I understand that fashion week can seem a little inaccessible. It might seem like it is only for fashion magazine editors or stylists looking to dress their celebrity clientele. But I love fashion week because it is pure inspiration. Even if I can’t get the exact look that I see on the runway, I can at least take the idea and translate it for my style…and budget.

It hasn’t even begun to get cold yet and most people haven’t even transitioned into their fall wardrobes, so it can seem a little premature to be thinking about what your are going to be buying next spring. But what I love to do is see what trends are going to be sticking around for a while. It makes it a little easier to buy things now if you can transition them into next season.

Getty Images for Mercedes Benz

Some of the things that I saw still popping up in Springs 2013’s collections were:

The leather jacket. I think a great leather jacket, like a motorcycle jacket should be a staple in everyone’s closet. It can be worn in Denver for practically three seasons. Leather jackets are showing up everywhere right now for fall, but Nicholas K. was showing them for spring. Try it in a lighter color, instead of buying the black, try brown, taupe or gray and then you can still be rocking it next spring.  You can find a look similar to Nicholas K.’s at Essentricity in Cherry Creek. And if you have to have the Nicolas K. version, Garbarini, also in Cherry Creek, carries the designer.

Getty Images for Mercedes Benz

 

The “mullet” hemline. This has been everywhere this past summer and chances are you already have a skirt or dress that has the short in front, long in back hemline. The good news is, you’ll be able to still wear there look next spring. Nicole Miller was showing dresses with this hemline. The mix of sheer fabric and leather was also showing up in her collection as well as many others. I am loving the mix of softer feminine fabrics with the edgier leather and am very happy to see it sticking around. If you don’t get your hands on Nicole Miller’s version, Garbarini also features dresses with the sheer details as well as leather separates. You can get them now and transition them into next spring. If you haven’t got the mullet hemline yet, Nicole Richie’s Impulse collection at Macy’s features dresses done in this hemline. PJ’s boutique on South Pearl also carries an assortment of on-trend items. If you are on a budget, Forever 21 has a multitude of options so you never have to be left out of the trends.

 

Getty Images for Mercedes Benz

Lace Dresses. Another trend that was huge this past summer was lace. Everything from lace pants and shorts to lace dresses were everywhere. If you look at Tadashi Shoji collection, the trend is not going away anytime soon. He showed lace dresses in all different colors, lengths, and necklines. He also had the sheer trend and Peter Pan collars popping up.  If you are still in need of a lace dress, you don’t have to wait until spring. Ann Taylor and White House Black Market have the perfect LBD done in lace, and there are many of different styles on Zappos.com as well. H&M is also a great options for the latest trends at extremely affordable prices.

 

Use what you see on the runway as inspiration and new ideas and then incorporate pieces of that into your own look. It makes it a little bit easier to invest in new trends when you know that you can not only wear them now, but in seasons to come!