Spring Trends at Holt Renfrew

I don’t mind winter. I really don’t. Forget Seasonal Affective Disorder. And give me a thick woolly sweater, tumbler of scotch, crackling fireplace, and stone cottage enveloped in fog. Bliss.

But after viewing a selection of spring fashion at Holt Renfrew this past weekend, I’ve got the softer season on my mind. I can almost feel its warm breeze lift up my skirt. Smell the newborn blooms. And hear animals mating outside my window. Seriously, it’s been known to happen. Under the bright sun of April, I once witnessed two raccoons joined together in passionate coitus, their squeals could be heard for blocks. And yes, I watched them finish.

Digressing.

Fashion. That’s what this is about. Not the sexual habits of urban animals. Although some may say the two are related.

Focus. Fashion.

On rows of white chairs, women, and even some men, paid rapturous attention to the women’s spring trends presentation as told by Lisa Tant, Vice President Fashion Editor. Broken into quadrants of fashion, the sartorially delicious themes convinced us that winter is finished and warmer climates are close.

PATTERN PLAY is about florals, dots, dashes, and stripes. Find prints as boldly coloured as a Matisse or more demurely decorated in shades of Monet. Visions of garden nymphs frolicked behind my eyes as a model flounced by in a floral and dotted Red Valentino dress, its flirty hem tickling her thighs.

PHOTO: Peter Jensen
Red Valentino dress $995, Manolo Blahnik shoe $825

BLACK AND WHITE doesn’t have to blend in. Give the shades shape and texture, make your neutral threads scream as though they were coated in colour. If you can’t bear a monotone existence, pop your black and white with an orange lip. And leave your mark not only in eyes, but on skin.

SUGAR RUSH is a candy store display of pastels. Soft pinks and minty greens define feminine innocence and sweet seduction. Add a pair of edgy heels, like the Prada caged booties, to balance the virgin love with provocative lust.

PHOTO: Peter Jensen
Alexander McQueen jacket $1950, Holt Renfrew silk and cashmere sweater $275, Rag & Bone jeans $225

URBAN SPORT brings fashion to the streets. Mesh, stripes, draw strings, and zippers are inspired by the Olympics. Turn to Rag & Bone and Vince for chic ideas that won’t look like you just came from the gym. City pavement walk-offs encouraged.

PHOTO: Peter Jensen
Vince jacket $595, pant $330 and sweater $395, Robert Clergerie shoe $550

Lessons from the Holt Renfrew Spring 2014 Trend Report:

1. A clothing purchase should be versatile. Find at least three different ways to wear an item. Completely do-able with a little imagination.

2. Changing your look isn’t about buying a new wardrobe. It’s about styling what you currently wear differently.

3. Blushing nudes and silvery metallics are complementary companions for your pastels.

4. When admiring or admonishing looks on a runway, in a magazine, or on a mannequin, look at the individual pieces rather than the whole to find what works for you.

5. You don’t need to follow trends to look amazing. Wear the clothes that turn on your confidence.

Five pieces, according to Tant, to have on hand: Button down shirt. Cropped trousers. Boxy cropped jacket. Printed dress. Wrap sarong skirt.