Sleeper fashion hits from the spring runways

NEW YORK -- Fashion's top designers have finished presenting their ideas of where style will go in the spring: Models on catwalks in New York, Paris, London and Milan, Italy, mimicked flappers and mermaids, among what seemed like a million highly stylized looks. Those looks make for great photographs -- and conversation -- but they're not exactly office-friendly.

Still, amid the beaded fringe and swaths of neon, there were some potential sleeper hits that will help define what we wear next season.

"I'm of two minds. When I'm the fashion editor with a capital F, there was not a lot of great newness. It was a lot of resurrecting last spring's greatest hits," says Adam Glassman of O, The Oprah Magazine. "But as creative director of O, which caters to real women and how they shop, it's a great season."

Linda Wells, editor-in-chief of Allure, says she waits for the runway lights to dim before she makes her personal must-have list. (Oscar de la Renta's colorful, body-conscious dresses are a top pick.)

"When we go to fashion shows, we're busy looking for news and identifying trends, and you need a moment to step back to see what's really happening," she says. Plus, it's not until she goes back to designers' showrooms to see the "commercial" collections that she knows what will really be in stores versus the fantasy pieces.

She explains: "There are the things that are never produced -- it's one of fashion's dirty little secrets. ... Some of the pieces on the runway can be a great expression of creativity, but some of it isn't made."

The Associated Press asked Wells and Glassman to predict the trends that will likely make it from runway to real life:

JACKETS

"This isn't your basic blue or black jacket," Glassman says. "Maybe it's a color jacket or a printed jacket. Maybe it's a parka or a bomber."

The more athletic styles probably are the easiest to incorporate into an existing wardrobe, he says, but don't limit yourself to jeans or leggings. Jason Wu, for example, paired anoraks with evening ensembles.

The other option is a light summer leather or, even hipper, a perforated leather.

Glassman says designers should get those jackets into stores early in the season so people can really wear them.

YELLOW

Sunny, cheerful yellow -- especially a green-tinged shade called citrine -- seemed everywhere. Unfortunately, Glassman says, it can be hard to wear. He'd suggest a bright yellow shoe or handbag -- maybe even a slim-cut skirt or pants. Still, a yellow dress was tempting from de la Renta, Wells adds.

The better bet, however, might be to switch to tangerine orange, which was almost as popular, but more complementary.

WHITE

The trick with white is to not look like a nurse, unless you are a nurse, Wells says. Hints of transparency keep the look crisp and clean but adds delicacy, she advises.

Look up the white outfits at Jil Sander if you want to see white done right, she adds.

"There's always tons of white for spring, but the way these were done, they were so sharp like they were cut with scalpels," she says.

Glassman likes white, as long you're not someone who literally attracts dirt.

"People are afraid of white, but it's so flattering. It literally brightens up your face."

COLORBLOCKING

Colorblocking with graphic chunks of color and an unfussy look can take care of a lot of trends since it works on so many different types of garments and accessories. The easiest to work with, Glassman says, is a dress because you don't have to worry about matching a top with a bottom. J. Mendel and BCBG Max Azria did it in a very understandable way, he says.

Even simpler? Celine's colorblocked handbag, Wells suggests.

1920S

Fringe on a flapper-style dress -- like those at Marc Jacobs -- are for the party girls. Add the cloche hat, fringed bag and deco jewelry and you risk looking like the girl headed to a costume party, Glassman says.

But the dropped-waist dress silhouette that was popular during the era deserves another look, he says.

"It's good for a lot of women," Glassman says.

SHEER

The contrast between transparent and opaque at Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and The Row gave dimension and helped bring clothes to life, Wells says. She likes that it was a way of being a little sexy but not over the top.

"It's like you were peering through one layer to see another," she describes.

But women are going to have to try anything sheer on in the dressing room, Glassman says.

"It can look great," he says, "but there's a leap."

Start with a sheer hemline on the bottom of a skirt or a sheer lapel on a cardigan or jacket.

PEPLUM

Peplums, which jet out from a nipped waist over the hips, were popular on the runway, but neither Wells nor Glassman are sure they'll become a consumer favorite.

"I think that a peplum is beautiful in a Hollywood glamour sort of way, but it's a tough one. No one needs that much fabric on their hips," says Glassman, who suggested the Celine collection for guidance on how to wear it in the most flattering way.

Wells says the good thing about the silhouette is the fitted bodice, but there's a trade-off.

"It does define waist, looks chic and creates interesting shape, but it depends on your body," Wells says. "When you're minimizing the waist, you're maximizing the hips. You have to make a decision."

PASTEL-COLORED LACE

Many the women in the audience of the shows -- mostly fashion editors, retailers and stylists -- were already wearing lace, usually in black or white, Wells says. Seeing it in the Prada collections in pretty, soft shades was a wearable, appealing way to evolve the trend, she says.

"It takes two things women love and combines them."