Spring is coming up roses.

Sunday, March 10, 2002

Spring is coming up roses.

And daffodil, grape, kiwi, turquoise, white, basic black and nearly any other color you can imagine – if you’re in the women’s fashion world.

Gretchen Ramlo, the owner of Gretchen’s at 406 N. Main Street in Austin, says "right now it’s a fun time to be a consumer because clothes are across the board in colors."

"Sherbet-y colors, the intense brights-the raspberries, limes, grapes-are really popular, but so are the pastels and black is still really good," she says. "Black with a bright, intense color like a lime-colored shell or scarf is something that was in the junior markets, the missy markets and the larger woman markets at the January shows in New York."

Suzanne Bross, the owner of Ego at 111 Fourth Avenue NE in Austin agrees. "Everything is in. Every color you can think of is in. There’s a lot of kiwi, a lot of turquoise, teal and periwinkle, and you can never go wrong with black and white." she says.

Aimee Sands, media relations representative with Target, adds "white will be everywhere. You’ll see white shorts, shirts, pants, capris, skirts. It’s a hot, hot color."

Ramlo also says textured fabrics also are very popular this spring as are "really comfortable fabrics."

"We’re seeing a lot of knits, some with spandex, some without, and we’re seeing a lot of rayon with cotton because that makes it more breathable and more comfortable to wear," she says.

Though pants can be seen in any style, from wide-leg to narrow, tapered legs, Ramlo says "capris are just huge. In the kids market, the juniors market, the missy market and the larger woman market – all across the board, they’re popular. And they’re not just casual capris, dressier capris are also very big this season; something you can dress up with a sandal and wear to work."

She says clothes with sparkly elements are very popular this spring, "whether it’s beads or sequins or glitter, and we’re seeing it on both day wear and evening wear."

Accessories are stylish and popular ways to dress up an outfit, especially if it’s in a contrasting color from the rest of your outfit. "We’re seeing lots of hats, especially straw ones. Scarves are really big. The longer, floatier scarf is part of the romantic look … that is being seen in high fashion," Ramlo says. "Contrasting colors are really big now, too. Like, a black suit with a colorful shell underneath or a bright scarf or hat or jewelry. There’s tons of lime green with black out there."

A simple, yet stylish way to add interest to what you’re wearing is to don a bracelet. "Bracelets are just huge, we’re seeing tons and tons of bracelets," Ramlo explains.

If your taste is on the less daring side, you can always rely on denim and, surprisingly, animal prints. "Denim is one of those fabrics that will always be around and since animal prints have been so popular, I’m wondering if they’re not like denim and are just always going to be around," Ramlo says.

Sands says vintage denim finishes are especially popular this season. "Sandblasted and wisker-finished denim-the denim that has lines running through it-are very ‘in,’ as well as unfinished hems on denim pants, shorts and skirts," she says.

"Colored animal prints seem to be really popular. Instead of just leaving the print in the natural animal color, designers are mixing colors, like blue and black," Ramlo says.

Sands says she also has noticed "Americana-themed clothing, with a red, white and blue print, will be very popular this spring in swim wear as well as casual wear."

Ramlo says she thinks the fashion world is so all-encompassing when it comes to colors and styles is because people believe that "if it makes you feel good, you can do it. I think that’s why colors are popular. Though black is always good, you feel so much better if you have a splash of color with it."

Very feminine styles of clothing are also in-style this spring, Bross notes. "Lacy things, crocheted things, ruffles … very feminine things. And people don’t want bulky, they want everything to be form-fitting."

Sands also says feminine details will be very much "en vogue."

"In women’s clothing, we’re seeing lots of lace and eyelet embroidery. Chiffon is a very popular fabric. Dresses have done very well and we expect that to continue. Skirts are also very, very popular," she says.

"We don’t see an overwhelming color trend this spring. We’re seeing that designers are focusing on the details and are making the details the important part of an outfit," she notes. "We’re offering shirts with ruffles in a variety of colors, because it’s really the ruffles that are the important part of the shirt."

Ramlo also says though people may believe that clothing shops in Austin may not carry the latest fashions, that perception is false. "There are some differences, but not as many as the media tries to hype," she says. "It’s up to us to offer (the latest fashions) to our customers, we have to show them those things and give them the option of buying them."

Call Amanda L. Rohde at 434-2214 or e-mail her at amanda.rohde@austindailyherald.com