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Simon Doonan, the quirky creative director for Barney's New York, says he often gives the same fashion advice regardless of season: "Why don't you go home and get rid of all your sensible clothes and just wear party clothes?" The store's Madison Avenue windows convey a similar message, Doonan said during a phone interview last week: "Dare to be different."

This spring, the idea is especially tempting. There are enough fun frocks and eccentric ensembles to party every day and still have leftovers for fall. Among the eye candy: Dolce & Gabbana's homage to silk pyjamas, Balenciaga's cyber ballerinas and Marc Jacobs's feathered mini skirts for Louis Vuitton.

But are expensive one-hit wonders what we want right now? Or must we scale down to best-value neutrals?

Fortunately, there's a middle ground: practical pieces that pack a lot of punch.

Take metallics, which have returned in a new shiny incarnation. Instead of sparkle, think sheen - liquid gold at Prada and iridescent pinks and greens at Balenciaga. "I think it's the magpie thing," says Laird Borrelli, senior features editor for Style.com. "[Metallics] are bright, shiny and, as weird as it sounds, kind of work as a neutral."

Ever the understated radical, Miuccia Prada has shelved impeccable couture lace for crinkled, rumpled fabrics that appear to be the result of a lunchtime tryst. The takeaway tip here is not that drawstring skirts will be the new garden party attire but that a woman is sexiest when her clothes aren't perfectly pressed.

Of course, showing a little leg never hurt anyone. But according to hemline theory, which holds that hems rise and fall with the market, minis should not be hot for spring. Fortunately, designers completed their collections well before the economy nosedived.

Just resist the urge to show some skin up top. Boxy blazers and minis go together like Milli and Vanilli. "The eighties haven't really had a chance to leave yet," says Peter Papapetrou, stylist and fashion director for Hazelton Lanes in Toronto. "But I think it's gone more futuristic. It makes you love it all over again."

Fashion flunkies never tire of black and white, and this season is no different, with graphic, eye-catching pairings. But the real colour story is what Borrelli calls the "makeup" hues: nudes, blush pinks and peachy oranges.

Retailers talk up "seasonless dressing" to explain why chiffon arrives in stores when there's snow outside and leather shows up as a warm-weather staple. But the real reason leather was a spring hit at Hermès and Bottega Veneta has to do with weight.

Leather, Doonan says, is "more like a fabric than a hide these days," showing up in dresses and even T-shirts. "It's a luxury piece and it's tapping into that market," says Papapetrou. "But because it's so soft - in colour and finish - it's giving more longevity.

One trend that is both indulgent and uncomfortable is soaring platforms, many featuring thick ankle straps. And don't forget the open-toe boots with slats or side-vents.

"They're pretty amazing as objects but they can be a little heavy as shoes," Borrelli says. "I think at some point someone has to also think about shoes that people can walk in. But that's me being no fun."