|
|
|
We
all look forward to Spring, with the return
of color to our lawns, the trees, the flower
beds and the highways. Designers
know this, too, and so they roll out their Spring
and Summer looks early -- they know we're starving
for color and the first breath of balmy air.
This week, we're looking
at how those perky colors we talked about a
few weeks back have worked their way into the
garments you'll find on the rack at your favorite
stores. Colors are
extremely seasonal and trendy, which makes them
difficult to handle in a wardrobe sometimes.
We've got a few tips along that line, so read
on.
See you soon!
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundlering Company
|
|
|
|
|
Credit
where it's due!
All
the garments and accessories
pictured in this newsletter are
available at the JC
Penney website. |
|
|
|
Skirt
Alert Coupon!
Have you ever heard
that expression used by the weather forecaster?
"Today we have a skirt alert out, with winds
gusting to 30 miles an hour...." How about a
breezy savings to make up for it? Have
$15 in regular drycleaning done and we'll clean
a skirt at no charge. (Include
first page of this e-mail with your order. Offer
expires 3/26/05. Cannot be combined with other
offers.) |
|
|
Hemming
and Hawing
over Fashion
Hoorah! Saner heads
have prevailed in the fashion world and this
spring and summer will feature garments
that every woman can love. There
are also enough interesting colors that skew
to the manly end of the spectrum to give
the guys something to cheer about
in accessories and shirt choices, as well.
It's
all about proportion.
The
wonderful thing about the new skirts and dresses
is the length of the hem and the proportions
of the silhouette they create.
In many fashion years, women have despaired
over the state of fashionable clothes as they
either revealed too much or the hems swept the
floor and made them look short or wide.
Watch for:
- Hem
lengths at or just below the knee
-- the most flattering for the majority of
women.
- Skirts
and dresses that flare out at the bottom,
creating an "A-line" -- also
the most flattering, and capable of disguising
a multitude of problems.
- Flirty
details in skirts and dresses.
Unlike previous seasons, the hems
are far from uniform. You'll
find ruffled, flounced, pleated, handkerchief,
tulip and flared hems from which to choose.
- Multiple-layer
skirts and dresses, that add
visual interest without adding bulk.
Not
everybody's color palette.
The
one difficulty with this season's bright, lively
color palette is that the colors aren't necessarily
compatible with all skin types.
For instance, turquoise is hot, coral is everywhere,
a bright green is springing up, pinks, purples
and grey/taupe colors are also popular. But
someone who looks great in coral might look
absolutely horrid in the popular springy green.
The same goes for some of the other colors.
Check
out the colors against your skin in good lighting
before you start falling in love with garments.
If it looks good next to your face,
then go ahead and look at jackets, shirts, blouses,
sweaters and dresses. If it makes you
look sickly, you don't have to abandon
it -- just relegate
it to the bottom half of your body, or reserve
it for accessories -- shoes,
bags, belts, etc. |
|
|
2005
Spring and Summer
are highly visual.
Designers
didn't shy away from bold patterns and mixing
patterns that would otherwise seem incongruous.
On the runways, they made liberal use of border-prints
(print that hugs the hemline) and lots of high-contrast
prints (black and white, red and black, turquoise
and spring green).
There
was also a lot of metallic in view
-- belts, fabrics, chunky jewelry. This
is a great way to accessorize something
you've already got and plan to go on wearing
next year. Dress it up or down with some of
the hot new items and it'll look brand new.
Other
trendy items:
- Shorter
jackets. Not bolero-jacket
short, but not full-length either. And frequently
in contrasting fabric to the rest of the outfit.
- Big
handbags. If you just love
your purse but want to update the look, pick
up a trendy-colored tote and slip
the purse inside. After the "in" colors have
come and gone, your classic bag will still
be good to go.
- Lower
heels -- thank goodness. Plenty
of extended pointy toes, but the knee-length
hemlines look great with flats or low pumps.
- Layers
everywhere. The poncho look
above on the right is actually a shirt and
a poncho, but both are gauzy and so the addition
of layers keeps the look light and breezy.
Keeping
up with the guys.
Men aren't as interested
in fashion as women, partly because there's
not much that changes in their basic look from
year to year. But
guys can freshen their look by swapping for
accessories and shirts in the current color
palette. Turquoise looks great
on a lot of men, and can work as a shirt, tie,
pocket square or vest color.
Spend the bulk of your
wardrobe budget on classic styles that don't
change much, but allocate some for trendy colored
items and a few fun pieces to accent them. And
remember, we're always keeping up with the trends
so we can keep you looking great. Happy,
colorful shopping! |
|
|
We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
Click on the flowers to the left if
your would like to send this and future newsletters
to a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
The
Iris City Cleaners Connection is
a weekly news letter dedicated to the interest
of fine garment care, restoration, and conservation.
It is published in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris
City Cleaners and is an extension of our services
described in www.iriscitycleaners.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
