The hottest style this season is Retro Princess. Clean, tucked in, nice lines, classy, and pretty. Think Grace Kelly (right), as well as Audrey Hepburn and Kate Moss in their effortless chic.

Being a Retro Princess does not mean ball gowns and sparkly eyeshadow. Real princesses are businesswomen. They wear neat skirts, pants and professional blouses with demure and exquisite accessories as they meet with dignitaries and discuss how much money to give to the orphanages. They can also rock an evening in an old-Hollywood dress so well that people build statuettes. The look celebrates each day for its own importance; whether it be "date with a handsome suitor" or "finally a day I can relax at the coffee shop in jeans." Every ensemble is purposeful, luxurious, and secretly a little playful.

Best of all, Retro Princess is a look than can be emulated for cheap. Here are some basic rules:


1. Clean makeup. Makeup is only to make you look pretty. No "dramatic" anything. Retro Princesses look clean, radiant, glowing, and pretty.

2. Understated. Put away your Mardi Gras beads. Everything you wear is elegant and never out-shines the person wearing it. Domesticate thyself a little.

3. Sexy. Femininity is key for this look. Clothing should have a waist or at least some leg; it's okay to show off one thing. The Retro Princess knows how to use her god-given powers. She adorns herself accordingly.

4. Detailed. What keeps the Retro Princess a cut above the clean-cut rabble is the pretty details. Think a necklace so finely-crafted it hurts to look at it up close, the way the sleeves are cuffed, the loveliness of the print.

5. Smooth, shiny hair. Tame it. Like with your clothing, you have everything under your perfect, precise and exacting control, and you make it look like it just happened magically.

That should get you started. I'll be posting great Retro Princess finds all spring long!