THE LOOK
Women’s Spring Fashion Trends 2023
Emily Rose Barr
W ith spring set to debut,
cashmeres are being swapped
for cooler knits and the countdown to
wearing that beloved cotton dress (that
you may have tried on a half-dozen
times since buying it just last week)
is on.

Four shop owner s from the
Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia
regions spoke about what trends
we can expect to see in women’s
fashion this season: David Schwartz
of Sophy Curson in Philadelphia, Ellen
Shepp of Joan Shepp in Philadelphia,
Katy Klassman of Upstairs on 7th in
Washington and Ifat of LiLi the First
in Washington. Weighing in on every-
thing from popular patterns and prints
to athleisure and how COVID has
impacted the industry, here’s what they
had to say.

Color makes a comeback
One thing is for certain: After the cooler
hues of winter retire for the season,
color will make a comeback.

“Chartreuse, pink and orange are
always a welcome sign of spring,”
Schwartz said.

Shepp predicted we’ll be seeing lots
of colors from the ‘70s: “Melon, yellows,
diff erent green … avocado and hunter.”
Klassman had a similar hunch: “Lots
of red, yellow, magenta and, of course,
there will always be black and white.”
Schwartz added, “Navy for spring
still rings true. We have a wonderful
pantsuit in navy with white cuff s that
has been popular already.”
Cotton and linen to beat the heat
“Spring and summer are all about cot-
ton, whether it be jersey, poplin or in
blends, especially in D.C. where there
is lots of commuting and heat and
A display at Joan Shepp
humidity,” Klassman said.

Schwartz, too, has stocked up on
linen for the sticky days of summer.

“I have bought the modern cotton
shirt dress from a few designers
because each has a diff erent take on
the concept,” he shared.

Shepp, meanwhile, is stocking up
on soft fabrics for prints, airy light
cashmeres for knits, and mixtures
of cottons and linens to keep things
interesting. Stripes are here to stay
Will stripes ever go out of style? Not any
time soon! This timeless, classic pattern
is easily wearable and has stuck around
for good reason.

“Stripes are still a fresh summer
staple,” Klassman shared. Schwartz
says to keep an eye out for lots of prints
on a white background. “It makes the
print stand out.”
Shepp is on the lookout for ‘70s
prints, mini stripes, color block, swirly
and wavy prints.

Shop owners agreed that we can expect
to see wider-leg pants emerge as the
temperatures rise.

“I always carry lots of narrow-leg
pants at many price points. Wider leg
pants in linen and jersey are nice alter-
natives and have become more popular
that past few summers, and I expect
that to continue,” Schwartz said.

Klassman still shows wider-leg pants,
but also some slimmer styles and
breezy tops, while Shepp is seeing
bustiers, tube tops, and one-shoulder
dresses and tops everywhere.

20 FEBRUARY 23, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Courtesy of Joan Shepp
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Dresses: short, mid or maxi?
Midi and maxi dress fans, there’s good
news. “For most of our clients, I would say
midi is where they feel at their best and
it is what we get the most requests for,”
Klassman said.

Similarly, Shepp sees the highest
demand for mid and maxis. Ifat agreed,
noting, “Skirts are getting longer, to a
maxi fi t, but the tops are getting shorter,
to cropped tops. These opposites are a
sign for us that people are ready to try
diff erent things and not follow a single
trend.” For those who don’t know where they
land on the dress debate, Schwartz
off ered the following: “Once you fi nd a
length that you like, you don’t switch.”
Athleisure/ loungewear: here
to stay or had its moment?
If you’ve grown comfortable in your
athleisure, a little too comfortable per-
haps, fear not: This trend isn’t going
anywhere. “It depends on lifestyle,” Klassman
explained. “We have clients who
dress to the nines to go to the
grocery store and, for them, athlei-
sure never had a moment, but we
also have clients who live in it and
will never stray. When it’s done
right, it can look really polished and
sophisticated, so why should it go
away? Practical is never a bad thing!”
For Schwartz, “If I touch on it there
has to be a new take. I have travel
pants for spring with cargo pockets
on the side. They feel very light on the
hanger, but when people wear them
in the wind or on a chilly day, they
block out the breeze. I didn’t know that
until my clients told me about wearing
them.” As for Shepp? She’s had her fair
share: “Time to go. Everyone is happy
to be getting dresses again.”
Courtesy of LiLi the First
Blast from the past
What trends from days gone by might
we expect to see make a comeback?
Shepp predicts a return to halters,
platforms, vests and bootleg cuts.

Schwartz has started to see a more
defi ned shoulder on some jackets: “It
makes a reference to the shoulder pads
of the ‘80s without the exaggeration,”
he mused.

Klassman, meanwhile, has already
seen a lot of crochet knits in the market-
place, animal prints and lots of orange.

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“I loved wearing crochet in the late
‘80s/ early ‘90s, but I’m probably going
to stay away from it this go-around.” As
for the uptick in orange? “I’ve already
bought a great orange coat for the store
from Rachel Comey that someone could
have for 20 years, and it would still look
amazing.” WFH Life
Shop owners discussed how the tran-
sition to more people working from
home has impacted the industry.

“Tops are still way more important
than bottoms! The online meeting and
appointment culture has completely
shifted how people feel about what
they wear on the bottom,” Klassman
said. “We defi nitely sell more dresses
and tops than pants and skirts, and I
don’t see that changing anytime soon.

We also went through a long period of
not needing as much occasion wear for
the store, but that has shifted, and we
are getting more and more requests
for dressy clothes.”
Schwartz said, “I approach my buying
decisions based on the idea that I have
to seek out items and outfi ts that the
client doesn’t have in their closet. Even
if you work from home, you still go out
to eat. You are going to want something
diff erent to wear outside of the house
than what you wear to work inside the
house.” Ifat refl ected, “When it comes to
the traditional professional outfi t, we
are not there quite yet. As people
are going back to the offi ce, we see
a higher demand for a ‘casual profes-
sional.’ Serious with a bit of fun, profes-
sional with a comfort fi t.” ■
Emily Rose Barr is a freelance writer.

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