spring

Blame it on the changing seasons, but seersucker is back in style this summer. Seersucker is no longer limited to the bold blue-and-white stripes of yesteryear. Instead, this season's seersucker is more refined and available in more styles than ever before, so it looks great while retaining its easy-to-wear comfort and cool, breathable feel.

Etro Seersucker Trousers (pictured) are lightweight, with tan and white stripes that look almost like linen from a distance. Price: $310.

The Façonnable Stripe Seersucker Shirt masquerades as a bright, but traditional, pinstripe shirt with lines of blue, yellow and white in soft cotton. Price: $115.

Kenneth Cole has Flat Front Seersucker Pants that are a pale khaki in color. The cotton cloth"s pattern is so fine that only your comfort will remind you that you"re wearing something so casual. Price: $79.

For classicists, Paul Smith still has a blue and white seersucker suit, but the stripes are narrow and the lines of the jacket and pants are clean and up to date. It's great for a summer luncheon, business travel or ever a daytime wedding. Price: $1,195.

This clutch is Marc by Marc Jacobs and is just about as summery as a clutch can get. Its bright yellow geometric sunbursts almost make it seem as though you are carrying around a piece of sunshine. The clutch has a flap closure that is secured with two logo-bearing snaps and is made of ultra-soft leather with a twill lining. There is a gusseted interior with six credit card slots, a billfold and zipped pocket, in addition to a flat pocket under the flap and one on the back of the clutch. It is also available in a sliver metallic, which has a red and white sunburst lining. Price: $168.

Another fun summer shoe, Miu Miu's Peony Wedges are similar in concept to the Coach Mattie Wedges. Just like the Coach pair, these wedges have a floral pattern to add interest to their 5-inch platform heels, though the earthy tones of the peonies are considerably more demure than the bright blooms of the other pair. The soft tan-colored leather straps will hold the sandals securely in place during all summer activities, and they fasten with a gold buckle. Price: $395.

Wedding dresss fashions change just like everything else does, though they are far more likely to keep to tradition - something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue - than other types of dress. The waists move up and down and skirts getl alternately fuller and slimmer, but the elegance is something that is never overlooked. Here are the top wedding dress fashions for this year's spring/summer season. All the dresses shown here are from runway shows.

Anything by Caroline Herrera, because not only are the dresses gorgeous, but when women who have worn them actually want to alter them for daily wear, they must be something special. Dress by Caroline Herrera.  

The Bulgari special edition Flower Sunglasses hit all the hot sunglass style points of the moment. They have black acetate wrap-around frames, large lenses and are loaded with sparking Swarovski crystals. The flower detailing makes them unique in the bling department, since many other sunglass designs this season took a more abstract approach to their ornamentation. Variations on the theme include glasses without frames and colored frames, like the pair shown here in Bordeaux. The lens shades vary slightly with each color. To get a pair yourself, look for a retailer in your area.

Sundresses are on the casual end of elegance. Largely sleeveless, they are perfect for garden parties, a lazy Sunday brunch or a picnic at the park. They should be comfortable and easy to wear, but classy at the same time; sundresses are not too casual and should look good with strappy sandals or thong flats. This spring, there are a couple of trends that are showing up in the sun. The biggest one is white. White is the must-have shade for spring dresses. It is flattering and cooling, simple enough to be paired with any other shade and bright enough to be eye catching. Large print patterns and stripes are popular, too, but are definitely coming in second to the simple white dress. Other trends to look out for are dresses with empire waists and fuller skirts, as well as easy-to-wear shirt dresses, all of which can be very figure flattering.

This white Vintage Lace Shirtdress from ABS by Allen Schwartz has a lace overlay over an empire chiffon slip. It is flowy and flirty without being too revealing. Price $230.

After finding a forgotten bottle of body spray in the bottom of a long-unused suitcase, I popped open the lid to check out the scent. Not only did it bring back memories of the the beach, the harbor and good friends - it was from a trip to Sydney - but it smelled wonderful. It was fresh and flowery, with definite fruity overtones. Very feminine and very springy.

I'll be the first to admit that this bottle of Evoke Surf Chic body spray was a drugstore purchase, probably bought out of necessity at the time, but I was glad to have found it. The problem was that I didn't know how to get more. A brief search turned up no sites that would ship overseas to the US, though the company still makes it. I wrote down all the fragrance notes and, in the hope of finding something similar, I turned to Sephora's Fragrance Finder.

Floral was my first selection, followed by floral, again. Looking at the options on the very first page, I was completely astounded to find that Yves St Laurent's Baby Doll perfume contains the exact same fragrance notes. I drove out to the nearest Sephora to compare the scents and, except for the slightly more alcoholic note of the perfume, it was nearly identical. Twenty minutes later, I was home and reliving the memories of a great trip via my new perfume. Price, 1.6-oz.: $54.