Fashion’s Spring Back
Green hills. Blue skies.
We don’t need a calendar to tell us when spring weather arrives, and neither do the clothing stores. So it’s goodbye to bulky sweaters, dark jackets and other winter wear and welcome to light fabrics, pastels and neons and clothes that flow and shimmer.
Stores are turning from those cozy clothes that cover and hide every bump and blemish to items that are sleeveless, tightfitting or free-spirited. So free-spirited, in fact, that some bring to mind spring clothes you might have had hanging in your closet a couple of decades ago.
“Basically what we have for spring is retro--a look back at the ‘70s--without the bell bottoms,” said clothes buyer Karin Speights of Robert’s Fashions and Coiffures in Oxnard.
The fashions this spring are refined, flowing and feminine in pastels, bright or neutral colors. Denim is important for mixing and matching and, as usual, there is a lot of white in the spring lines, she said.
At Robinsons-May, at The Oaks and Pacific View malls, Liz Claiborne’s spring embroidered denim jeans for $79 are an obvious reminder of days gone by, as are Karen Scott tops in pastels, bold reds, bright oranges and--whoever thought these would come back?--horizontal stripes.
Those tops, which give the illusion of making the wearer look wider, could have stayed in the past. But the peasant dress and shirt are welcome sights with their feminine bodices and puffy sleeves.
Marsh Landing offers stretch flower-print Capris made of cotton for $43. Coordinated solid-color tops run $25.
At Chico’s at the Pacific View Mall, assistant manager Maria Roberts says linen--in a variety of colors--and Asian-style clothing should be popular this spring.
Her personal favorite is an Oriental-style long dress made of 100% silk. It is sleeveless and lightweight. The flowered, charcoal-colored dress costs $76, she said.
“It’s elegant and versatile,” said Roberts.
The store also has linen Capri pants, with and without drawstrings, that are very comfortable and look good on any shape, she said. They sell for about $58.
“Capri pants look good on short legs, long legs, fat legs, skinny legs,” said Roberts.
Casual jackets with hoods are good for cruises and are a handy item to have in a wardrobe, along with tank tops that come in a variety of styles, she said. The jackets sell for $76, and tank tops range from $20 to $30.
Mahogany Grajczak, manager of Cache in The Oaks mall, said burnt orange is a particularly popular color this season.
And, as in the ‘70s, there are plenty of sequins and beaded fringe decorating the animal print outfits.
According to assistant manager Morgan Zolfaghari, snakeskin prints in brown tones are hot. A snakeskin-printed top costs $98, and a matching skirt is $148.
Lowriding, lightweight denim pants in white with a burnt orange and green floral print cost $148.
At Ames, also in The Oaks, the trendy colors are peach, light blue, purple, pink and hot pink.
Oriental-style shirts with sheer backs sell for about $68. Clingy knit tops go for $98 and come in a variety of colors and styles including tank, off the shoulder and sleeveless turtlenecks, head cashier Siobhan O’Brien said.
Straight pants with buttons down the side also come in many colors and sell for $68, she said.
“The sweaters and wool suits are gone,” O’Brien said.
Nancy Needham writes a weekly consumer column and can be reached at nancy.needham@reporters.net.
