Dear Answer Angel Ellen: It’s not that I want to follow every trend — since many of them strike me as silly. However, I do so love to look at online fashion sites and even some actual magazines.

But I take many of the trends they write about as strange, been-there-done-that or ridiculously obvious. Which brings me to a headline I saw on vogue.com: “The Naked Manicure Trend Will Be Everywhere This Spring.” I am eager to hear what you think of that one.

--Beatrice (Bea) T.

Dear Bea: Thanks for calling my attention to this story, which I had missed. For starters, I noticed what one of my old school editors calls “an internal contradiction.” The story cites a number of fashionable celebrities who are “eschewing nail polish,” which “has felt like such a step change this awards season. Enter: the naked manicure.” I thought that meant not wearing nail polish at all. But the story actually refers to “choosing a short shape and sheer, glossy topcoat.”

Ah ha!

This trend is actually what we used to call “colorless” or “clear” nail polish. Or, maybe not -- since accompanying photos appear to show celebs wearing no nail polish at all. Whatever. Either clear polish or no polish is always on trend. The vast majority of women wear no polish period for practical or financial reasons.

So, I guess what Vogue is saying is that we don’t really need to invest in the five brush-on nail products accompanying the Vogue story that range from $3 (Sally Hansen) to Chanel’s “Le Gel Coat,” which costs almost 10 times that ($32). Try telling the stars like "Wicked’s" Cynthia Erivo to give up her talon-like nails. Her red carpet nails are sculptural works of art.

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I am hoping you or your readers can recommend a brand or style of bed skirt for use with a bed that does not have a box spring and where the mattress sits directly on the frame. The traditional bed skirt that is sandwiched between the mattress and the box spring just doesn’t stay put with my metal bed frame that is designed for use with just a mattress. It’s so frustrating to attempt tucking in sheets and blankets because the bed skirt just gets tucked in with the sheets or slips around on the metal frame. I almost think it is more trouble than it’s worth, except that I hate the unsightly appearance of the legs on the bed frame and the space under the bed. Is there a good solution to this problem?

--Kris I.

Dear Kris: After a search online I found a few no-box-spring options, which look a bit flimsy and/or too long for your needs. My thinking is a do-it-yourself project with a readily available common bed skirt designed for use between box spring and mattress utilizing Velcro on your metal frame and the inside edges of the fabric base of the traditional bed skirt that normally sits atop the box spring.

If you are reluctant to try that (or don’t have a crafty friend), there’s also the Zinus brand bed skirt designed for the Zinus no-box spring metal bed frame. But it looks like it might work on your metal bed frame too. It is held in place by corner clips and a Velcro/elastic band at the head of the bed. It usually comes in 14-inch, 16-inch and 18-inch drops. Another option is the QSY Home brand Wrap Around Elastic Eyelet Bed Skirt that uses an elastic band with buttons to hold it in place (twin/full, $13.99; queen/king, with an 18.5-inch drop that seems to be too long for you, $25.99.)

Most of the products I found are made to be used with traditional box springs — which you don’t have or want. Readers, help us out here! Have you got a solution for Kris?

Angelic Readers

For reader Joanne who was looking for lightweight summer dresses with sleeves, reader Sylvie suggests Vermont Country Store ( vermontcountrystore.com ) and L.L.Bean ( llbean.com ). Mary Ellen S.: softsurroundings.com. Nancy D.: petallush.com. Sandie D: J.Jill ( j.jill.com ). Marva W.: linticoshop.com; noracora.com. Leslie T. H.: beachhouseswim.com and Joanne G.: ellos.us.

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