It's the time of year when winter layers are shed and women everywhere get to cut loose and experiment with whatever wacky styles have been declared in vogue. It's also the time when we -- their straightforward boyfriends and admirers -- take a deep a breath and nod in approval through gritted teeth at ill-advised concoctions, from weird hemlines and nun-like floor-scrapers to strangely located fringe.

If you want to be prepared for the unnecessary affectations you'll be exposed to this spring and summer, check out the gallery below. We've partnered this season's silliness with a few of last year's most unfortunate trends. They continue to hang around for some reason, reinforcing the reality that women dress to impress women, not men.