Vogue calls 2014“The Year of Dressing Dangerously” and the year when “More is More.” They submit that the keyword of spring collections is “vibrant,” and challenge us to experiment with them and with the trends.

Sadly, so much of what we see from a high-fashion standpoint screams for attention by mixing elements that don’t relate for an overall look. The result shrieks style confusion. The high-fashion look today is, for the most part, high on bad taste. That said, there is still so much to choose from and style with that everyone can have a very “now” look, regardless of age.

Look to Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, and Carlisle for sophisticated yet relevant interpretations of the trends. If you leaf through magazines and mentally replace the head of the model with your own head, you will almost always assume the look is decidedly not for you. In contrast, I can flip through Carlisle’s Spring Lookbook and replace the young model’s faces (like the ones on this page) with those of almost every 60-plus woman I know. It is then that I see that trendy looks can also be ageless.

Finally, remember dressing with style is more about you than it is about the trend. Not every trend will be for you. The best news? There are enough of them out there that you’ll have lots of fun experimenting with new looks.