Appropriate Fashion Accessories for the Office and Fashion Trends: Hot Colors for Spring 2007

There are three words you need to remember when building your wardrobe this season: Color, color, color!

Spring is always the best time to revive your sprits with a splash of color in your wardrobe. After all, Mother Nature's showing off all of her beautiful colorswhy shouldn't you follow in her footsteps? This is when you get to have fun and be a little daring. This is when it's okay to indulge your fancy and buy that little apricot dress, that lime green raincoat, those lemon yellow capris.

Sensing a trend here? You should! Look around at the bright splashes of color in your produce section. Those are the colors that designers gravitated towards for this season. Tarragon, strawberry ice, grape, plum, cantaloupe, blood orange these are only a few fun, kicky colors you can indulge in! On the flip side of that are the "new" neutrals: Hazelnut, mocha, oatmeal, cream, and so forth.

If you're not quite daring enough to leave the house looking like a walking produce ad, it's okay. Stick to the neutrals and add a splash of color with shoes, scarves, hats, bags, sunglasses and bangles.

The most important factor: Confidence! Have fun!

When it comes to office fashion, the important thing to keep in mind is maintaining a level of professionalism and understatement in your wardrobe. After all, who's to tell when the boss won't be walking around, just looking for an excuse to nitpick? And what about that important client who has a tendency to just "drop in" for a meeting?

Your office is, therefore, not the place for the fun, exciting accessories you like to take for a spin on the weekends. In other words, leave the chunky beads and bangles at home.

Still, there is no reason why a woman can't accessorize and express her tastes. It just needs to be done tastefully!

Bags and purses should generally be neutral in color (you can get more wear out of them this way, since they go with more outfits!). Think oatmeal, mocha or cream all hot colors this season! Tie a bright-colored scarf around the strap. Instant style!

Jewelry should be kept on the unobtrusive side. Earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces, watchesAll should compliment your outfit and add to your aura of professionalism. They should not, then, scream for attention. They should also be kept to a minimum. In other words, why wear all 10 silver bracelets when one or two would suffice? Style is important as well. Leave that Mickey Mouse watch on the dresser and stick with the more dressy one instead. Hoop earrings shouldn't be the size of your head, either. They shouldn't even graze your shoulders. In this case, if in no other, smaller is better.

Shoes are another important factor. Mile-high heels, platforms, garish colorsnone of these are appropriate in an office setting. Keep heels at or below 3 inches, try to stay away from platforms, and don't bother with those watermelon colored shoes. They probably look ridiculous at work!