The Look

It's finally warm enough to shelve some of winter's long sweaters and heavy coats. But how do you make it through spring in style? Suzanne D'Amato and washingtonpost.com fashion and beauty editor Janet Bennett Kelly were online last week, chatting with readers about the season's do's, don'ts and maybes. Here are some excerpts:

QI'm looking for a good summer handbag for the workweek. I'd like to get something in a brighter color. What colors should I look for, and where? It still seems like everything out is black/white/beige.

S.D.: Kate Spade makes some gorgeous bright bags -- I particularly love the "Sao Paolo," a woven patent leather tote that comes in glossy tangerine. If you don't want to invest too much money, you might look for a dressy straw bag of some sort. Floppy straw totes are for the beach, but there are some structured, satchel-y styles that the designer Rafe made for Target that could definitely work for work.

J.B.K.: I'm loving Kate Spade bags this spring as well, especially the Cape Cod with the lobsters! Yellow is a hot color this season, and I've seen several bags at Anthropologie in this happy hue. Also, check out Arden B.

QMy wardrobe is pretty basic -- lots of J. Crew and Banana Republic-type stuff. What five items should I buy for spring/summer (within a J. Crew/B.R. budget)?

S.D.: Here's my top five for spring -- and if you do some digging, I bet you can find them at even less expensive places than J. Crew and Banana Republic:

1. A swingy, knee-length dress: Wear it for day with a cardigan, chunky jewelry and flat sandals. Wear it for evening with a pretty wrap and strappy heels.

2. A cropped jacket that can be paired with slacks or a full skirt at work, or jeans on the weekends.

3. Skinny pants. The skinny jean's more sophisticated sibling.

4. Metallic sandals. The metallic trend is big this season, but gargantuan gilt handbags are a little Jessica Simpson for my tastes. Better to shine in smaller doses, I think.

5. Just about anything from the Proenza Schouler for Target collection. These tidy blazers, crisp shorts and topstitched shirts are preppy polish personified. (Try saying that three times fast.)