It’s barely January, which means that the shops are stocked with cruisewear and the strange seasonal hybridity of bridge lines. Last week, my brother’s girlfriend and I stopped by Ann Taylor Loft to find it awash in nautical blues and brash stripes; all stuff I like, but nothing that satisfies either current climatic reality here in the northern hemisphere or my severe jones for flowers and fragrance and sunshine and springtime.

I know it’s too early to be shopping in earnest for the season to come – after all, it’s only officially been winter for less than three weeks – but it’s a perfect time to look ahead at what’s coming down ye olde pipe and try to plan. First, an obligatory look at the official Pantone palette for Spring, 2012:

Margarita, Cockatoo, and Sweet Lilac satisfy my craving for soft candy color; Cabaret is a hot pink right up my colorsense alley, while Sodalite Blue in conjunction with rich greens would scratch my itch for midcentury sofa prints and lucite grape lamps. Sodalite is more cobalty than your standard January navy, it looks like.

Retailers like Torrid appear to be jumping on the the orange bandwagon with their new Sweet Escape cruise collection, though I can’t quite tell if they’ve used spring’s Tangerine Tango or a softer tone like last season’s Emberglow.

Heartbreaker Fashion – one of my favorite brands – is offering a number of its timeless pieces in a sage print reminiscent of Pantone’s Margarita, a mod drink-themed pattern (“Happy Hour”) that utilizes several bold colors reminiscent of this season’s palette, and a navy “Orbit” theme that seems to shade toward Sodalite Blue. You can check these out at their spring lookbook.

I’m hoping to pick up some more Heartbreaker separates (like this Stripey Marilyn Tee)  in the coming months, as they’re pretty much amazing. At a recent clearance sale, I purchased their Gretta Top in a rich beige color that they had discontinued. The fabric is substantial, which makes for a great shape. More, it perfectly matches my Heartbreaker Gypsy Skirt in Dandelion print.

Deadly Dames (Pinup Girl Clothing) will be rolling out both sleek and fluffy silhouettes in feminine hues and prints, most of which don’t follow the seasonal color pack. That, however, is part of why I like Deadly Dames. In fact, the parade of awesome winter-to-spring stuff from designer Micheline Pitt begins this weekend with the much-anticipated Je T’Adore Dress in four colorways. I’ve ordered it in the “Victorian Rose” pattern, which suits my springtime floral craving to a T. I tend to ride the line on the hip measurement in their largest size, so keep your fingers crossed that it fits!

Coming later are the Courtesan Swing Dress, available in a black/white gingham and the Victorian Rose pictured above (I want the gingham!), and the L’Amor dress, which I hope to get in the black with white polka-dot colorway. You can see advance images of the collection at Micheline’s Facebook fanpage.

The satin Mon Cheri Dress, from the Fall Deadly Dames line, comes in colors from the same palette. I purchased the dress in the mauve colorway, which is a breathtaking antique pink. It’s got just the right amount of gold to make it right for autumn, yet it’s soft enough to carry you through the winter into spring. If it weren’t lined or sleeved, I’d want to wear it in summer, too!

Anyway, it’s what I’m wearing to a party tonight! This is their 2x; except for the arms, I could have handled the xl. Even a little big, it still looks good. I particularly love the black velvet belt!