Tag Archives: Spring

Orange is a Big Color This Spring

If you want to add one color to your wardrobe to add real “zing for Spring” then be sure to add anything orange. Every shade of orange is going to be in fashion whether it be a mandarin, a terracotta, a carrot, an amber, a honey or pumpkin shade.

 

Orange is an interesting color because it speaks of joy, living in in the moment and warmth of spirit. It is a fun color and it survives very nicely through the next two seasons of summer and fall.   If you are buying the color orange in order to wear it through a couple of seasons then it is recommended you go for a brighter or darker orange. The oranges that are paler are more associated with summer. However an orange hue that borders on peach does translated to the office or school very well for fall.

 

Can you expect to see people wearing orange from head to toe this Spring? Yes you can. All kinds of designers sent models down the runways wearing pant suits, cropped tops and pants and full two-piece menswear ensembles. Orange looks great when it is tailored like menswear because the exuberance of the color contrasts nicely with the masculinity of a suit color. White or a soft light peach or cream color is usually worn with these types of outfits.

 

Orange is a color that is associated with the sixties mod look and lots of that type of retro will be seen in stores this spring in the form of cute mini-dresses and mini-skirt with large white patchwork pockets, buttons and white hem details.

 

Orange was even seen on the runways in the form of long evening gowns. Designer Jenny Peckam has made a long straight evening gown with a boat neck and long sleeves that shimmers with sequins and round bangles sewn on the three quarter length sleeves.

 

Orange is also seen on the runway combined with other colors in the tropical spectrums of magenta pink and banana yellow. These color combinations are sobered up a bit with the addition of black trim on the clothing and also by pairing the clothing with patent leather black belts, purses and high heel ankle boots.

 

Don’t be afraid to wear the color of orange this fall. It is the color of real confidence!

 

Click here to visit store.

Portland Oregon Spring Street Styles

Portland Oregon is the home of grunge and it has a bit of a warmer, rainier winter climate. The result is a hodge-podge of styles on the street.  This town, like Seattle, absolutely loves its vintage clothing stores and that often reflects in what you see on the street.

 

One winter trend that is evident is women buying larger men’s blazers and wearing them as a winter coat over a heavy blazer. Some women go as far to have the blazer lined so it can be worn as a coat. This, in turn is worn with a very large silk or cotton scarf.  The longer and silkier the scarf is the more elegant it is considered to be.   The scarf is usually tied so that it looks like a cowl neck.

 

Long sloppy shirts, particularly denim ones are worn over black denim straight leg pants. It is very common to see a fishermen’s sweater in beige worn over a shirt that has the tails of the shirt peeking beneath.

 

Purples and greys are seen on a lot of people, which are colors that match the cloudy skies. Very few women in Portland are seen in anything else but black opaque tights if they decide to wear a dress or a skirt.  Punks and Goths in Portland are still wearing laddered lacy tights, even in the winter.  Another punk look still worn is cotton shorts with black tights and a white shirt.  This makes you look like a circus lion tamer’s assistant.

 

A color combination that is often seen in street fashion is canary yellow paired with black. The little yellow wool vintage coat is a much-coveted item. This is worn with black accessories, preferably of an eighties vintages.  Ruched belts with large circular fastenings and slouchy bags with many ripples are a popular look.  It is also quite common to see women wearing boots with rounded toes and a high waist, which is the exact opposite of the pointy toes you would see worn in New York or Toronto.  Most boots worn here are big, sloppy and brown in color.  Boots with natural wrinkling around the ankle or cuff are also popular.  This is also one of the few cities in North America where people still wear brown Frye boots with a flannel granny dress. This is a look that was popular in the early seventies and still has survived here in Portland, Oregon.

 

Click here to shop for fashion.