Fashion trends for spring 2023: Mom Squad with 3News' Maureen Kyle

Foreign. Hi, everyone.

Thanks for joining us here on Mom Squad. This is a show where we talk all things parenting, but today we are focusing on the few hours that we might get to ourselves during the week. Does panic set in? Every time you're getting dressed for a happy hour with your friends or maybe a romantic dinner out, we all look at our closets wondering, is this still in style? No one wants to make a major fashion faux pas, so I'm bringing in the wardrobe consultant, fashion expert Hallie Abrams. Hallie, thank you so much for joining me.

Thanks for having me.

And we saw all the Runway shows that have gone through, and we see that trends are really changing now. So I don't know if this is a question. You get a lot with your clients, like, am I out of fashion? Because I think nobody wants to go out and step out and look like somebody from 10 years ago, like, way.

Out of the way. We don't want to be stuck with that Farrah Fawcett hairdo in the year 2000, as great as it was in the 70s. Right? Yes. So it's the same thing. And fashion is cyclical. And it also trends work. I always like to tell my clients, don't freak out too much because trends tend to work on a 10 year cycle. That's why we think of things as like, oh, this was cool in the 50s, or this was. It doesn't happen on January 1st of that decade, but it tends to work like a bell curve. So you have some leeway, right? Yeah.

And you brought some examples of trends that you're seeing. So I wanna start with what you specifically are saying is in for spring, and then we'll go into what we can toss out in our closets and some of the other trends. So what are you seeing as major trends for spring?

Got it. So for spring 2023, there are a few trends that are really gaining a lot of traction, let's say. So one is fringe. We're seeing a lot of fringe. It's not that fringe was ever out or it's just more. More relevant right now. So fringe is great. You can incorporate it in a top, in a bottom, you can incorporate it in a bag. Right. But don't wear fringe on fringe on fringe.

Right.

Okay.

And there we have. You brought in this sequin skirt. And actually you can kind of see behind those boots there. The bottom is very fringe. I saw a lot of sequins around the holidays. Are we still pulling sequins through into spring and summer, or is it more winter?

No, we are. You Know, I think that is a post COVID lockdown sort of thing that people are like, oh, my gosh, I want to be fancy and I want to be. I want to wear my things. So, yeah, we're seeing sequins, sort of, I would say, dressed down. So little elements of it on a blazer, a scarf, skirt. Yes. Not head to toe sequin. That probably is more for special occasion, but elements of it you're seeing a lot.

Okay. And then the top on that outfit too. That is another one.

Yes. Sheer. That's another one. Yes, yes.

So how do we wear sheer? Like, how do we pull that off without going too overboard?

Got it. So I think that this top is a great example because it's sheer, but it has an opaque part that's almost like a tube top. So if you're not a person that wants to go strapless, you want to be covered. It allows you to be sheer. Sometimes it could be a blouse that's sheer, you know, so it has a little more ladylike as opposed to clubbing vibe. And then you get into an element where, depending on your environment, you can either wear a camisole underneath so you're covered, or you can wear a solid bra. Right. If you want to show a little skin, but it's like hidden skin. Got it. So it depends on your comfort zone.

And I want to ask about the boots too, because I feel like boots. I'm always confused on, are we doing the chunky heel? Are we doing the riding boot? Are we doing more feminine? Because I've seen a lot of different posts about this lately. And you've paired a boot there too.

Yes. A tall boot is great. That also is having a huge resurgence. Right. So for a while, we were doing the riding boots, like the flat riding boots and leggings and an oversized sweater and an infinity scarf. Right. Yeah, but that was, like 15 years ago. Out. That's out. Okay, that's out. It doesn't mean you can't wrap your scarf. And an infinity scarf for cold is different than an infinity scarf for fashion.

Got it.

Right. So if today it's freezing in Cleveland, I am wrapping my scarf up to my neck to keep me warm, but I'm not wearing an infinity scarf as a fashion statement.

Got it.

But the boots have sort of had a resurgence. So less with a legging, more with. This is a great reason to keep your skinny jeans. Right. If you're tucking it into a high boot. But I love a high boot with a skirt or a dress. It looks really great.

And Then the outfit next to it, too. You have a sweater and jeans look perfect. Going out for maybe a happy hour. Tell me, what exactly is in fashion with this outfit.

Got it. So color is a really great way to infuse modernity and trend into your outfits. Right. So fuchsia is the pantone color of the year. Actually, it's not fuchsia. I think they call it magic magenta or something like that.

But that shade.

That shade.

Look for that shade.

And I'm wearing cobalt, so that's another one that you're gonna see. A lot of both of them are colors that sort of look good universally on everybody.

Right.

It's not mustard yellow that people say, like, oh, I can't wear it, or I can't. This color blue looks great on everybody. That magenta looks great. So infusing color is easy. And then that was paired with a straight leg Je. So it's not super wide. It's not super skinny. It's more of a stovepipe. So it's a great. If you're addicted to your skinny jeans and it's hard to give them up, it's a great way to sort of take a step in a wider direction as opposed to going right towards, like, a really slouchy, wide leg. Got it.

Now, if you had a major wide leg jean, what are you wearing on top with it?

If you have a major wide leg.

Are we going to. Are we going sort of the sweater that's not so fitted. Do you do fitted on top with a wide leg, or are we, you know, just to balance it out or.

That's a great question. Okay, so you could do, like, that sheer top where it's more of a bodysuit with a wide leg. But if you're not a bodysuit person. I'm not a huge bodysuit person. I did that the first time. It was here. I don't need to do it again. You can do a top that's not as fitted as long as you're defining your waist. What you don't want to have happen is a loose top and a loose bottom with no where you don't see the person in there. Right. So that's it. If it's a wider leg bottom, if you're tucking your top in, I mean, not saying, like, oh, look at me, but that's right.

You're dressed to the nines.

But that's sort of what I did today. Right. So, oops, my microphone fell.

It happens during these things.

It does happen during these things, luckily.

There you go.

Right So I have a wider pants, and I have a looser top, but I've tucked it in. So again, I'm creating sort of that hourglass. So we always want to be thinking about balance and proportion.

Yeah.

That's really what it's about.

Your jeans have some detail in it.

My jeans do have detail.

Yes. With the stitching and the pockets.

Yes.

I think another big question people have. Am I wearing the ribs?

I'm gonna sit down now.

Mom, sit down. Go ahead, sit down. Make yourself comfortable. Is it. Are we doing rips in. In jeans, or is it a more clean look? What do you think is.

I think that when we're talking about that trend and we're talking about the C curve or the bell curve, so I think that heavily distressed denim has hit the peak. Right. It's saturated. And what I say about that top part, sort of like when you're investing in a stock or something, there's a time that you still want to hold onto it, but you might not want to invest in it. So with distress, heavily distressed denim, I would say that's where we are. If you have it, wear it. I still have some. I wear them, but I'm not out there buying more and adding it to my collection right now. Some distressing. Yes. In a raw hem. Totally fine.

Yeah. With the outfit with the magenta top and the. The jeans. One more time. There is a trend there. There's something you have on that. That mannequin that I do want to ask about, because I have been noticing a lot more silver jewelry.

Yes. Yes.

Where it's like, everybody bought gold, and all the silver went to the back of the closet, but now I'm seeing, like, silver and very chrome coming back in.

Yes.

So I'm not crazy.

You are not crazy. You're perfectly observant.

All right, great.

Yes. Well spotted. So silver jewelry again. I think I wrote about it on my blog about a year ago or a year and a half ago. We are just starting to see it. The early adopters were definitely there, and now the rest of us are like, okay, I'm ready.

Yes.

Yes.

Because it's hard to get away from the gold. Like, we've gotten so used to the gold.

What I really like doing is sort of mixing it up.

And that's allowed.

That is 100% allowed. I think the way that it's more. That it feels more achievable and doable for maybe not the New York City fashionista. Right. Us nice Midwestern girls or whatever, is to find a piece where it's already mixed metals. So having that marrying the two, you know, there's a lot of necklaces out there. That's not what we were showing, but there are a lot where there's gold and silver mixed together that all of a sudden marries it. And then you're like, okay, now I can wear whatever I want. Even watches, you know, where there's like those two tone watches. That's a great way to sort of marry the two as well.

That's a good way of thinking about it. So on your blog, the wardrobe consultant, you just wrote about long skirts, and specifically the long denim skirt, which I am seeing everywhere, which gives that whole 90s vibe.

It does.

But I am short. I am not a tall girl, nor.

Am I actually five, four.

It's hard to tell on tv. Yes, same. And so when I buy, I usually have to hem things. But, like, is there a rule of thumb when we're going for that longer skirt look? If you aren't a tall, lanky person, how do you find the right length for a longer skirt?

Got it. So, first of all, I want to debunk the myth that petite women cannot wear long. I can't tell you how many clients I have that are like, oh, well, I'm short. I need a short skirt. You do if you want to. But a long skirt actually creates visual length when you think about it.

Right.

It's creating from your waist down almost a two thirds. It's making your legs look longer. Okay. So that's a good thing. Second of all, when you're thinking about hemming it, it's somewhat personal because we do not want it to hit at the wide part of our calf. That's like the. No, no, because if you think about it, it's creating a visual line right at the widest part of your leg. So it's not the most attractive and it's sort of chopping you up. So ideally, you'd like it to be where your calf sort of tapers to your ankle or to the top of your ankle bone or go all the way to the floor and be full on maxi.

Ok. That's a good way of thinking about it. And then you also talked about what shoes to pair with it that could help with that elongated look.

Yes. So very often that's why I like a tall boot. Right. It's creating a long, clean line underneath the long skirt. When we get into the warmer months, having a sandal that is a little strappier. So meaning. Not that it has to have a lot of Straps, but that we see more of the skin of your foot because again, the skin from the foot to the ankle, it's creating a long line. We always want to think about visually what is creating the longest, leanest line and also what is helping us create an hourglass. Not most women are not built like Marilyn Monroe, and it doesn't need to be an exaggerated hourglass, but we want to think about where we're deficient in the hourglass and where we want to fill the hourglass according to our individual body shape.

And again, I mentioned that I'm just seeing 90s vibe all over the place. What other trends are we pulling from, like the 90s, early 2000s that you're starting to see a lot more of?

Well, do you want to know about the ones that I want to pass on?

Yes, the ones like the, like. Don't. Don't do these.

Like, don't do these.

Don't do. Okay, I want to hear. I want to hear the what to stay away from. Yes. Right.

So we're seeing a lot of low rise jeans again.

No.

Right, Okay. I know, I know. And I know that people hate. Some people don't like the high rise for the way it feels visually. Again, it's the most attractive because think about it. The high rise is where most women are the smallest in their figure. But let's go for a mid rise, a low rise. So we've been seeing a lot of low rise, and we've been seeing almost like some built in thongs. Remember the whole, like, you know what they call it? Like a fishtail or where you would see the thong coming out of the pants, where designers are building that in to. Yeah. So that one I'm passing on. That is a hard pass for me.

Yes.

There's a lot of. Again, we're talking about waist definition. So crop tops, bras is tops. I think it works for some people. Again, for me personally, 50, almost 53 years old, that's not for me. But if it works for you and it makes you feel great, you should do it. Yeah, right. But that's when I'm passing on. There's another one that's, like, escaping me right now, but it will probably come back as we start chatting.

Well, let's talk about also what we should be tossing in our closet. Like, if anybody's going through spring cleaning looking in their closet going, okay, what can I get rid of what has already passed that bell curve where we're really on the down slope. Any items that you think we should just Donate and get rid of.

Got it. So what's interesting about that, right, Is that sometimes when you've held onto it long enough, it's like coming back again, right?

Yes. Actually, I think one of the past times that we've talked over the past, like, I don't know, year or two, my chip and pepper jeans that were low rise and bell bottom, flared and really low. I had those. And I'm like, I'm never gonna wear these again. And then here you are talking about the low rise.

Exactly. So it also depends on if you wanna go on that rodeo again. Like if you wanna go on that ride. So I would say like a platform peep toe pump. Right? Think about that. That's what you wore about 15, 20 years ago. We all had a nude patent leather peep toe with like a platform in it. We could get rid of it. Have I heard some whispers that maybe that's kind of coming back? Yes, but when it comes back, it always comes back. Iteration, you know, that's how fashion keeps us like on our toes. So it comes back, but it's a little, like a little different.

Yeah.

So I think we can get rid of that. I think the, the, the jeans, the true religion or the jeans that had the crystals on the pockets in the very definitive overstitching.

Yes.

Right. That I could look at someone's closet and just be like, okay, I don't need to see those on you. Like, we can get rid of those. But again, it will probably come back. Right. At some point, but in a different way.

Yeah. And let's be honest, as we're. I mean, since the show is called Mom Squad and I take a look in my own closet and I have my work clothes and I have my athleisure. And so we've talked a lot about the in between of the going out, whatever with Athleisure. Are there any trends or are there any. I mean, I'm thinking a lot of us wear a lot of leggings around just because it's the official mom uniform of leggings and a sweatshirt or something. But is there a way to update that whole genre of clothing so.

Well, I think there's a few ways to update it. If you are a skinny legging mom. Right. You can wear. Button ups are huge. They were huge last year. Those also have had a resurgence. Right. So almost like a boyfriend shirt, like borrow it from your husband. So wearing that over leggings with like a chunky sneaker is a really cool look. And you don't feel as Athleisure y but you can still feel really comfortable. That being said, with the resurgence of the 90s, Lululemon and Athleta and Fabletics are all showing like more of a bootleg legging now.

Seen that? Which is interesting for the actual workout. You know, it depends.

Totally. Like I would trip over myself or.

I'm thinking of like if you're in down dog and your pant is like coming down your leg, that's going to be an odd feeling. But I guess for like out going to the bus stop, going to that PTA meeting, you can up your game in the.

I will tell you, my 18 year old daughter is wearing them and she had a heyday at all the resale shops. For those of us that got rid of our leggings like that, she really enjoyed sort of grabbing at a cheap price.

That's a good idea too. The resale shops. Are there any classic pieces that you would say always invest in? These will never go out of style. These should be in my closet and I will spend money to make sure that it is a quality item.

Yes. So I think. Yes. But I'm going to have a caveat. Okay. So yes, again, as we talked about that 10 year cycle. Right. So classic items will be classic for those 10 years. There's always a little twist that changes in terms of the proportions in the way it's made. But a great cashmere sweater, it feels good, it lasts, it's classic. A fabulous blazer, usually in black or navy. Right. Again, blazers were a little more shrunken. Now we're seeing them a bit more oversized, but a great blazer. Jeans, okay. Everybody's. That's the holy grail. So a pair of jeans, but a pair of jeans that you love, that look good in your bum, that make you feel amazing, like that is important. And shoes because really I like to look at the investments on a cost per wear basis. So the pieces that we're wearing the most often, that might not be the most memorable. Right. But that are the workhorses and that's where to invest. Because A, you can wear them three or four times a week and people aren't going to remember. Right. And B, because you're wearing them so much, you almost need a bit of a higher quality so that it's going to stand up to that, you know, that rigor.

Got it. You mentioned blazers.

Okay.

And we've seen, and you mentioned, you know, sometimes they were short blazers. We've seen the oversized men's blazers. I did see a couple of the Runway shows had, like, a menswear vibe. So are we still with the oversized blazer, or are they becoming a little bit more tailored?

Well, they're becoming longer.

Okay.

And I think the oversized vibe is definitely here for a bit. But if that doesn't work for you, what I recommend to a lot of clients is having it tailored or looking for one that almost like, nips in a little bit at the waist if it feels like you're swimming. Like, we don't want to look like Justin Bieber last year at the Grammys. Remember, he wore that?

Yes.

And he looked like. It was like, honey, I shrunk the kids. We don't want to look like that. But there is something about that sort of oversized, relaxed look that's very current. But if it doesn't feel good to you, then you need to make the tweaks. And I tell everybody a tailor is your best friend. You should have almost everything tailored. It's unrealistic as a woman to think that we can buy something off the rack and that it's going to fit us right away. We need to change that mindset. Yeah.

I mean, I think that's a whole other segment. That is a whole other segment, because I have a whole pile of clothes that have been in the back of the closet that I'm going to take them to the tailor this week, and I haven't made it yet. It's been three years. I did that during COVID along with.

The clothes that are riding along in the trunk that you're supposed to give away. Yeah, I got that, too.

That pile. Yeah, that bag full. She was really quick. I did see another. I think it was Vogue mentioned red shoes are big, but I saw a lot of very feminine shoes. And here I am going, you know, as I'm getting ready to go out with friends, I'm going, do I wear the loafer, or am I wearing something a little bit more feminine? In terms of shoes, what would you recommend as what is really in this spring?

So I think that this spring, loafers are really in. I think when you're talking, when Vogue is talking, they're speaking to those early adopters, right? They're looking and saying, okay, three years from now, five years from now, this is, like the newest kid on the block. So I do think that as menswear and tailored things are becoming more. We're going to see more of it. It's that pairing it. The juxtaposition of pairing it with a feminine shoe almost with, like, a barely there shoe. I think that's what you were talking about, right? Like, very strappy, you see a lot of skin. And also it's in the cold weather. We're not wearing that anyway, Right. Unless we're going to like a wedding and it's a valet and we're going right into the ballroom.

Right.

So I would say loafers are great and they're also a great spring shoe because you can wear them with or without socks. And, you know, you don't want to go from boots. We all have that hard time where you go from boots to sandals. What do we wear in between? Loafers?

Loafer.

All right.

I gotta invest in a good loafer. I have like an Amazon loafer, which is okay, but I think it's gonna fall apart any second. And before I let you go, I think I always liked to have like that one go to outfit, like knowing, okay, I'm going out to dinner, I need to like, not think about it. I need to just grab and go. If you were building your ultimate, you know, going out, not super fancy, not super casual, let's say nice restaurant to meet up with friends or just go out with your significant other, what is your personal perfect outfit? What would you put together?

Oh my gosh, that's such a good question. Okay, so first of all, I'll give you what I would wear, right? So that's obviously taking my own personal style into account, which is classic with a bit of an edgy kind of vibe. Right? So that's knowing myself. I would take a pair of either straight leg denim or a pair of leather jeans. Like a five pocket leather.

Right.

I would put it with a heel that's either a heeled boot or a pump. I would do a silk blouse because I think there's a femininity to that, the way that that sort of drapes. And again, we're going out, so depending who I'm going out with, I can unbutton it more or less to give, you know, because as women, we want to feel a little feminine and a little sexy, but it's walking that line. And then I'd throw on an oversized blazer. Okay, I would. That would be it. And then I'd probably put a lot of jewelry on. Silver and gold mix.

Got it. All right, well, now I'm prepared for the weekend because I have a couple of things happening and you've prepared us so well, Hallie. Thank you so much.

And everybody can find you@the wardrobeconsultant.com and on Instagram, the wardrobe consultant.

All right. Perfect. And she has so many great tips, pieces about where you should be wearing things, how to style. I always go to your website and be like, okay, what am I doing this week at the site?

Oh, that's awesome.

Thank you so much. Hallelujah. And thank you for joining us here on mom Squad. Hopefully we have prepared you for whatever event you are headed out to go take part in. And we'll see you right back here next time on Mom Squad.