Spring is here! Shed the heavy clothes, the blacks, grays, and browns of the winter months, and bring out the warm weather wardrobe! As the Converse sign proclaims, “The color is here, the heat is coming.” Spring/summer fashion 2008 in Madrid is all about color, color, color.

For the women out there, the racks are filled with canary yellow, electric green, and royal blue. Cuts and styles are similar to 2007, but the flowing tops are a little more fitted and the jeans are starting to widen again. Update your staples from last year’s closet by mixing a flowing yellow top with fitted jeans or a cropped jacket over a bright red flowered sundress. Even the accessories come in Crayola colors, so ring in the spring while still wearing your winter coat by picking up a bright scarf or belt.

The guys shouldn’t stick just to neutrals either, but the colors are slightly more demure than your female counterparts. But you’ll still find tons of colors on the shelves — particularly among the t-shirts, polos, and checked work shirts. Mix in just a little color (grass green, muted yellow, and purple are among the hot tones for 2008) with your work suits and pants to modernize your look. For the weekend, you’ll find lots of cargo pants in stores this year, too, to which the perfect addition is a colorful belt.

The shoes this year are all about color and comfort. Ladies, the flats of last year are still in fashion. Add to that the stacked heels and wedges of this season (all in the same bright colors) and you’re ready to strut the streets. Men’s shoes for work stick with the same lines as last year, but weekend shoes mimic the colors of spring. Play shoes are all about the hip athletic line — Converse and Vans reign the shop windows.

And now that you’ve got the right duds, you’ll surely reign Madrid this season!