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Fab spring fashions for all ages

Shape magazine's Jacqui Stafford shares a look at the season's best trends.
/ Source: TODAY

From the micro-mini to brights and metallics, there's a host of new spring trends ready to wear. Shape magazine's Jacqui Stafford was on TODAY offering some fashion forward advice for women of all ages. Here she offers more, plus details on some of the fashions that were shown on the show:

MINI

In your 20s:
Now is the time to flaunt it, if you’ve got it. This season, it’s all the about the mini tent dress or baby doll dress. These look great if you're in your twenties, and you can wear them with bare legs, and be as short as you want. One word of wisdom: At any age, you still need to be sophisticated. That means that you should definitely show off your legs, but keep the cleavage to a minimum. Bare just one part only! And go for flats with an ultra-short mini.

What you saw on TODAY:
Dress: Milly Wild Paisley dress ($345; Scoop, Intermix, net-a-porter.com)
Shoes: Cole Haan Camilla Air Sandal ($325; Cole Haan retail stores and www.colehaan.com)

In your 40s/50s:
If you are over 40 and love your legs, you can definitely still wear a mini dress! We love the “Catholic school” rule: Go for skirts no shorter than the tips of your fingers resting on your thigh. We adore the color block '60s inspired mini dress from Bebe. It works because it’s still short, but is a flattering body-skimming silhouette. We paired it with a fitted blazer in a cream metallic sheen, with 3/4-length sleeves. Metallic strappy heels keep legs ultra long.

What you saw on TODAY:
Dress: Bebe Mini dress ($129; Bebe Stores)
Blazer: Bebe metallic cream jacket with 3/4-length sleeve ($198; Bebe Stores)
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman Bronze ”Sublime” Sandal ($270; Stuart Weitzman NYC 212-750-2555 or Beverly Hills 310-860-9600)

THE TROUSER JEAN
The newest silhouette in jeans is the slightly wider leg. And really any age can pull it off. A few key points:

In your 20s:
Now’s the time to really have fun with this silhouette. Go with an exaggerated wide leg, and wear them with this season’s wedge platform. We paired these pants with a fluted cami from DKNY. It’s time to show off all your curves and have fun with this trend.

What you saw on TODAY:
Jeans: Lucky Brand Trouser Fit Jeans ($120; luckybrandjeans.com)
Top: DKNY Embroidered Tunic ($295; DKNY Stores 800-231-0884, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor)
Shoes: Banana Republic Tick Stripe Wedge ($88; Banana Republic stores) 
Necklace: Symbellajewels.com ($350)

In your 40s:
Yes, you can still wear a wider leg in your 40s. A darker wash denim works for the office as well as the weekend and evening, plus a trouser leg jean is surprisingly flattering for all body types especially as you get older. Address the trend by choosing jeans that are flat-fronted, (don’t have pockets or pleating at the front) which is more flattering. We paired this with a sophisticated white wrap shirt. A darker wash looks more work-appropriate and less casual than a paler one. We added this season’s ballet flats and gave Janet one of the hottest silhouettes in bags, the gold clutch.

What you saw on TODAY:
Top: Ann Taylor short sleeve wrap blouse ($68; Ann Taylor.com)
Jeans: Levis Vintage Trouser 578 Jean ($44; levistore.com)
Clutch: Kooba Penelope Gold Mirror clutch ($345; Saks Fifth Ave)
Ballet flats: Studio 9 gold ballet flats ($120; ninewest.com)
Necklace: Coach Legacy Medallion Necklace ($248; coach.com)

YELLOW
Yellow is this season’s hottest color.

In your 20s
You can pull off the brightest, most vivid yellow shades right now. If you’ve got the legs, flaunt them in shorts. We love these by Mossimo for Target. We found this adorable yellow and black polka dot blouse at Alice + Olivia. For shoes, high-heeled wedge platforms are more casual than stiletto heels. And don’t forget a timepiece! If you just want a splash of color, wear a sporty bright watch. Try one from Technomarine.

What you saw on TODAY: Top: Long sleeve polka dot blouse by Alice + Olivia ($198.00; Alice + Olivia stores)
Shorts: Mossimo for Target ($14.99; Target stores)
Shoes: Banana Republic Platform Wedge Espadrille ($98; Banana Republic stores)
Watch: Technomarine Raft Watch in yellow ($310; Tourneau Time Machine)

In your 40s:
Yes, you want to show you’re on top of the trends, but you also don’t want to feel like a banana. As with all trends, a little goes a long way when you're in your 40s. You want to show that you are fashion-forward, but not a fashion victim (big difference!!) The trick is to accessorize with a few chosen elements. For instance, go for a great bag, a shoe or a belt. We fell in love with the gray striped dress from INC from Macy’s and paired it with fabulous vibrant yellow heels from Stuart Weitzman. And yellow looks fabulous with gray, as it does with silver and army green. Another way to address a vibrant shade like yellow is to soften it by putting a more muted color next to your face. For example, pair a vivid yellow jacket or sweater with a white t-shirt underneath, so that the nearest color to your face is not bright yellow, but white.

What you saw on TODAY: Dress: INC pinstriped wrap dress by Macy’s ($99; Macys)Yellow shoes: Stuart Weitzman for Scoop “Sashay” ($270; Scoop NYC)Yellow sunglasses: Alain Mikli Sunglasses ($495; mikli.com)Gold bracelets: $300 each (helenficalora.com)