Winter break is over and with that ends the days of lounging at home in PJs. It’s time to spice up your new back to school wardrobe.

Not only are we in a new semester, we’re in a new year, so here are some style guides to help lead you into 2006.

Looking through magazines, you may notice that “low rise” bottoms are starting to faze out and waist high bottoms are becoming more stylish for women. This new style could help alleviate the “plumber” look low rise pants tend to cause on occasion.

According to Cosmopolitan magazine, “Button down shirts worn with waist-cinching skirts will showcase your bustline.”

The style this season is very feminine yet fun and sophisticated. Some of the spring trends for women listed in Cosmopolitan include the retro style, ruffles, floral prints, textured white prints and doll-like styles.

In Style magazine lists spice colors for this season, orange hues. It also claims cropped pants as a must have.

The magazine suggests cropped pants be paired with a form-fitting jacket or cashmere sweater. On a student’s budget, any dressy-type sweater should do. In Style also suggests these pants be paired with knee-high boots or ankle boots and to avoid showing any skin when wearing cropped pants.

Belts were listed in In Style as a leading accessory. Belts no longer serve the purpose of holding up pants and can even be worn over tops. Belts are now a great accessory for dresses and slacks. Celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Garner both graced the Emmy Awards in formal gowns topped with ribbon belts.

The current men’s style is pretty simple; a sport coat over casual clothing. According to www.wearwhatwhen.com , this look is very versatile because it can be dressy and casual at the same time. Generally, two-button jackets work best for this look.

There isn’t always a need to follow trends exactly how designers intend, however, you can use the information fashion magazines provide as a guide to pick what suits you best.