In For Spring

Chicago fashion guru Eric Himel knows a thing or two about “making it work.” After all, he studied design under Tim Gunn at Parsons in New York. Helping Chicagoans dress to impress, Himel charges $200 an hour to shop or style you for an event. Best known for his “Closet Purge,” Himel (call him at 312.450.5560) will dig into your wardrobe and pull out “the ill-fitting, the sentimental, the inappropriate, the ‘what was I thinking’ and the ‘salesperson made me buy it!'” The fun part is re-stocking it with hand-selected apparel. With a self-described sporty L.A. style, Himel’s favorite item in his closet at the moment is a pair of John Varvatos button suspenders. We asked Dr. Fashion to help us sift through spring ’09 and pick the top trends – and the ones to run away from.

5 SPRING TRENDS TO EMBRACE:
1. Python anything
2. Cerulean blue
3. Embellished shoes
4. Ethnic jewelry
5. The safari look

5 SPRING TRENDS TO ESCAPE:
1. Harem pants
2. Ray-Ban Wayfarers
3. French manicures
4. Babydoll shirts
5. Botox