Fashionable sign of spring

3/28/2004
BY VANESSA WINANS
BLADE STAFF WRITER
  • Fashionable-sign-of-spring

    Sweeping coats like this one from Toledo Furs ended the show.

    long / blade

    • Sweeping coats like this one from Toledo Furs ended the show.
    Sweeping coats like this one from Toledo Furs ended the show.

    The annual Scintilla fashion show, hosted by the Garden Club Forum of the Toledo District, is as much a part of the city's spring landscape as the crocuses now blooming in yards throughout the region.

    Each year, hundreds of people, mostly women, attend the event, not only to check out items for sale and chat with friends over lunch, but to see some clothes that provide a welcome counterpoint to the gray skies and March winds that gust outside.

    Scintilla 2004, held Thursday at the Stranahan Theater, did not disappoint the 520 who attended. The show opened with outfits in bright hues of pink and turquoise, and the color didn't stop for almost an hour.

    "There is color in the marketplace, ladies, right now, for everyone," said commentator Judy Hart, manager of Elegant Rags, the Perrysburg shop which supplied the clothes for the show.

    Capri pants have ruled casual spring and summer wear for the past couple of years, and Scintilla featured plenty of them, plus slacks in more traditional lengths. "Pants are at every level, from the ankle to right below the knee," Ms. Hart said.

    Bold graphics made a statement at Scintilla 2004.
    Bold graphics made a statement at Scintilla 2004.

    Other trends included 1980s styles, sparkling threads and beads in daywear, fitted skirts that flare near the hem, and feminine touches such as bows, flowers, fuzzy jackets, faux fur and other soft textures, and shiny fabrics. A few stand-outs:

  • Is it 1984 in here, or is it just us? Amid a sea of upturned collars, one ensemble involved a black miniskirt shown with a black top covered with large, colorful polka dots and a jacket with smaller, matching dots. The sound of Cyndi Lauper singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is still echoing through our brain.

  • Someday, my prints will come. Bold graphic statements abounded, including a couple of charming Pucci prints, one in a colorful sleeveless, knee-length dress and the other in dramatic tones of silver and black on a long skirt for evening.

    A sweater in shades of cantaloupe featured a striking image of a woman's face - definitely a head turner.

  • Suit yourself. Even suits got a boost from unexpected details. A black and white tweed suit with a short, Chanel-style jacket sparkled even at a distance. Two narrow vertical stripes skimmed the front of the skirt, adding visual interest to a garment that usually plays it safe.

    Contact Vanessa Winans at: vwinans@theblade.com or 419-724-6103.