Spring Fashion, Stuck in a Rut? Break out of winter blahs with flirty florals, country club classics

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When you say “spring fashion” to people in Maine, they either laugh or look at you like you have two heads.

The thing is, people think neither exists here.

To them, I say, it depends on where, and when, you look.

Both are fleeting – spring in Maine lasts about three hours, and it’s so cold here that most of the year, “fashion” consists of a coat and boots – what’s underneath rarely shows.

It’s not like New York, where designer clothes are everywhere you turn. If khaki, fleece and sensible shoes aren’t your thing, you have to work a little harder. Plus, it doesn’t make any sense to dress up during the winter, because you’ll either be too cold or you’ll get salt stains on your shoes and sand spots up the back of your pants.

But now, like brave little tulips pushing their leaves up through the snow, pink tank tops and black-and-white miniskirts have started to pop up in place of winter’s dark clothes and leather everything.

“The weather is such an influence on the fashion industry in spring,” said Cindi Dixon, manager of the Grasshopper Shop in Bangor. “This time of year, all it takes is a beautiful day. … People come in, they see color and they want it. It’s a psychological thing this time of year.”

There’s plenty of color to see, and the hottest this season is coral. Trade publications call it the new pink. But the old pink, which insiders called the new black, is still pretty hot, too. Apple and celery greens are everywhere and, as Dixon says, “Purple and violet are really hot this spring.”

“[Color] has been a real push this spring,” Dixon said. “There isn’t a woman around who doesn’t have too many pairs of black pants. They’re bringing bright colors in on top.”

Having too many pairs of black pants isn’t a bad thing. Black will never be passe, and this spring, shoppers will find black and white (but no red) all over. The combination is showing up on everything from conservative patent leather handbags to beaded zebra printed tops and logo-emblazoned designer dresses, such as the classic Diane Von Furstenberg wrap.

“Black and white, that’s really huge,” said Kim Pitula, who co-owns Molly’s boutique in Winterport with her mother, Molly Woodsum, and Nancy Graham.

Pitula and Graham travel to New York City to pick out stylish clothes for their store. On their last trip, black and white wasn’t the only trend that stood out for spring.

“Everything old is new again,” Pitula said. “The people that your mom used to buy clothes from, like Lily Pulitzer and Diane Von Furstenberg, they went out of style for a while, but they’re back again.”

Palm Beach designer Lily Pulitzer embodies a few of this spring’s hot trends. The Palm Beach society look, which was all the rage in Vogue last summer, is just making its way up here. Lily Pulitzer is about as preppy as you can get without involving an alligator emblem. And preppy clothes are everywhere, in the form of pretty plaid skirts, tennis sweaters, rugby and polo shirts, striped fabric belts and pants that look like they came straight off a golfer. Plus, Lily Pulitzer is famous for its bold, bright prints.

“The thing that I really noticed [at the shows in New York] is that there’s tons of prints,” Pitula said.

And the prints span the decades. Flirty, floral dresses with filmy layers and ruffles give a touch of ’50s femininity to this spring’s look. Bright Pucci-style prints are a flashback to the late ’60s and early ’70s. And then there’s the camouflage, which is a perennial favorite in this part of Maine, though usually not with the Vogue-reading crowd.

“I can’t believe the Army stuff is still hanging on,” said Jessica Bickford, manager of Contempo Casuals in Bangor. “I think it’s more in the bigger cities that it’s big.”

The camouflage at Contempo is the type that’s supposed to make you stand out from the crowd, rather than blend in with the trees. Studded with rhinestones or accented with glitter, the look is more urban than rural.

Camouflage, and “military chic” in general, are a throwback to the ’80s. The decade that many minimalists hoped would never again rear its ugly head is back with a vengeance. Shoulder-grazing gold earrings, chain belts and rhinestones galore are weighing down accessories displays. It’s only a matter of time before spiral perms, “claw” bangs and acid-wash jeans come back into fashion.

Aviator-style sunglasses (think “Top Gun” with a girly twist) started showing up a little while back with tinted lenses in shades of pink, yellow, green and baby blue. Chloe designer Stella McCartney added a rhinestone heart to the corner of her aviators, and stars such as Jennifer Lopez scooped them up. Now, mainstream retailers have started selling knockoffs.

“Everybody’s looking up to the music role models,” said Brandi Bowers, manager at American Eagle Outfitters in Bangor.

American Eagle sells a pair of heart-studded aviators with two-tone lenses for under $20. At Contempo Casuals, a shipment of cowboy hats inspired by Madonna’s “Music” video recently arrived. And “attitude” T-shirts – tight and bright with cutesy little phrases, kitschy logos or cartoon characters such as the Powerpuff Girls – can bring out the rock star in any girl.

The T-shirts are another hot item that can probably trace its roots back to Madonna – our lady of the trend. She’s been caught by the paparazzi wearing a tee promoting her husband’s movie “Snatch,” and she recently wore a tight, black shirt with the name of her baby son, Rocco, in glitter and rhinestones across the chest.

“[Madonna is] definitely an influence,” Bickford said. “As far as the trends, I think [Contempo Casuals] goes for an MTV focus. We’re getting a lot of cowboy hats, a lot of cute dresses, a lot of flowing, trendy stuff.”

Contempo and Filene’s have a great selection of “attitude” T-shirts, and American Eagle has a ton of cute little athletic logo tees.

The best thing to wear with a tiny T-shirt, of course, is a pair of perfectly fitted dark jeans or a short dark denim skirt. They’re flattering and a little dressier than worn-in jeans, unless you get the “dirty” wash – a cool style that looks like you lent them to a mechanic for a few weeks. The best selection of jeans I found – both clean and “dirty” – was at Filene’s, and the Tommy Hilfiger boot cut was a favorite with our models.

Linda O’Malley of Filene’s jokingly said that when it comes to fashion, you may as well throw out your old stonewashed jeans. However, she’s holding on to hers, and you should too – just put them in storage. If the ’80s look comes back in full force, you’ll need them.

The Bangor Daily News would like to thank Linda O’Malley of Filene’s; Kim Pitula and Molly Woodsum of Molly’s; Jessica Bickford of Contempo Casuals; and Brandi Bowers of American Eagle Outfitters for their help in finding, organizing and lending clothes for our photo shoot. Thanks to Smith’s Dairy Farm in Bangor for letting the NEWS use the farm and cows as a backdrop. Also, thanks to Shelly and Elliott Tuttle for letting the models and crew invade their home.