Paint The Town

Ripped jeans and bleached denim are back and even bigger than last year. Tie-dye, dip dye, graffiti, color block, and sublimation prints are also still in style. Another denim and fun color trend that's back for the spring/summer is paint splatter. So if you have a pair of jeans that you spilled paint on and were considering throwing out, you might want to hang on to them a little longer. Likewise, you also want reconsider getting rid of any shoes, t-shirts, bags, etc. that have been ruined by paint. It is now acceptable to wear these items out in public. If all of your clothes have survived the paint war, this trend is a great excuse for a DIY project (I will go into details about this in a bit). If you're not into doing it yourself or simply can't stand the idea of ruining your own clothes, check out these items below that are already painted up for you.

Converse Paint Splatter Ox, $55,50, available in sizes 6-11, delias.com

Bailey Saratoga Wash Low-Rise Flare Jean, $49.50, available in sizes 00-19., delias.com

Kelsey Low-Rise Boot-Cut Jean, $19.99, available in sizes 7/8 and 9/10, delias.com

Morgan 15" Paint Splatter Jean Short, $39.50, available in sizes 00-15/16, delias.com

Morgan 15" Paint Splatter Jean Short, $39.50, available in sizes 00-15/16, delias.com

Reese Low-Rise Bootcut Jean - Lexington Wash, $19.99, available in sizes 00-13, delias.com

Rocket Dog Jazzin'-2 Paint Splatter Sneaker, $39.50, available in sizes 6-10, delias.com

Shane Railroad Short, $34.50, available in sizes 00-15/16, delias.com

Taylor Savannah Wash 2 1/2" Jean Short, $34.50, available in sizes 00-13/14, delias.com

Taylor 2 1/2" Paint-Splatter Jean Short, $34.50, available in sizes 00-15/16, delias.com

Painterly Tiered Skirt, $22.00, shown in bright rose; also available in black, sizes XS-XL, charlotterusse.com

Expressionist Sleeveless Top, $17.80, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Flirty Brushstrokes Triangle Top, $10.80, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Flirty Brushstrokes Bikini Bottom, $9.80, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Forever and A Day Tunic, $13.80, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Leopard Splash Knit Top, $10.24, available in sizes Small-Large, forever21.com

Paint Splash Skirt, $17.80, available in sizes X-Small-Large, forever21.com

Sponge Painted Skirt, $14.80, available in sizes Medium and Large, forever21.com

Paint Spots Sweater, $14.99, available in sizes M and L, pinkice.com

Splatter Paint Leggings, $14.99, available in sizes S and L, pinkice.com

Bright Paint Splatter Belt, $11.98, available in sizes XS-LG, hottopic.com

Piper & Blue Juniors'Front Slash Paint Splatter Tee, $11.24, available in sizes Small-Extra large, kmart.com

Piper & Blue Juniors' Weavers Crew Neck Paint Splatter Tunic, $8.79, available in sizes Small-Extra large, kmart.com

Candie's Paint Splatter Canvas Hobo, $38.00, kohls.com

Heart and Soul Paint Splatter Dress, $48.00, available in sizes small-x large, kohls.com

Mudd Paint Splatter Denim Shorts, $28.00, available in sizes 3-17, kohls.com

Self Esteem Peace Paint Splatter Print Hoodie, $11.99, available in sizes Small-Extra large, sears.com

Self Esteem Plaid Paint Splatter Fleece Hoodie, $11.99, available in sizes Small-Extra large, sears.com

Self Esteem Zebra Paint Splatter Fleece Hoodie, $11.99, available in sizes Medium and Large, sears.com

Southpole Low Rise Signature Skinny Jean with Splatter Paint, $24.99, available in sizes 3-15, sears.com

Vintage 1955 Paint Splatter Shred Tee, $12.99, available in sizes Small-Extra large, sears.com

For those of you who want to DIY your own paint splatter items (be it a pair of jeans, shoes, a skirt, ect.), grab some paint brushes, arcylic or fabric paint (use fabric paint for clothes and arcylic paint for shoes or handbags that are not cloth), and a sponge. Lay the object onto a flat surface, dip the paint brush into the paint, and randomly stroke the brush against your item. Use the sponge to spread the paint. You may add some studs, rhinestones, sequins, or glitter in addition to the paint if you wish. If you want to rip up you denim as well as add paint splatters to it, see my tips on how to DIY your own ripped denim. If you want to bleach your denim in addition to the paint, see my tip on how to DIY your own bleached denim (I recommend bleaching your jeans and letting them dry before adding the fabric paint). I hope you have fun trying out my DIY tips. Let me know if you have any DIY projects that you would like me to post in this blog.

State of Fashion

Want to put your state on the map as the nation's favorite fashion hot spot? Now's your chance! Wet Seal is having a contest where they will select the top 3 states with the best stylist. To enter: sign up for or login to the fashion community, go to "My Boutique", create an outfit, tag your outfit as "State of Fashion", and then submit it to the runway! Make sure you tag your outfit correctly and that it has 4 or more items in order to be qualified. Read the contest rules for more information. I will feature the outfits I styled for the contest below.

The three highest rated outfits from each state will qualify for review. A panel of Wet Seal executives will decide on the winners. Only one winner per state will be selected. The winner will recieve a $500 gift card. The runner up will get a $250 gift card, and 3rd place will win a $100 gift card. A special offer will be made available to Wet Seal email subscribers in each of the winners home states. Contest ends on May 2nd, 2010 at 11:59 PM, so hurry up and start styling! Good luck to everyone who enters. Tell me if you want me to vote on your outfits.

Totally Ditsy

Spring is officially here! As mentioned before, patterns and prints are definitely a big trend right now. Floral prints are probably the first thing that come to mind when you think about spring. I already wrote about floral prints a couple of years ago, so I'm going to write about ditsy prints this time. If you're wondering what the difference between ditsy prints and floral prints is, floral prints tend to be big and bold while ditsy prints tend to be small and subtle. If you're still having trouble picturing this, take a look at some of the images posted below.

Ditsy Floral Print Dress, $58.00, available in sizes XS-L, ardenb.com

Ditsy Ruffle Chiffon, $29.90, available in sizes M-XL, alloy.com

Maggie Printed Dress, $42.90, available in sizes S-XL, alloy.com

Ditsy Floral A-Line Dress, $28.00, available in sizes S, L, and XL, charlotterusse.com

Floral Cropped Cardigan, $9.49, available in sizes XS-L, charlotterusse.com

Smocked Ditsy Floral Print Handbag, $22.50, charlotterusse.com

Smocked Waist Ditsy Floral Skirt, $22.00, available in sizes XS-M, charlotterusse.com

Vans Authentic Floral Sneaker, $42.50, available in sizes 6, 8, and 9, delias.com

Ava Dress, $44.50, available in sizes XS-XL, delias.com

Dena Ditsy Flannel Blouse, $14.99, shown in blue; also available in purple, sizes XS-XL, delias.com

Joanna Floral Tank, $34.50, available in sizes XS-XL, delias.com

Henna Circle Skirt, $39.95, available in sizes 0-12, freepeople.com

Ditsy Floral Scarf, $16.99, jcpenney.com

Route 66 Ditsy Floral Print Canvas Shopper Bag, $16.99, kmart.com

DKNY Jeans Ditsy Floral-Print Smocked Top, $49.00, shown in dark umber; also available in black, sizes x-small-x-large, lordandtaylor.com

Fire Top, Ditsy Floral Tunic, $24.99, available in sizes S-XL, macys.com

Fresh Brewed Top, Ditsy Floral Print Tunic, $14.99, available in sizes S-L, macys.com

Blue Ditsy Button Down, $20.00, available in sizes S-L, mandee.com

Ditsy Corset, $28.00, available in sizes S-L, mandee.com

Ditsy Floral Scarf, $10.00, mandee.com

Derek Heart Ditsy Floral Knit Top, $14.99, shown in gray; also available in white, sizes Small-Extra large, sears.com

Ditsy Dip Dye Dress, $12.99, available in sizes S-L, wetseal.com

Ditsy Foldover Wristlet, $12.50, wetseal.com

Ditsy Print Sharkbite Tee, $12.99, available in sizes XS-L, wetseal.com

Ditsy Print Sunglass, $7.50, wetseal.com

Ditsy Sharkbite Tank, $19.50, available in sizes S-XL, wetseal.com

Ditsy Tiered Mini Skirt, $21.50, available in sizes XS-XL, wetseal.com

Floral Hi Top, $6.00, available in sizes 6-10, wetseal.com

Floral Low Top, $6.00, available in sizes 6-10, wetseal.com

Flutter Ditsy Tunic, $14.99, available in sizes S-XL, wetseal.com

Lace Sleeve Ditsy Tee, $17.50, available in sizes XS-XL, wetseal.com

Roll Up Button Shirt, $12.99, available in sizes XS-XL, wetseal.com

Since mixing different patterns is going to be the hottest look this spring, try mixing a ditsy print with stripes, tribal prints, polka dots, feather prints, plaid, argyle, houndstooth, gingham, and animal prints. You can even try mixing ditsy prints with bigger floral prints if you're feeling daring. Let me know if you can think of any other patterns or prints that you can mix and match with a ditsy print.