DRESS: Opening Ceremony (also HERE and shirt version HERE)  |  MULES: Coach (sold out, similar HERE)  |  BAG: M2Malletier  |  EARRINGS: Amber Sceats

Today, I’m excited to kick off a new ten-part series that’s all about spring and summer trends!  I can’t remember entering a season with more excitement about the latest trends that have emerged from runways and street style stars.  This spring and summer is all about turning your closet on its head with loads of 80s influences and the most vibrant color palette we’ve seen in years.  In order to give you all the details on dressing for the season and the full run-down on how to rock each trend from the boardroom to the beach, I’ve decided to break it down into ten comprehensive posts (with a surprise at the end… shhh)!  Today, I’m kicking things off with one of my very favorite trends of the season: bold (and I mean BOLD) stripes!

Read on for tips on how to wear the trend at the office, how to wear the trend outside the office, and a complete shopping guide to all of my favorite striped pieces of the season!

Without a doubt, stripes of all kinds are taking center stage this season.  You can satiate your inner sailor with a classic, nautical breton stripe, or opt for something a bit more au courant like the bold, graphic, super saturated stripes of my ribbed midi dress.  Better yet?  Wear ’em both at once!  Basically, if your appearance mirrors that of a TV screen that’s displaying those crazy-colored vertical lines indicating a likely-fatal technical malfunction, you’ve succeeded.  You may trigger PTSD flashbacks for those of us who are still mourning televisions loved and lost, but it’ll be so worth it.  Promise.

The stripe hype is real, so let ‘er rip.

Quick note on the striped Opening Ceremony dress I’m wearing in these photos: For some reason the color of the dress in the images is showing up a little off and I can’t seem to fix it.  The colors are so amazing, it’s bumming me out!  For an accurate depiction of the near-neon hues of this dress check it out here.  The top image on that page (not the subsequent ones and definitely not their video) is exactly how vibrant it looks in person!

WEAR TO WORK:

• This gorgeous striped pencil skirt will work in or out of the office, and shows just how easily the bold stripe trend can translate to the workplace.
• This striped top is sleek and simple, but with subtle back bow detailing, it’s just as sweet.  Wear it with a classic black midi skirt or a coordinating floral pant.
• If your office is particularly formal, opt for these sleek striped pants for a little spring in your step without raising any eyebrows.
• This striped jumpsuit would look killer under a white blazer that can be whipped off for happy hour at your favorite local watering hole.
• This striped blazer is equal parts playful and polished with a color palette that can’t get much prettier.

BRB, OUT OF OFFICE:

• Umm, hello, cutest striped swimsuit ever.  My name is Mary.
• Ahem, I see you, above-mentioned cutest striped swimsuit ever, and raise you one cutest striped bikini ever.
• I don’t think anyone can question the universal deliciousness of a chambray shirt.  Better yet? A chambray shirt with tonal stripes.  Still not satisfied?  What if I told you it’s Rails (i.e. best shirt brand ever) and it’s inexplicably 50% off?
• If there’s a more adorable striped dress for basically every occasion this spring and summer, I quadruple-dog-dare you to find it.
• Lastly, if this striped beach towel doesn’t make you happy, then you have no soul.

MY FAVORITE STRIPED PIECES FOR SPRING AND SUMMER: