Shades of green: Holiday fashion that won't break the bank
Brian ManzulloIt's all about living green and having the green.
This St. Patrick's Day, you can be good to both your pocketbook and the earth and still create a bold and original outfit.
A fresh minded dig-through your closet combined with a shopping trip for some pre-loved clothes has potential for a hot new look that is also good for your bank balance.
Fashion and merchandising design student and Holland senior Lucas Mamo headed to Goodwill, 1313 S. Mission St., with the goal of creating a festive look for two students that could pass for chic during tomorrow's day-long scene of green.
His advice for making a thrift store's wall-to-wall racks of clothing a little less overwhelming is to come with some ideas in mind.
"You should look through trends that are going on," he said. "Look through magazines like Teen Vogue and see what they're putting together and then manipulate these ideas.
"You just go ahead and dig and go by item by item and see if there's anything worth using or something you could modify, or something you could dress up with a belt or an accessory."
Pushing past hangers of oversized florescent T-shirts and shoulder padded dresses, it did not take long before Mamo was able to collect a cart full of workable items for Kalamazoo freshman Stephanie Glidden and Burr Oak freshman Lucas Calloway to take to the dressing rooms.
But, much to their surprise, the models soon discovered there was not a lot of green colored pieces to be found in the pile.
To avoid looking like a leprechaun, Mamo suggests mixing and matching with existing complimentary items from your wardrobe.
"You should have one or two items that are green but everything else should be neutral. Head to toe green is a little kindergarten," he explained.
Wear shades that flatter you. Instead of all green or clashing shades of green, wear a green top or bottom that suits your skin tone. Darker skin tones work well with richer shades like hunter, forest and emerald while more fair skin tones easily employ kelly green, grass and lime.
For a daytime look, the colorful shades are more playful, but it's the darker, jewel-tone greens that are dramatic at night.
"For night, it should be more sexy. (Girls should) wear something shorter or maybe dress it up a little bit more," Mamo said. "It's better to go short - longer is more matronly."
Shopping for Glidden proved to be fairly easy - she walked away from Goodwill with a lucky total of seven items, including a floral print dress for $4.99, a plaid skirt for $3.29 and a pair of boots for $12.99, which paired perfectly with both her evening and daytime St. Patrick's Day outfits.
Calloway found two polo shirts, one green and one white, each priced at $3.29 and a vintage tan corduroy blazer also for $3.29.
Mamo says sometimes a good find is a toss-up for the guys who have fewer racks to explore.
"Just take risks and do the best you can with what you have," he said. "It's OK to take one or two items and use them with whatever else you have. Just have fun and feel comfortable with what you're wearing."
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