THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603160061
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIM WADSWORTH, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
PUTTING ON GREEN for St. Patrick's Day today? Don't put it away tomorrow.
Green has emerged as the shade of the moment. Designers are offering it up in shades named as if they were meant to be eaten, not worn: avocado, pea, kiwi, mint.
Call it lime time.
Of all the colors, green is the one we associate most with nature,says Leatrice Eiseman of the Pantone Color Institute, and that's where designers are getting their inspiration.
In seasons past, though, green has done poorly, designer Nicole Miller notes.
``I always try to bring green back, yet in 20 years of designing, I've only seen two or three years when it has really sold.''
Locally, it's moving now. Store owners say fashions in green barely alight on racks before they're out the door.
``Last year we offered merchandise in chartreuse and lime, and much of it ended up on the sale rack,'' says Debbie Carr, owner of Cage in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
``This year, thanks to the shift in trends and a boost by the media, we can't keep anything in the green family in stock.''
Still, green isn't always easy to wear. It can make some women look sallow.
Redheads are most flattered by the color, Eiseman says, but all black women and white women with auburn or dark hair also wear it well.
For others, changing makeup tones can help. ``Put more blush on your cheeks and wear your lipstick a little brighter than normal,'' Eiseman advises.
Another option is to select blue-based greens, such as teal or aquamarine. ``There's no mistake you can make with blue-greens,'' Eiseman says. ``They are flattering to every kind of skin and hair color.''
For those who try it, lime green is a color that invites depth of thought and feeling, maintains author Tori Hartman in ``Fabulous You'' (Berkely Books, 1996), her latest book about personal style.
Because it is considered an emotional color, she argues, it is inappropriate for executives.
Even for others, a little goes a long way. Maybe just a stretch headband or a pair of high-heeled suede shoes are that are needed.
When wearing more than one piece, go for a ``salad effect'': Mix the greens.
``We tried combining things that we didn't expect would work,'' Miller says. ``The mint with avocado was unexpected and looked fresh. Your gut reaction is it looks cool, because you've never seen it before.''
Lime green's effect will be softer when mixed with aqua or pink. Some designers are combining grass-green with orange or electric blue, a nod to the 1960s.
Bright green can go to the office with navy. Dark greens such as olive and pine look businesslike on their own.
But don't wear green if you're looking for money, caution Mary Spillane and Christine Sherlock in ``Color Me Beautiful's Looking Your Best'' (Madison Books, 1995, $14.95).
``Research has proven,'' they say, ``that even for Greenpeace people will either bolt past you or give you lame excuses for not donating.'' MEMO: The Associated Press contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Lyuba Shur, left, wears various shades of lime. Designed by
Christian Ilinares, the jacket is $275; the skirt, $143. Both from
Mansour in Virginia Beach. Lisa Renee wears spandex jeans in
chartreuse by Votre Nom, $163, paired with limeade cotton knot tank
by Belford, $80. Both available at Cage in Virginia Beach.
Location courtesy CHURCHPOINT MANOR HOUSE INN, Virginia Beach.
Fashion coordination by WADSWORTH STYLE. Hair and makeup by
BODYWAVES.
by CNB