What is the 2012 Summer Fashion Trend?

This is a message to all women out there ready for the summer but unsure of the latest fashion trends.

When I moved from oversees (Belgium) to Cleveland (Ohio) more than 2 years ago I was overwhelmed by all the different clothing stores. This country is a real paradise for apparel shoppers ! During my first couple of months living in Cleveland I drove from store to store and found great deals on apparel everywhere. It seems like we have never-ending sales going on here. Especially “JC Penney” and “Kohl’s” they are the real “sales” kings at least in my opinion. The first six months of life in the US made me feel like a kid in a candy store: So many choices, don’t know what to pick and on top of that clothes are so cheap here in comparison to Europe (if you go to the right stores).

After having done some heavy shopping, I started to realize that I had to change my shopping strategy. When I went back to Europe to visit I started to realize that my new wardrobe was not very fashionable. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a “fashion queen” but I don’t want to miss the boat on “being well dressed” either.

I don’t know how you ladies deal with this “fashion trend conundrum” but I designed my own strategy to figure out which items and colors are fashionable. Here is my 3-step plan.

1. First, I check out the smaller stores like: Banana Republic, The Limited, Express and Cache.
   Those stores make clearly visible how colors and styles change every season. I compare what I see in these different stores and I always get a global feeling for the new fashion trend.
2. After my visit to a couple of these stores or comparable ones I am curious to see what the big department stores have to offer. Stores like Dillard’s, Macy’s, JC Penney, Kohl’s and Nordstrom are way too big in my eyes to get a good feeling for the new collection. If you only go to these stores it is hard to get a feel for new trends. Therefore I visit these big department stores only after my first fashion screening in the small stores and I start comparing prices.
3. Now I know everything I need to know to start doing my apparel purchases. I don’t like to spend more money for the same item. I am a bargain hunter. I love to get good quality at a good price. The stores that have my preference are: TJ Maxx, Steinmart, Nordstrom Rack and if “The Limited” or “Dillard’s” have sales going on, I’ll shop there.