Women’s Voices for Change created Fashion Friday to offer our readers information about current trends in clothes and accessories, along with stories from women who are comfortable describing their wardrobe essentials or passions. We have been joined by a cadre of fashion bloggers who bring new ideas to our audience. These pieces are enlivened by lots of photographs as well.  At the end of the week, many of us look forward to TGIF fashion fun.

The fashion trends for spring are especially clear this year, with new patterns, colors, and shapes. Bergdorf Goodman, the temple of high-end clothing on Fifth Avenue in New York City, always has beautifully curated clothes from well-known and emerging designers. This year the store agreed to our unusual request to hold a “fantasy spring shopping spree.” We proposed to spend one day choosing examples of  clothes that embodied the new trends we’d love to wear; on another morning we’d have a photo shoot. (Dr. Allen — is a spokesperson on women’s health, and the publisher of Women’s Voices for Change— is also the model for the seven favorite outfits in this fantasy shopping spree. All photos from Cheryl Fleming Photography.-Ed.)

Our fantasy started at 10 a.m. on Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day, and ended at 7 p.m.  Nine hours and 60 outfits after we began, we had chosen seven looks that defined this season for us. The Verdura boutique at Bergdorf allowed us to choose jewelry for each outfit from its magnificent, storied collection. For  anyone who really loves clothes and accessories, this was a dream day.

The spring fashion trends we found  were pleats, peplums, florals, and riots of color; the Verdura jewelry made the outfits beyond memorable. Here are our seven fantasy-spree favorites.

We found, to our pleasure, that designers have clearly noticed our demographic—at last. These clothes are elegant—and they look good on us. Similarly appropriate outfits showcasing the spring trends are available in more affordable lines as well.

Here goes!

This Fendi canary-yellow dress with its pleated bodice and pencil skirt is made of finely woven stretch wool and has a white rubber belt.  It was great paired with red slingback Manolos.

(c) Cheryl Fleming

Giambattista Valli created this sleeveless silk/cotton blend hot coral number with the fun twist at the waist and the pencil bottom.

(c) Cheryl Fleming

This stunning floral dress from the designer Erdem was long enough to offset its shape-hugging contours, obtained with many fitted seams. The yellow floral pattern on the white background popped when the Oscar daffodil cashmere and silk bolero was added.

(c) Cheryl Fleming

This sun-yellow sleeveless Akris dress, with its fitted jacket that zips in front, is great for both spring and summer, when the jacket can be left in the closet. The fabric is 100 percent silk, and the dress has the very now asymmetrical pleats.

(c) Cheryl Fleming

Dior makes such wonderful retro suits with a thoroughly modern interpretation of the peplum, shown here in silk wool tweed with belted waist.  Love the pencil skirt, which will work so well with a black, white, or brightly colored sleeveless sweater for summer. The Nancy Gonzalez crocodile envelope clutch in hot pink was irresistible.

(c) Cheryl Fleming

The little white dress and white suit were everywhere.  This ivory Oscar crimped cotton and silk jacket has hidden buttons and subtle details that create a wonderful feminine shape that works so well with the fitted pencil skirt.

(c) Cheryl Fleming

The favorite of the day was the Oscar pleated dinner/cocktail dress with an illusion neckline and bracelet-length sleeves, pleated bodice, and full skirt. It is certainly elegant and a great backdrop for jewelry.

(c) Cheryl Fleming

We are grateful to the many people at Bergdorf Goodman who decided to have fun with this project and made it possible. We especially thank Lauren Picciano in Special Events; Joan Ferraro and Jamie Kimmelman, the most fabulous personal shoppers; Naide Qafleshi at Verdura; and Elizabeth Jensen, manager of precious jewelry. In addition we thank Ted Perez at Pierre Michel for hair, Margret Avery for makeup, and Cheryl Fleming for photography.

Stay tuned for our “Verdura Jewelry Fantasy” in two weeks.