At this point in life, I’m not a globetrotter or a jetsetter (more like a renter and bill payer). And, while I can’t indulge in African safaris or Australian walkabouts, I can splurge on some wardrobe pieces worthy of a world traveler.

That’s why I am absolutely in L-O-V-E with this season’s tribal trend. With all of the turquoise, gems, beads, leather and lace-up detail in today’s grouping of sandals from Piperlime, what’s not to love about tribal-inspired footwear?

Instead of going all out with a tribal-print maxi dress, dip your pretty toes into this trend with subtle tribal touches in your footwear. The embellishments in these ethnic sandals certainly pop, but the neutral colors and small doses of dazzling pattern keep this look oh-so-wearable.

Yes, I know. You’re the kind of lady who likes to buy one pair of standard black or brown flip flops and call it spring. But isn’t spring all about rebirth? Ditch the plain-Jane, standard slip-ons and breathe some life into your typical warm-weather shoe selection.

All of these lovelies can be scored at Piperlime for less than $80 (well, except for the first splurge-worthy pair—I couldn’t help myself!):

1. Elizabeth and James Blair Sandal in Black Suede: This pair is the priciest in the bunch, but aren’t they dreamy? Those ankle cuffs are absolutely dripping in 360 degrees of gems—we’re talking gorgeous, chunky stones from back to front and around again.

2. Very Volatile Fireworks Sandal: Ideal for those who don’t want too much tribal in their tribal trend, these gladiator-inspired sandals are so perfectly neutral. But don’t let the palate fool you. With an intricate basket-weave detail and lovely lace-up cuffs, these sandals are far from bland.

3. Charles by Charles David Motif Flat Sandal: I’m a sucker for a good red and turquoise color pairing. These multi-colored t-straps are everything a great statement necklace should be: enviably bold and irresistibly alluring. Consider them all the below-the-knee jewelry you’ll ever need.

4. RJ Girl Lilac Sandal: With the wooden beads and sparkling silver details, these sandals are all about natural beauty. They’re also the cheapest among today’s tribal selection, but would you have guessed it if I hadn’t spilled all? Didn’t think so.

5. Chocolat Blu Noa Sandal: Love the shimmery beading and sequins. Heart the intermittent shocks of coral stones. But I want to marry the elasticized heel panels. After all, what’s the fun in a striking sandal that makes you squeal with the “I haven’t broken these in yet” type of misery?

Remember when your mother would buy you bright, frilly dresses to celebrate each Easter Sunday? Oh, yes, there was lace and puffy layers of tulle or cotton and, without a doubt, more pastel hues than you’d find in an Easter egg dying kit. If you were anything like me, you bore a certain resemblance to frosted cupcakes and spent most of your egg-hunting time twirling and spinning to make all the aforementioned layers dance about you.

Don’t you miss that just a smidge? I do. So why should those wee versions of ourselves have all of the fun come Easter Sunday? After all, as grown women, we can no longer expect the joy that is the big basket filled with plastic grass, Peeps, jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and other sugary delights. But that doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in the girlie fun that comes with the Easter dress.

This year, why not splurge on an airy, feminine number that you can happily don on Easter and then keep in rotation throughout spring and summer? There is still plenty of time to order one of these lookers from Bluefly.com. Pick the right one and, come Easter Sunday, you’ll be swirling and making nice with a whole flock of Peeps faster than you can say “sugar high.”

1. Benny Crochet Detail Dress by Joie, Bluefly.com: One glance at this porcelain-colored, crinkled silk chiffon dress was all I needed to start dreaming of spring breezes. Perhaps it’s because the light layers of this confection just seem to float weightlessly. The ruffle trim on the neckline and the crochet detailing add some special, unexpected touches, and the thin tiers make it perfect for layering. Wear it now with tights and later over your swimsuit poolside.

2. Cotton Fairytale Flowers Dress by French Connection, Bluefly.com: The Easter dresses of my girlhood were all about the floral prints. Rather than going for a look that would mirror the fashion choices of the doll-carrying set, why not opt for something a little more grown up? The teal, navy and olive florals on this dress have a certain dark, mysterious quality—like roses with the thorns. Ideal for ladies who wouldn’t dare be caught in a perfectly pink floral print.

3. Gloria Strapless Dress by Corey Lynn Calter, Bluefly.com: One Easter, my parents decided to forgo the snack-filled Easter basket in lieu of a tetherball set that my father made for me. Needless to say, I was beside myself with glee, praising the Easter Bunny for my good fortune. Discovering this dot-printed silk georgette dress made me feel the same way—blissful and buzzing to show off the object of my obsession.

4. Light Blue Floating Lotus Ruffle Dress by Marc by Marc Jacobs, Bluefly.com: The pastel blues, pinks and yellows you may recall from your egg-hunting days have been subtly muted and refined in this lovely lotus print from Marc by Marc Jacobs. The flowers themselves look as if they were hand-brushed onto a canvas—in this case, cotton voile with a striped pattern. This dress is the perfect feminine foil for some chunky leather or suede platform sandals.

Wouldn’t it be dreamy if you discovered a weathered trunk—let’s say in your grandmother’s attic—that held the most breathtaking antiqued lace pretties? The kind of pieces that are just begging for you to breathe life into them. I experienced a similar thrill of discovery when my eyes fell upon these heirloom lace tops in the “new vintage” section of Piperlime.com.

These tops, of course, are not freebie finds or pretty hand-me-downs, but they do have a certain heirloom charm, don’t you think?

Lace is just so delicate and sweet, which makes it hard to resist when (like me) you’re completely enamored of all things feminine. The trick to making such girlie pieces work is in the styling. It’s best to keep the other elements of your outfit simple, grounded and a little tough. After all, lace has a lot of gorgeous detail all on its own.

How to Work a Lace Look
To ensure that your lace-kissed ensemble isn’t too prissy and pristine, gravitate to items that are earthy and not overtly frilly. Add a lace top to worn jeans, perhaps your favorite pair of beat-up boyfriend jeans rolled carelessly above the ankles. Toss in a pair of teetering wood wedges or strappy leather thong sandals. And, to allow the lace to hold its feminine reign, opt for jewelry that isn’t too precious. (Think slightly tough gold chains layered around your neck, wooden bangles or a chunky stone ring.)

Thanks to the airy nature of this look, these lace tops are ideal for your spring social calendar. Slip on a lace tank and let it peek out from beneath a blazer at work and ditch the cover-up for dinner.  And can’t you picture some of these pieces slipped on poolside over a bikini then coupled with skinny jeans and some sky-high platforms for drinks?

Where to Nab These Picks
You can get your pretty little hands on each of these lace looks at Piperlime.com, which by the way is the home of free shipping and free returns. (Yes, that’s true—pinkie promise!) Just imagine yourself donning a top that is the epitome of creamy, soft perfection and click away. I’m partial to the clay-colored Beyond Vintage number with the lace panels and scalloped sleeves—not to mention the ivory LnA racerback tank—but as always, it’s to each her own.

1. Sophia Floral Lace Top in Ivory, Beyond Vintage.
2. Lace Top with Camisole in Clay, Beyond Vintage.
3. Chloe Lace Top in Natural, Sanctuary.
4. Flower Lace Tie Waist Top in Ivory, Beyond Vintage.
5. All Over Lace Top in Ivory, Beyond Vintage.
6. Lace Racerback Tank in Ivory, LnA.

When Kate Spade’s clothing collection debuted in the fall, you may recall how I fawned over every piece, cooing and blabbing about how her designs are kissed with oh-so-much retro charm and wit. Well, prepare yourselves for the sequel.

I dropped by Kate Spade’s site the other day, and boy, are you all in for a sweet surprise. Not only is her Spring 2010 line just as chockfull of cheery prints, bright colors and plenty of vintage sass, but it’s also presented with unprecedented amounts of panache. That’s the thing about Kate Spade: Just when you think you couldn’t engage in any more swoon sessions over her artistry and playful take on fashion, she reveals something new—and you fall even harder.

Yes, I did fawn over Spade’s new spring styles, which included energizing doses of lemony yellow, lots of pop-tastic stripes and even a polka dot dress that rivals the pink-dotted number that Cher rocked in Mermaids (remember that sweet number?). But I also couldn’t stop ogling the genius product shots found in the “3 Ways to Wear Five of Our Favorites for Spring” feature.

When you have a moment—and when you feel particularly prepared to experience true happiness—give Spade’s new spring web feature a little looksy. As you move your mouse over each sunny shot, you’ll find a slideshow with ideas for how to style each piece. Aside from inspiration, you’ll find snapshots of tickets from the fare, sightseeing accoutrements, shiny pinwheels and plenty of goodness to chase away the winter blahs.

While you’re at the Kate Spade site, you may want to pry your eyes away from all of this merriment to nab a few pieces from her new collection. I certainly have my eye on a few springtime musts. (Okay, I have my eye on each and every piece in the line—from the shoes in happy shades to the one umbrella that could make me yearn for spring showers.)

Despite much difficulty in narrowing down the field, these pieces sit atop my (very long) Kate Spade wish list:

1. Soda Fountain Stripe Ivy Car Coat: Every girl needs a spring coat, something to take her from bleary winter days to cool spring nights. This car coat has the perfect shape and silhouette for frolicking through fields of budding flowers—or just trotting about the land of cubicles.

2. Kate Spade Umbrella: April showers might bring May flowers, but the joyful stripes in this rainbow-print umbrella are bright enough to encourage even the shyest of blossoms to come out and play.

3. Charm City Ostrich Maryanne Tote: I’ve always shied away from purples and plums in my wardrobe, lest I call to mind visions of a certain singing dinosaur. But I think I’ve been wrong all along. Looking at this leather, bow-bedecked tote, I can only think of purple iris blooms—and how many file folders, notebooks, bottles of water and so on that I could stuff inside of this roomy bag.

4. Connect Four Reina Dress: Here it is, the aforementioned unbelievably-better-than-the-perfectly-retro-polka-dotted number that Cher wore while flitting from scene to scene in Mermaids. The confetti-like spots are strewn throughout this print with a certain devil-may-care attitude, which lends a lighthearted spirit to this polished silk douppioni dress.

5. Kellie Too Heels: What will it be: tootsies swathed in mustard, cobalt or orange? These crinkle patent heels are available in all three shades, but as I’m casting my vote for the end of winter bleakness, the sunny shade is a must.

6. Pass the Shades Cotton Scarf: I may be wishing winter away, but not without mourning the impending retirement of my too-thick-for-warmer-weather scarves. Luckily, this luxe cotton scarf is light enough to survive the seasonal transition. Plus, with the splash of multi-colored sunglasses, prints don’t get much more playful than this. Quintessential Kate Spade, quintessential cuteness.

(Photos: Kate Spade)

Raise your hand if you can’t resist a sale rack. Okay, now keep it raised if you go a little weak in the knees for fashion superstar Marc Jacobs and his “I’ve searched every vintage store to bring you the absolute best in retro chic” designs.

Everyone still have their hands up? We predicted as much, which is why we’re scooting a little closer to pass along secrets of a can’t miss sale: 40 percent off all Marc by Marc Jacobs, the designer’s diffusion line, at Bluefly.com. (Be still, our hearts: Some pieces are discounted even further.)

If our mothers hadn’t taught us to share and share alike, we would be in our right, fashionable minds to keep this little money-saving morsel to ourselves. After all, we’ve already gasped at ominous warning signs reading “Only 1 left” appearing below the site’s listings for cropped jackets, ruffled dresses and the like.

You see, this sale has already begun, and we can hear the clock tick-tocking—not to mention the girlie, vintage-inspired Marc by Marc Jacobs pieces calling to us from the Bluefly pages. “Pick me, pick me!” they say. “You’ll never be able to afford me otherwise. And weren’t you just saying that you need more airy dresses, gauzy cardigans and light tops to round out your spring wardrobe?”

Yes, we hear you. We may have to resign ourselves to longing and yearning for many of the pieces that you send down the runway, Marc Jacobs. But these…these, we can afford.

So, to the yellow cotton jumper and the jungle-print tunic we say, “We’ve already sent for you. Soon you will climb into a box and travel to your new home. The trip may be dark and scary, but we have cleared a nice, warm place for you in our closets. You’ll never be unworn or unloved again. Pinkie promise.”

Marc by Marc Jacobs pieces featured here, from the left:

1. Admiral Blue Jersey “In the Clouds” Ruffle Trim Tank
2. Light Buff Stripe Silk “Nieve” V-Neck Cardigan
3. Normandy Blue Silk-Cotton “Jungle Love” Tunic
4. Yellow Stripe Cotton Button Front Romper
5. Talc Streamers Printed Cotton Twill Dress

(Image: Elizabeth Ulrich for Extrabux)