This year has been a great year in fashion trends. Red has been important, which I love. You simply cannot beat a lovely red dress, and for those of you who had smashingly awesome sweet sixteen parties, you rocked those lovely little red dresses. But what about next year? What trends are in store for 2012 in the must-have dresses on your special sweet sixteen?

Animal prints come and go, always have. But 2012 mainly focuses on wildcat prints, like cheetah and leopard on sweet 16 dresses. Done right, they can be very classy. Done wrong, and you may end up looking like your grandfather’s den carpet during one of the best days of your life. But don’t worry. The key to pulling off these awesomely wild prints is simplicity. Keep it simple! Accents and details with animal print are usually safe, and avoid mixing one print with another. But, the best way to set off your wild print on your sweet 16 dress is to pair it with our next trend for 2012- Jewel-tone blue.

You know the blue I’m talking about. It’s the kind of blue you see once in a great while in a cute guy’s eyes. It’s clear and bright. It’s not too dark and not too light. It looks like those clear blue perfect Caribbean waters you see in photographs (or maybe you’ve seen them in real life, lucky you!). And sure, it’s also the color of that perfect sapphire that any girl would fall in love with. The reason this color works so well with animal prints like cheetah and leopard is, they cleverly set each other off. Their color palettes are complimentary- the primary oranges in the animal prints and the clarity of the blue work perfectly together.
Here are some ideas to try when figuring out your sweet 16 wardrobe in the next coming year.

• Try pulling off a Kim Kardashian-esque animal print short dress tunic with some bright blue heels. This is a good combo if you’ve got great legs and don’t mind wearing heels throughout your entire party. This look is fresh and fun, and a little wild.

• If you’re more into formal sweet sixteen dresses, pick out a really lovely long blue ball gown, something without a lot of detail. Try cinching the waist of your simple lovely dress with an animal print waist belt.

• If you want a mini dress, a simple animal print mini paired with matching black heels would be classy, especially if you add a chunky, light blue accessory- like a necklace or a bracelet. You could even try some light blue feather earrings.

So, for 2012, don’t forget to cool down your hot and wild animal prints with a cool jewel-tone blue on your sweet 16. Not only will you be the envy of the party, you’ll also be giving your friends a good fashion lesson too!