Runway Looks for the Real World: Spring Fashion for Less

Feb. 19, 2010 — -- As New York Fashion Week packs it in and the industry's elite jet to London to watch more models strut down more runways, you might be wondering:

What was all the fuss about, anyway? What trends are "in"? What am I being told to buy?

Don't worry about it just yet. Despite the fact that one of America's most publicized Fashion Weeks happened at the end of winter, the clothes and trends it showcased actually won't hit stores until fall. We're on the verge of spring. Let's talk about what to wear now.

Below, a roundup of the coming season's high-fashion trends and low-cost ways to work them into your wardrobe:

If Lady Gaga can do it, so can you. Underwear turns outerwear this spring as corsets, stockings, bustiers, and bandeau bras burst into daylight. Christian Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier went with va-va-voom interpretations of the trend on the runway, while "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks modeled a more Victorian style for New York Magazine's spring fashion issue.