’s a commentary on the human condition. Or just two very different expressions of creativity.

You can work structure into your wardrobe this spring with stiff, A-line skirts and denim pants that hold their shape. Well-defined blazers are another option.

I like these structured pieces for under $75:

1. WAYF faux leather five-pocket midi skirt
2. Gap’s belted denim shirt jacket
3. Old Navy’s high-waisted wide-leg jeans
4. New York and Company’s tweed shift dress

Trend 3: Voluminous arms  

Big shoulders and arms made several appearances in spring collections. The range included angular, wide shoulders and extreme drop shoulders paired with blouson sleeves. Of those two ends of the spectrum, I like the latter option. It’s more feminine and wearable.

These garments nod to the trend without being over-the-top or aggressively expensive:

1. Blank NYC drop shoulder quilted jacket from Zappos
2. Asos mini shirt dress with blouson sleeves
3. BTFBM blouson sleeve work top from Amazon
4. Venus off-the-shoulder sweater

Trend 4: Romance

2024 is your year if you love all things fairy tale. Tiers, lace, tulle flowers, and mesh will be everywhere this spring. You’ll see these details on flowy dresses of all lengths that you can easily pair ballet flats and delicate jewelry.

Cater to your inner princess with these romantic pieces priced under $100:

1. Lulu’s tiered lace maxi dress
2. Top Shop lace applique maxi dress
3. Elliatt Victorian maxi dress sold by Shop Premium Outlets
4. White House Black Market long sleeve ruffle blouse

Trend 5: Layers

The layer trend is a practical one for spring, when the temps can be cold and hot on the same day. This trend also ties closely to the popularity of flowing fabrics noted above — meaning you may not have to buy anything new to wear two of the season’s trends. Instead, get creative about layering pieces you already own.

If you do feel the need for something new, look for cardigans or blazers with waterfall collars. Those will give you the layered look straight away. Here are some easy, wearable picks in that category:

1. Zesica open front cardigan from Amazon
2. Lulu’s oversized jacket
3. Venus faux suede waterfall jacket
4. Sheer mesh duster from Amazon

You may also want to see my style guide on how to layer.

Trend 6: Suited

Whether you work in an office or at home, stylish women’s suiting is another welcome trend. You can power up your look for meetings at the school or in the boardroom — without feeling like you’re a campaigning politician.

Look for fun collars, jackets with modern shapes, vests, and lightweight trousers that drape like skirts. Here are some inspirational picks to work into your power wardrobe this season:

1. Women’s open front blazer from Amazon
2. Rachel Roy tipped collar button-up shirt
3. Paige denim tailored vest from New York and Company
4. H&M wide-legged pants

Trend 7: Flower power  

Spring collections always feature a good dose of florals. But this year’s interpretations leaned heavily into retro-inspired, funky florals. Think orange combined with pink and simple shapes vs. pastels and intricate designs.

The trend presents the perfect opportunity to add some fun to your own spring collection. Feel free to go bold here but keep your spend low. You might feel dated wearing these striking floral pieces next year:

1. Old Navy fit and flare floral midi dress
2. Donna Morgan long sleeve jersey dress from Nordstrom Rack
3. Asos shift dress in retro floral
4. Venus satin long-sleeve blouse

Trend 8: Crop the top

With all the folds, layers, and volume of spring fashion, we need some balance. That balance comes in the form of the crop top. We’re not talking ’90s crops that barely cover the bra, either. This year’s crop is a longer piece that’s the perfect partner to a wide-legged pant or voluminous maxi skirt.

Even if you’ve never worn crops before, this might be the year to try it out. You can show a little skin or not, as you wish. See these pieces to get your creative juices flowing:

1. Lulu’s cropped vest top
2. H&M mock turtleneck crop top 
3. Zara textured crop top
4. Revolve elastic crop top

Stylish in spring 2024

Have fun shopping this spring. The new arrivals of the season should be rife with flowy, romantic styles, funky florals, and suiting separates to give you every look you need for work and play.

Want to compare these styles to last spring’s trends? See my rundown of 2023 spring fashion trends.

You’re embarking on the trip of a lifetime to explore distant lands, bask in different cultures, and create incredible memories. And, of course, you’ll have a camera at the ready to capture every moment — and earn some social media love along the way.

Sounds glorious, right? Except that the last part of the plan will get spoiled if your skin gets dry and irritated on your trip.

The truth is, traveling takes a toll on your skin, whether you’re backpacking across Europe or road-tripping between the U.S. coasts. Fortunately, you can manage this problem — and stay as photo worthy as ever — if you’re armed with the right information.  

That information-gathering process starts now. Let’s debunk three myths about dry skin and travel so all your adventures this year are documented with photos of you looking your best.

Understanding dry skin

Dry skin has several underlying causes. The Mayo Clinic reports these as most common:  

• Heat, say from wood-burning stoves, central heating, space heaters
• Cold, windy climates and low-humidity climates
• Overexposure to water, including chlorinated swimming pools
• Sun exposure
• Washing with harsh cleansers
• Sensitive skin
• Medical treatments
• Aging

When you travel, you likely expose your skin to changing climates and altitudes, hours spent in transit with forced air heat or cooling, and possibly even the chlorinated waters of a swimming pool. The takeaway? If you’re not careful, your skin can take a hit.

Skin dryness makes itself known with itchiness, flakiness, roughness, cracks, and red patches. All those symptoms take away from the glowy, fresh look you want in your vacay photos.

Myth 1: Dry skin isn’t an issue in humid places

One common misconception is that dry skin is only a concern in arid and cold climates. While it’s true that dry air can exacerbate skin dryness, travel to any destination probably exposes your skin to potentially damaging environment conditions.

For example, you might see more sunshine if you’re lounging on a Caribbean Island beach or sitting by the (chlorinated) pool in a desert hideaway. You might also spend your evenings in a cool, air-conditioned hotel room. One or both of those circumstances can easily sap moisture from your skin.

Truth 1: Hydration is key, regardless of location

Hydration is essential for maintaining healthy skin, no matter where you’re traveling. Here are two steps to plan for:

1. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your trip. If you need some extra motivation here, invest in a pretty sport water bottle and keep it handy wherever you are. This is a particularly smart plan if you intend to indulge in cocktails and salty foods on your trip.  
2. Also make sure you have a good moisturizer on hand, suited for your skin type. Check the label for hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and ceramides which help attract and retain skin moisture. Apply your moisturizer regularly, but especially after cleansing or spending time outside.

Myth 2: Dry skin while traveling is a given

If you have a history of skin dryness, you may prescribe to the idea that itchy, sensitive skin is unavoidable — especially when you’re traveling. That’s a reasonable conclusions, since the dry-skin cards do get stacked higher against you when you’re visiting foreign lands.

Still, you aren’t destined to hide beneath hats, big glasses, and gauzy long sleeves in every selfie. You can take several steps proactively to preserve your normal glow.

Truth 2: Prevention starts before you travel

Consider taking some prep steps to help your skin get through the trip at its best. Here are some ideas:

• Give your skin extra care in the days before your trip, in the form of overnight treatments or moisturizing masks. Stick with proven products and brands. This is not the time to try something new.  
• Try switching to a micellar cleanser. Cleansers that don’t require the use of water mean less exposure to local water, which may contain harsh minerals.  
• Make sure you have a high-SPF sunscreen to take with you and the budget to buy more at your destination.
• Invest in a portable humidifier. Turn it on nightly or whenever you’re in your room.

Myth 3: Dry skin is a cosmetic concern

I joke about dry skin ruining your travel pics, but it’s a bigger problem than that. Dry skin can be uncomfortable, for one. And if it gets dry enough, you can get stuck in a loop of trying to fix it. That is a serious confidence buster. So, chronic dry skin is a condition to avoid whenever possible.

Truth 3: Dry skin has complications

Left unchecked, dry skin can exacerbate or activate eczema. It can also lead to infections, caused when cracked skin provides a place for bacteria to enter the body.

You don’t want any of that, especially when you should be enjoying your vacation. So, before you book a round-trip cruise from Seattle to Alaska, for example, make a plan to keep your skin healthy and hydrated.

Dewy skin on your vacay

Travel does introduce stressors that can dry out your skin, but you can fight back. Prioritize hydration and get yourself a traveling skincare kit that includes products with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and SPF. To go the extra mile, travel with your own humidifier, too.

Because you don’t need dry skin getting in the way of your amazing vacay, or those juicy pics of you having the time of your life.

The Spring/Summer 2024 runways have long been over. As always, they’ve left behind thousands of clothing, accessory, and jewelry style ideas for budget fashionistas to dream about, and for fast fashion houses to interpret and release to the masses.

Runway jewelry trends are always particularly drool-worthy — and the hardest to implement on a budget. You could easily drop $1,000 or more on a stunning and trendy piece. But then what? Wear it a few times this season and then watch it gather dust as you wait for that trend to cycle back again?

Nope. I’m not doing that. I’m guessing you’re not either.

So let’s talk about other options. Below are six 2024 jewelry trends plus five strategies for scoring said trends without blowing your budget. You may also want to see my easy jewelry styling tips and how to keep costume jewelry from turning your skin green as complements to this post.

1. Know what’s hot

The first rule of wearing what’s in style is knowing what’s in style. The six most interesting jewelry themes I saw in designer spring collections are statement earrings, brooches, cuffs, long loops, chain links, and no jewelry at all.

Statement earrings

I could write an entire post about the use of earrings in the spring 2024 collections. Designers chose big and bubbly, long and dangling, futuristic sculptural pieces, and mismatched pairs. Alexander McQueen and Sacai opted for the mismatch featuring a curving, modern shape on one side teamed with a heavy drop earring on the other.

Takeaway: Get creative with earrings this spring. Go bigger and bolder than ever, if you please.

Cuffs

Cuff bracelets are back. And you can choose your style. The couture collection by Armani Prive featured a chain mail inspired cuff while other designers opted for brightly colored pieces worn high on the arm.

Takeaway: Designers pair cuffs with formal dresses, but this is a versatile trend. Team a cuff with a sundress in the spring or even jeans and a t-shirt for a new twist on your casual looks.

Brooches

The vintage-inspired brooch made several appearances, too. Carolina Herrera’s spring couture collection used a bouquet-inspired brooch, while Marc Jacobs’ ready-to-wear show featured 2D, cloth brooches.  

Takeaway: What’s old is new again. A brooch is a different way to upgrade a blouse or sweater for anyone who’s worn out their necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

Long necklace layers

Necklace layers are back in style, but we’re not limited to chokers and short chains. This spring, you can wear long chains — with lengths ranging from cleavage-skimming and stretching down to your belly button. Take a page from Chanel’s ready-to-wear collection and add eclectic, boho-inspired beeds and pendants for a more dynamic look.

Takeaway: Skip the lightweight scarf this spring and go for a long necklace grouping instead. Chain lengths of 22 inches or longer are on point.

Chain links

Not surprisingly, the fashion gods bring us contrasting jewelry trends this year. If you don’t like the long-and-lean necklace vibe, try chunky chain links. Wear them at your neck, wrist, or ears. Take a peek at images from Rokh and Sacai ready-to-wear collections for inspiration.

Takeaway: You can go lightly into the chain link trend with a link that’s just larger than your comfort zone. Pair a shorter-length link with an open neckline so the piece sits on your skin only.

No jewelry trend

Despite the preference for big, bold jewelry pieces in spring collections, some designers went light on accessories. Images from Victoria Beckham, Balenciaga, and Ellie Saab collections use little to no jewelry at all.

Takeaway: You can skip the jewelry this spring and still be on trend. If that feels too naked, go for a simple, delicate piece. A pair of spherical studs is a good choice, or a pretty and petite heart necklace.

2. Check Amazon and Etsy

Now, let’s talk about how to dabble in these jewelry trends without breaking the bank. You don’t want to invest a bunch of dough into brooches and cuffs. These are likely to be short-lived. So, it doesn’t make sense to drop $100 or more on something you will wear for one season.

As a first stop, shop Amazon and Etsy. Amazon is a good place for long necklaces, link-style pieces, and bold earrings. Try Etsy for unique sculptural pieces.

3. Make your own

You can also make your own jewelry. Hit up Joanne’s Fabrics or Michaels for long chains and low-cost pendants to build your own boho necklace stack. You can also buy $7 rhodium cuffs with inlays for gemstones, wire, or clay to make your own statement bracelet.

4. Ask your mom

Raid the jewelry boxes of your elders to join in the vintage trends of spring, 2024. You might find, brooches, cuffs, and long necklaces from the 1970s that would complement your wardrobe perfectly.

5. Shop used

If you don’t have older relatives who saved their decades-old jewelry, shop used. My recommendation would be to walk into an actual thrift store rather than trying Poshmark or Thredup. While it’s easier to search for the pieces you want online, the deals in brick-and-mortar thrift and consignment stores may be better.

Jewelry trends on a budget

You can get the hottest jewelry looks of the season without spending a fortune. Try shopping vintage and eclectic pieces on Amazon, Etsy, or in thrift stores. You can also DIY unique pieces with some simple supplies from your favorite craft stores.

Next season, when cuffs and brooches have fallen out of the limelight, you’ll be thrilled you didn’t overspend on those looks.