The arrival of spring is imminent. There is a weapon you might already have in your closet that could save you from the ultimate embarrassment of wearing flip-flops on a cold day or a winter coat on a beautiful spring afternoon: a dress. As simple as it sounds, dresses are like chameleons. The same basic dress can look punk-cute with a black leather rider jacket, preppy with pastel loafers, and London chic with cowboy boots. During the cold early days of spring, you can begin to experiment with your dress by combining it with boyfriend sweaters and ballet flats. Recently, I discovered that Pashminas look really good paired with a strapless white dress. Pashminas actually are my new obsession, but I will go into more detail about it next week. For the edgier ladies out there, trade in the boyfriend for a grandpa (sweater, that is), and the ballet flats for cowboy boots, and you get instant downtown credibility. As the days begin to warm up, you can begin to wear lighter clothes on top of your dress, making it a more central piece. Some mornings might still be a little cold, so if you are an early bird make sure that you have a shrug or light cardigan. Mud season is a danger, not only to our shoes, but also to the well being of our clothes. The right mud boots (narrow, solid pattern, dark hued) can add lots of quirk while enabling us to battle the mud fields between Lafayette and Waterman. As far as the boys go, Bermuda shorts are the equivalent of a dress. They look amazing with loafers and flip-flops, or with sweaters and t-shirts. But they probably look best of all with crisp, somewhat wrinkled shirts – think Jude Law walking the streets of Jamaica. Choosing the right Bermudas can be a little bit tricky. If they are too baggy (minus points for oversized pockets), they will make you look sloppy, but too narrow will make you look much too “Kentucky Derby day.” Just pick some that are equally casual and elegant, so you could wear them both to work and to a waterfront barbecue. Mid-season has the beauty of surprising us every day with new flowers, warm sun and chilly mornings. Make the best of it by using versatile clothing in your favor, and before you know it, you will be ready for summer wear.I’d like to apologize to some of my readers (all of whom I love) who might have felt offended by last week’s article. I think that everyone has the potential to look good (as my article explained), big or small, and some choices can make or break a look! Love me? Hate me? Secretly stalk me? Get more at uvmstyle.blogspot.com