14 Must-Follow Instagrammers for Front-Row Views at NYFW

Emerging Spring 2023 Fashion Trends

• Sequins
• Winter florals
• Sheer pieces
• Coquette styles
• Slime green
• Leather separates
• Tailored styles
• Maxi skirts
• Oversized blazers
• Denim

Our Favorite Pieces From The & Other Stories Spring 2023 Collection

Oversized Blazers

Oversized Padded Shoulder Blazer ($219)

A padded shoulder gives this oversized blazer lots of bold structure. Pair with workwear like wide-leg slacks for a chic office look, or wear over a mini slip dress on a girl's night out!

Oversized Parka Jacket ($149)

This jacket is structured, giving it a blazer feel with a cute outerwear twist. Layer it over bright colors for a stylish spring look.

Winter Florals

Buttoned V-Cut Midi Dress ($129)

A fitted dress enhances a super effortless feminine look. We love this midi spring dress because it's made of thin viscose fabric, making it a lighter wear, and easy to breathe in. Time to relish in the sweet spring breeze!

Printed Silk Blouse ($139)

This blouse embraces the same intricate floral pattern and colors in light cotton. Tuck in the curved hem with a fitted denim jean, and you've got yourself a new easy spring uniform.

Denim

Flared High Waist Jeans ($119)

Denim will never die, and we love that we're always seeing new, unique takes on the classic jean. This pair boasts two statement front pockets and a higher waistline to accentuate your figure, and give you a fun shape to pair your springtime tanks and sweaters with.

Treasure Cut Jeans ($99)

The Treasure Cut jean design features super wide legs and a high waist. These are truly a year-round closet staple because you can wear them with just about anything. For a casual look, throw on some Adidas sneakers and tuck in your fave band tee. To dress this jean up, layer on a light sweater and blazer with some ballerina flats!

Coquette

Embroidered Scalloped Edge Shirt ($119)

Coquette is a newer style term that embodies a feminine, flirty persona. You'll see a lot of frills, ribbons, florals, and lace, all in lighter pinks or whites. This organic cotton shirt flaunts frills on the cuffs and florals around the collar. We could see this piece being a cute go-to throughout the whole year.

Tie-Front Ribbed Cardigan ($99)

The tie-front cardigan is definitely an "add to bag" piece. The ribbons are the perfect understated take on the coquette trend, and make us feel all the girly feels.

Mulberry Silk Layered Frilled Blouse ($199)

This gorgeous blouse is a more courageous take on the coquette trend, with large shoulder frills and billowy puff sleeves. It's the perfect wear for springtime since it's loose-fitting — the long sleeves let you adapt to the chilly days, and but the carefree silhouette will keep you comfortable on warm days too.

Slime Green

Mock Neck Sweater ($59)

Slime green is a color we can totally get behind. It's electric and eye-catching, adding a ton of visual interest and pure fun to any outfit! You can totally crush this hue when paired with leather separates, like a black leather pant or oversized jacket.

Leather Separates

Curved Leather Shoulder Bag ($199)

If you are hesitant to dive fully in to the leather trend, dipping your toes in is made easy by accessorizing with leather pieces. This shoulder bag is sleek, so it's easy to pair with just about anything, plus it's super roomy so you can take all your daily necessities with you.

Heeled Leather Penny Loafers ($129)

Loafers are the hero of preppy style, and you can wear them with any springtime look. This pair is super comfortable, so catch us sporting these everywhere this season.

Strappy Kitten Heel Leather Sandals ($129)

A strappy sandal is the ultimate match for a floral dress when spring is in full swing. These also come in a vibrant teal blue color, so if you're feeling bold, go for that colorful look!

More of Our Fave Spring Trend Items

Wide Trousers ($119)

We can never get enough of a wide leg pant. These trousers are fit for a more formal spring look, and deliver all of the comfort.

Chunky Oval Hoop Earrings ($25)

Where would we be without our hoops? These chunky earrings wear well with any trendy spring outfit.

Cropped Knit Sweater ($49)

Cotton and wool blend together to form this warm sweater that you can throw on for cooler spring evenings. It comes in eight different colors, so you can pick your mood.

1. Classic Paczki

First off, let’s start with a description of what Paczki actually ARE. They’re not dissimilar to a jelly donut, but they’re made from an even richer deep-fried dough spun from eggs, sugar, fat, yeast, and milk.

2. Soft on the Outside, Sweet on the Inside

Paczki are traditionally stuffed with fruit or cream fillings, ranging from sweet to uber sugary (savory flavors need not apply). Some of the most traditional fillings include plum and rosehip jam.

3. Don’t Skip on the Filling

These Paczki are PACKED with delicious filling. The filling itself is sweet and gooey, while the dough is coated in a light, flakey, sugary glaze. Um, yes please.

4. Chocolate on Top

Perhaps less traditional than some, these tasty Paczki are drizzled with a sweet and chocolatey glaze. Conventionally, they’re glazed with a sugary, citrusy finishing.

5. NOT Sugar-Free

These bad boys are rolled in a crystal coating of white sugar. They’re decidedly NOT for dieters. Bring on the sweetness!

6. Stack ’em Up

Paczki on Paczki on Paczki. Need we say more?

7. Bun Basket

Bring your neighbor a friendly basket of delicious homemade Paczki. It’ll be a total throwback to simpler times, and your neighbor will not be able to resist the pull of that super-powdery confectioners’ sugar on top.

8. Ready for Glaze

So THIS is how they do it. These pastries are piping hot and fresh from the oven, and they’re ready for a delicious vanilla glaze.

9. Real Fruit and Nutella Paczki

To mix things up, why not try incorporating fresh fruit and/or Nutella into your otherwise traditional Paczki? Case in point: These AH-mazing looking dough balls.

10. Apricot Dreams

You can barely tell from the pic, but these Paczki are actually stuffed with delicious apricot preserves. In fact, you can feel free to use jam or preserves from whatever fruit you like, from strawberries to blackberries and beyond.

11. Cousins in Sweetness

Paczki and donuts are basically cousins when it comes to the family tree of desserts. Both deep-fried, often filled, and usually glazed, they’re truly the stuff of sweet dreams.

When's the best time to do holiday shopping?

The best time to do holiday shopping really all depends on your personal shopping goals. Do you want to get a jump on items you know will sell out soon? Do you want to save the most money possible? Do you want to focus on handmade, personalized gifts? These factors will undoubtedly influence your holiday shopping schedule.

Shopping early can be advantageous for all of the aforementioned goals. A lot of retailers start promoting their holiday products early on, giving you ample time to snatch up that limited-time lip kit or fancy water bottle you’ve been eyeing way before the holidays.

Plus, some of the best deals for holiday shopping happen ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – in 2023, Experian observed a surge in early spending in October, thanks to early discounts, a trend likely to continue in 2024.

Finally, shopping early can be especially helpful if your plan is to focus on handmade or personalized gifts, giving the artisan you buy from (or yourself, if you’re DIY-ing your gifts) plenty of time to craft the item with love and care.

Gallup reported in 2023 that one in four shoppers start shopping as early as September, a trend likely to continue in 2024 – so you might already be embarking on your shopping spree!

If right now is just still too darn early for you to start holiday shopping, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the best times to shop since so many retailers offer their largest discounts of the entire year. Plus, the late November-early December timeline can feel a bit more appropriate for the gifting season opposed to late October-early November, when everyone’s still recovering from Halloween.

The only thing to consider during this time is the shipping timelines for the items you purchase – but most retailers will typically advise their specific shipping schedules, so you don’t risk your goodies arriving late.

Where should I shop for gifts?

You have three main options when it comes to where to shop for holiday gifts: online, in-store, and via our amazing gift guides. Of course, each method has its advantages and disadvantages.

Shopping in-store offers a tangible experience: the opportunity to hold specific items in your hands and gauge exactly what they’ll be like when you give them as a gift. The pitfall with shopping in-person is that it typically requires a commute and journeys through potentially very busy malls and shopping strips, which can add to the already-stressful holiday experience.

In-store shopping can be more physically exhausting, but it’s all about preference! Sometimes strolling through the stores that get all dolled up for Christmas is the best part of the season.

Per Google, 65% of those planning to shop for the holidays say they will shop online more. Shopping for gifts online can be super helpful since you can centralize your findings in your browser’s bookmark tab or via virtual cart(s). Plus, shopping online can pose more opportunities for saving some money: lots of retailers typically offer discount codes for online users, especially if you sign up for their digital marketing channels (like email and text) and make a purchase.

Shopping online isn’t just shopping, either. The internet can be a stellar research tool to help you vet whether certain products are worth it, where they can be bought, and when they’ll be available. In fact, Google reported that more than half of U.S. holiday shoppers who went into a store last year say they looked up product reviews online and/or located an item in-store by checking it online.

Last but not least, scrolling gift guides has to be our favorite place to shop for gifts – and not just because we write and publish them.

At their very core, gift guides help streamline the holiday shopping process, alleviating the stress that bubbles up when you’re wondering what the heck to shop for in the first place. Our gift guides are backed by real people, real experiences, and real opinions from our editorial team. We only promote products that we really love and believe in, oftentimes ones we’ve tested and reviewed ourselves.

We have gift guides for just about everyone on your list, with more on the way! Check ‘em out:

• Gifts for Him
• Gifts for Her
• Gifts for Foodies
• DIY + Handmade Gifts
• White Elephant Gifts
• Gift Sets

What are the best kinds of gifts to give?

The best kinds of gifts to give are thoughtful gifts that consider the giftee’s interests, wants, and needs. These gifts can be sentimental, practical, or both simultaneously. What matters most in a gift is that it’ll be meaningful to them past just the holiday season, whether it’s helping them get through daily tasks, reminding them of a memorable trip or event, or giving them small doses of joy.

“Shoppers are increasingly looking for personalized and unique gifts that reflect the recipient's personality and interests,” says Mia Anderson, Owner of ChicSew. “With the rise of online shopping, many consumers are opting for curated gift boxes or experiences that add a special touch.”

Gift boxes, personalized items, books of interest, self-care goodies, and even gift cards can all be thoughtful gifts depending on the recipient. If you have no clue what your giftee is into, it’s not a bad idea to ask them what they want the most!

“My idea of a great gift is something that is in tandem with the recipient's interest and offers something new to the person, be it learning a new skill, enjoying a calming activity, or simply spending quality time with the family,” says Alfred Christ, Sales Manager & Marketer at Robotime. “This season, we encourage shoppers to shift their focus on quality and the memories their gifts will create and not just merely material aspects.”

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday is always the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, Black Friday lands on November 29.

When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is typcally the Monday after Thanksgiving. This year, Cyber Monday will land on December 2. Oftentimes, retailers and brands extend their online offers through the week (coined Cyber Week) after the event. Salesforce reported that 67% of shoppers in 2024 plan on shopping during Cyber Week!