This spring is all about hot colors!  Don’t be intimidated by these intense colors!  There are many ways to incorporate color into your wardrobe without going all the way.  The easy solution to nodding to the trend is through accessories.  We think that’s a great idea, but here at SB, we’re all about fabrics so we’re looking a bit beyond “hardware”.

First, a few definitions…this is how we are using color adjectives this spring.

Neon:  High color with lots of highlight—close to fluorescent.

Spring Ponte-Neon Lime

Vivid:   Brilliant and bold.

Geranium Pique

Dynamic:  Deeply saturated colors

Dress Ponte in Spicy Coral

Generically we can call these “brights”.  The fashion industry has gone over the top with fully saturated color this season.  It’s fun, it’s happy and if everyone is wearing bright color, you blend right in!

Colorblock 

There are wonderful ideas out in the marketplace for colorblocking this season.  I’ve been trying to gather some photos for inspiration on my Pinterest board. Most colorblocked garments have simple silhouettes so that the delineation between the fabrics is crisp and uncompromised by excess seaming.  Successful color blocking requires that all the fabrics are about the same weight and have  very similar properties.  The ideal especially for a first attempt is to choose two identical fabrics in different colors.

Dynamic Banana

The second choice is to find very similar fabrics in weight and stretch.  For instance, you may choose two jersey knits, but one has way more stretch than the other.  This will result in a poor marriage between the blocks.   Below you will see a pique knit which is much more stable than the viscose print, but the stretch factor is similar.  We think these would work well together in a garment. Not tested, just surmised.

Vivid Plum

A third possibility is to  break up the blocks with woven strips for stabilization.  This could work for a Mondrian inspired dress or jacket for instance.  The best advice is the usual: Test, test, test

Coordinate

An easy way to wear some bright color is to team it with a neutral or with a softer shade of the same color.  Coordination used to mean matchy, matchy. But for a number of years we have suggested that sewists think more in terms of blending rather than matching to achieve a coordinated look. This means finding colors that are pleasing together and that complement one another in both color and texture.  For most people a medium contrast works better than a high contrast. If you can wear a high contrast like crisp black and stark white, by all means do it.  When it comes to brights, we suggest using your best neutral:  navy, brown, black, gray, white and choosing a bright color that blends and flatters your best feature.  Want to emphasize your facial features or hair?

Choose a bright top and team it with khaki pants.

Packables-Tamale

For other bright tops see Knits.

First Choice-khaki 4x stretch

Looking to show a little leg?  Choose a bright skirt and wear a softer color or a neutral near your face.

Pandabear Bamboo Rayon

Rock Sound Cotton

For other bright skirts see prints

 Accent

Presentation

Wild Watermelon

Bright colors are perfect for dramatic accents.  Even a navy business suit comes alive with a fuchsia tank or cami.

We hope you have fun this season with the brights we have in stock…We will do our best to add suggestions for go-togethers on our store pages.  If you are questioning whether two fabrics work together, please feel free to email us or call us. 

All about stripes….

I can’t stop watching this vlog posting!  You have to click this for a great graphic display of stripes in NYC.
It came at just the right time for me since we just posted our newest stripe knit, Ines

Ines Rayon Jersey Knit

For other black or gray stripe options, you can check out Clinton Organic cotton shirting or for a bit of glitz, try Marquee which is on sale right now !

Marquee in Gray

Don’t like a prominent stripe?  Try a white on white or black on black version such as Shirtwaist or Railway.

Shirtwaist Cotton

Railway Cotton Stripe

Remember, many stripes on the crosswise can be railroaded to produce a vertical line or play with the bias to produce chevrons and other interesting designs. Put your own spin on the stripe trend and make a unique fabric by piecing in a striped pattern.

For those outside NYC for whom color is a cheerful statement, try LaSalle.

La Salle wallpaper stripe in blue. Also available in Peach

Whatever you choose, have fun with this linear trend!!

Green is spring’s favorite color! It’s so apt that this living color should be associated with its primary season.  This year’s palette encourages green in every avenue of fashion.  We’ve seen green bags, shoes, jewelry, hair ornaments and of course in every fabrication.  The shades that are most popular have just a bit of a blue undertone without straying too far from a warm living green.  It’s an interesting mix of warm and cool colorations that works for many skin tones. Images are linked to product.

Looking for casual?

Hoodie-French terry in a slightly muted fresh growth green

Stylish Knits

Sail Away- Cotton jersey knit-soft emerald and dew green play with blueberry on white.

Playful Prints

Reverie-Scattered paisleys in shades of emerald and fresh spring green

Dress it up!

Spearmint Shimmer-Bright tone of green cross-woven with pearl peach creates stunning shade.

Lime green always finds its way into the fashion palette in spring and summer.  This year is no exception.  The tone is slightly less yellow and softened a bit from previous wild lime shades.  Here are a few examples in stock right now. Images are linked to product.

Hurricane-Printed linen-cotton from France featuring turquoise and lime on brown--stunning statement!

 

Monteverde-Cotton print with overlapping geometric shapes in dark lime green and shades of brown.

 

San Remo-Silk faille from Valentino with soft hand and slight texture in a rich shade of lime.

Shades of green will carry you through the summer whether you use it all over or as an accent. We are still seeing green featured for fall…deeper tones of fern and olive. Keep an eye on Just Arrived  to stay current with our most recent offerings.

Found this interesting post on Fashionising.com

Fashion Silhouettes

What’s next?  Now fashionistas are updating the seventies.  The fashionising team thinks we may be giving a nod to the late sixites and then back to the roaring twenties….What do you see coming?