Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 24, 1991 TAG: 9103220288
SECTION: SPRING FASHION PAGE: E-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
With charismatic colors like taxicab yellow, tangerine and acid green in everything from suits to sportswear, it promises to be a bold and saucy season.
"The best feeling that I can get for spring is that it's not timid for the most part," says Gayle Stephens, owner of G.G. MaGann, a shop on the Roanoke City Market. "It's full of a lot of sass and color.
"You've got color jolts of hot orange, yellow, pinks, greens . . . a lot of white, and to add to all those, prints," she says.
"We see a nice resurgence of beautiful blues, fuchsia, hot pink, lime green," says E.I. Randle president Diana Vaughan.
"And the mixture of those colors is new with color blocking. I think the customer is ready for that - I think she's hungry for color, and the industry has responded to that."
Brights are touted as the dominant shades of spring by retailers and fashion experts in Southwest Virginia and around the country. But you're not a fashion failure if you seek the subdued. Designers and clothing manufacturers are offering enough color choices this season to catch the most discerning eye.
Fashionable tones range "from very bright colors - orange, yellow, aqua - to a very subtle color scheme," says Peggy Lyons, special events coordinator for Thalhimers stores in Roanoke and Lynchburg.
Those softer hues include slate blue, understated brick and Creamsicle orange.
It's an entirely different collection of spring colors, she adds. "They're not pastels and they're not brights. They're very attractive," she says.
Lisa Williams, special events coordinator for Roanoke's Leggett stores, talks about a rainbow of colors for spring: whites from ivory to ecru; sea foam, coral and other shades of the sea; classic red, white and navy; and vibrant mustard, mango, orchid and emerald.
Of course, buying a whole new wardrobe in fashionable colors is beyond most budgets. But you can take a practical approach by purchasing pieces to complement and update outfits you already own.
For instance, instead of the beige-and-black sweater you wore with last season's short black skirt, try a hot-pink jacket or a conversation-print blouse.
"It works very nicely for these beautiful colors to come our way because everybody has invested in black," Vaughan says. "You can really add to your wardrobe with the freshness of color."
Color creates excitement when paired with wardrobe basics in beige, black or white. "Blazing brights, such as tangerine, citron yellow and vivid pink, add punch to the neutrals," she says.
by CNB