DRESSING ROOM

Fearless, graphic colors splash forecast for spring

Designer Anna Taylor and Tulips boutique owner Emily Brown show off Taylor’s clothing line, Judith & James, during a recent preview party. The line, made by Kenyan women as part of a training program to empower them, made its second appearance at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York in February.
Designer Anna Taylor and Tulips boutique owner Emily Brown show off Taylor’s clothing line, Judith & James, during a recent preview party. The line, made by Kenyan women as part of a training program to empower them, made its second appearance at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York in February.

Still trying to figure out what colors and trends to add to your wardrobe for spring and summer? Rita and the Fashionistas, a group consisting of former Elle boutique owner Rita Mitchell-Waldoff and some of her fashion-industry associates in the know, might inspire you.

Their take on the spring looks, explained in a recent presentation featuring Little Rock’s Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions:

“Persimmon, aqua, royal … plus all the Lego colors headline the hot story, whirled up into prints, abstracts and graphics.”

“Black, white and bold … special focus on white, like the Mondriandays of the British invasion. This is by far the go-to look for spring.”

“Black, pink, taupe and gray … nostalgic, girly and gorgeous,as a buffer for all the bolder statements. This lovely palette [shipped] early for transition, with jackets made like blouses and a memorable Liberty mini-print that uses the best of these feminine shades.”“Stripe, dot, native and batik … the headliner prints of the season are delightful, wearable and understandable. Stripes even strike in bottoms, some as racer-stripes.” (Of course, we’d already seen the maxi skirts and dresses with panels of stripes going horizontally and diagonally.)

“Slim-gems ... jeans, capris and pants with stretch and style, such as Miraclebody, Not Your Daughters Jeans and Tummy-Tamer.”

“Swish and Shoulders … fabrics and styles celebrate an ‘urban gypsy’ look. Think West Side Story.”

“Triangles and Slashes … especially in tops and jacket-backs, but also in dramatic skirts and tunics.”

“New-Pop proportions … short-front, long-back tops and shirts, ’50s pop-over tops with sleek sheaths, tunics over flirty pleats.”

“Fool’s Gold and silver streaks … metallics and shimmery over-wash glimmer atop fabrics, jewels and leather.”

“Super bold accessories … bigger bangles, bolder scarves, hats, rings and necklaces. Everything gets vitamins and gets growing.”

“Big, bold bags … using the angle-tricks, or super-soft oversize pouches.”

“Vegan leather … also called faux-finish, appears in pastels, bold and white, mostly in anywhere-wear vests.”

“Sheaths, blouses and crisp-finish shirts … these are insatiably popular carry-overs from last spring, but soooo important.”

According to the various spring forecasts that came out starting late last year, you should also be collecting such spring-wardrobe elements as wide-leg pants, cropped tops and jackets - most suitable for wearing with wide-leg pants - and tea-length skirts.

LOCAL LINE FLOURISHES

Judith & James, the African-flavored breakout line started by designer Anna Taylor and part of a sewing-training program to benefit women in Kenya (Dressing Room,Oct. 6), made its recent debut at a preview party at the Heights boutique Tulips.

The party came on the heels of Taylor’s second visit to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, during which she showed about 15 fall looks in 25 pieces, all made by four Kenyan tailors.

“In our fall collection we introduce slits,” as well as fringe, Taylor says, adding that they repeated peplums and introduced boxy jackets.

Taylor and Tulips owner Emily Brown had known each other since Taylor was in college. The addition of Judith & James came about when Taylor brought in the line with her mother. When seeing the clothes, “I was done [in],” Brown says.

“It just fits our customers and it’s a look for all of the ladies who shop at Tulips,” she adds. “It’s really, really pretty. And it’s made well.” And the reaction of the customers was “crazy” … people bought even before the show. “She’s getting a lot of special requests,” Brown says of Taylor.

Brown is also helping Taylor promote her James 127 Foundation. Introduced during Fashion Week in February, the foundation is designed to help widows and orphans in Kenya by providing sewing and jewelry-making training to help them provide for themselves and their families. After 18 months of training, the women become certified tailors and can work with Judith & James or start their own businesses. (For more information, visit j127Foundation.com.)

Taylor’s plan is to get the owners of the stores who sell her line - stores that also include Beyond Cotton in Little Rock - to contribute a percentage of their sales to the foundation, which will see its second group of trainees start in April. “We are growing and expanding,” Taylor says.

SHOD LIKE A CYBORG

“Brand X, a plain old piece of foot gear. A shoe barely supporting the wearer’s foot. Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capacity to build the world’s first Vionic shoe … better, stronger, more supportive. ”

Sorry. But shoemaker Vionic’s name makes me think about the old TV series, The Six Million Dollar Man - a show about an astronaut who, after serious injury, was turned into a superman-of-sorts after receiving some bionic body parts. Vionic with Orthaheel Technology actually has done much the same thing with shoes.

The orthotic-shoe brand previously known simply as Orthaheel and featured here before (June 23, Sept. 1) boasts a patented Tri-Planar Motion Control technology. Each pair of Vionic shoes conceals an orthotic technology that helps to reduce over-pronation, and therefore relieves the associated pain. The company just introduced its new spring/summer collections.

I had a hard time getting acclimated to the Orthaheels I tried last year. So I got my husband, Dre, to give the brand a shot, drawing from Vionic’s spring 2014 collection for men. He investigated the Vionic Hunter Sport Lace-Up ($139.95), which comes in brown or black. Bearing sneaker styling, the sporty casual walking shoe features a leather upper, heavy gauged stitching and metal rivet detailing; a bio-mechanical orthotic foot bed with deep heel cup that helps support and realign the feet to their natural position; a lightweight, flexible midsole that absorbs shock to reduce pressure on the feet, ankles and knees; and a durable rubber outsole with a patterned tread for traction.

Dre, as I did, noted that the insole has an incline that starts under the ball of the foot, then slopes down. I’d found that feature made it hard for me to walk in the sandals I’d tried. However, he finds the shoes perfectly comfortable and likes their already-broken-in feel.

“I love ’em,” he says.

To view these and other Vionic shoes, visit vionicshoes.com, where you can order or find a dealer near you.

FIT FOR ROYALTY

The spring trunk show for Regalia Handmade Clothing will take place April 11-12 at Cantrell Gallery, 8206 Cantrell Road in Little Rock. A wine and cheese preview party will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. April 11; the show continues from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 12. Visitors will have a chance to view the new line, try on clothes and visit with Mark Hughes, Regalia’s owner and designer.

“All three of us have garments from Regalia and always get compliments when we wear them,” gallery proprietors say in a news release. “You will love the fabrics, designs, colors and excellent quality of these clothes.”

To get a look at the clothes, visit regaliahandmade.com.

For more information about the show, call the gallery at (501) 224-1335.

Got fashion and beauty news?

Contact Helaine R. Williams, Dressing Room, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or email: hwilliams@arkansasonline.com

High Profile, Pages 37 on 03/30/2014

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