A Glimpse of Greenville's Fashion Trends

Two years ago, while on a flight from Washington, DC to Charleston, SC, I picked up a copy of the airline's magazine and read all about the revitalization of Greenville and its many attractions. The timing of this occurence was serendipitous since I had already begun to entertain the notion of spending a good portion of time in to a smaller, warmer and more tranquil city. After doing additional research, I placed Greenville at the top of my relocation wish list.

Fast forward to the present and I am now a Greenville resident. Last week I celebrated this milestone by heading downtown to see the Carolina Ballet Theatre perform Giselle at the Peace Center. I walked Main Street before the performance and found an outdoor cafe where I could conduct my daily fashion field work, otherwise known as people watching. From what I gleaned in the span of several weeks from this practice, I came up with the following top Greenville spring and summer fashion trends:

1. Greenville is big on bold.
Folks have bid adieu to winter grays, blacks and browns and are saying “yes” to color in a big way. From my ring side seat on Main Street, I saw prom goers in their sunflower yellow and fuchsia gowns, and observed that women about town are accenting their neutral outfits with orange handbags, aqua jewelry and metallic shoes.

2. Stripes are above board. 
The nautical look is strong for both men and women. I saw striped t-shirts and polo shirts, long striped cardigans, and of course, seersucker separates. The outdated “no white before Memorial day” rule has definitely gone by the wayside here. White slacks and jeans are everywhere. Nevertheless, the pairing of striped tops with dark wash denim is still a popular choice.  Women are also revving up the classic nautical style by adding a bright solid colored scarf or statement necklace to the mix.

3. Romance is in the air.
Perhaps influenced by the powerful love story of Giselle, ballet goers wore soft floral patterned dresses, long flowing skirts, and romantic style ruffled blouses.  The new “mid length” dress length trend (between 3 to 4 inches above the ankle) also seems to have caught on here.  Picture a blend of mid 20th century style and a ballet costume.  In fact, one of Greenville’s trendiest stores, Augusta 20 (http://www.augusta20.com), features a charming green patterned vintage inspired sundress in this length on their blog "a propos". As this blog points out, one of the advantages of the mid length versus the maxi is that you can still showcase all of your terrific sandals, wedges or flats.

4. Dresses reign on Main.
Dresses are a must have in Greenville and I predict that their popularity will increase as temperatures soar. It seems that women throughout town have embraced a multitude of dress styles including classic sheaths, maxis, minis and even some 1960’s style shifts.