The colours for summer 2009 teen fashions are vibrant on one hand and classic on the other.

Turquoise is the latest shade of blue to make a hit, showing up in everything, including tankinis, hats and scarves.

Bright fuchsia is the year’s hottest pink. Combine turquoise and fuchsia and you’ve got an eye-popping, traffic-stopping outfit that could come straight off the runway.

On the more laid-back fashion scene, navy is turquoise’s hot blue cousin. Whether in a jacket or a swim cover, if it’s navy blue it’s going to be in demand.

Brown is another of summer’s main colours. From handbags to formals, brown continues to be the “new” black for fashion.

Coming in the middle of the two colour extremes is purple. From deep, royal purples fit for princesses the world over, to more subtle shades of violet, purple stands in the gap, offering you choices that can either be vibrant and bright or laid-back and classic.

PRINTS

Prints are big and bold this season.

Paisley is a popular choice on everything – tops, skirts, dresses, bed linens, purses, and even sunglasses with paisley swoops on the ear pieces. And the bigger the paisley the better, it would seem.

Stripes are on the move again as well. And not just any stripe, but big, bold, wide stripes in big, bold colours.

Brown and turquoise stripes can be seen racing on T-shirts. Big stripes of vibrant purples and fuchsias are marching their way across skirts, skorts and shorts.

Not so big, but no less bold, polka dots of every hue can be found on items as varied as dresses fit for Sunday dinner at Grandma’s to socks so cool your feet will never be the same.

For those of you who prefer your dots big, a few designers have taken the plunge to create dresses and longer skirts.

Plaids are making a noise, too. Everything from this summer’s tube tops to next winter’s wool coat can be had in plaid. Like their other cousins in the print scene, the bigger the better, with larger checks winning over smaller ones.

STYLES

This summer’s fashions are like watching Miami Vice reruns or Madonna’s breakthrough videos.

It would appear that everything old is new again. The skinnier the jeans, the better – at least for this year’s fashion. (Pegged jeans are even making a comeback, for those who don’t care for the stick-legged look.)

Dresses and skirts are sporting “bubble hems”– wide bands of elastic that hug the thighs, allowing for the rest of the skirt to drape above.

Ruffles and criss-cross draping on blouses and dress bodices would make any Material Girl feel right at home. (Check your mom’s closet – chances are she’s still got one or two of her ruffled blouses hanging around.)

JEWELRY

No outfit is complete without that “perfect touch” and bling is definitely the thing among teen fashion. As with the bolder colours and prints, teen jewelry has gone big, bold and beautiful, too.

Cuff bracelets are in, in a big way. Big, plain cuffs are fine, but sparkly, studded cuffs are better.

Necklaces have also gone bold, with large pendants and beads.

If you don’t like the big look, go for layers. Designers create the effect with smaller chains and strands layered over top each other.

Eco-friendliness and eco-awareness have their place in teen fashion, too. This year’s jewelry features bone, wood and fresh-water pearl, along with natural stone pieces, such as jade, turquoise and onyx.