Talk to me about the most popular trends you see during spring and summer. How do you implement that into your boutique?
Summer is all about dresses at Fringe. Since we have such a short time frame of nice weather in the PNW, events are always packed into May through September. We sell a lot of dresses to wear to weddings, but we keep it in line with the casual aesthetic of Bellingham. You’ll find one dress here that you can wear to multiple events and be able to switch up the look with different jewelry and shoes.
Have you noticed any older trends coming back into style? What are they and how do you feel about them?
The ‘90s and Y2K fashion are back in a big way. We saw this with scrunchies, and now claw clips. High-waisted mom jeans, crop tops, and oversized jackets are all taking cues from the 1990s and 2000s.
Photograph courtesy of Fringe Boutique
How do you manage the constant change in trends?
Trends are changing more and more rapidly in our digital world, but at the same time, they still tend to stick with 30-year cycles. Teenage girls will always be digging through the backs of their mom’s closets to find what their mothers were wearing in their youth and recirculating that trend back into the mainstream. In that regard, it does have some predictability to it. What I’m seeing more of now is instead of a past decade having an overall revival, we’re getting more focused on one aspect for a shorter time frame, and then trading it in for something else. It can actually be quite wasteful for the consumer to be following trends so closely. What’s kind of nice about being located in Bellingham is that trends trickle up the West Coast more slowly, and some never really grab hold here at all. We get to watch from afar for a little longer and then decide if that’s really a trend we feel fits.
Do you have any tips and tricks for spring and summer fashion? Are there any fashion secrets you have for yourself?
Since our warm weather is so fleeting here, I recommend versatile pieces that can be layered in the colder seasons. For example, we carry a lot of corduroy shackets that make the perfect lightweight jacket over dresses or with shorts in the spring and summer but can then be layered over a flannel, hoodie, or sweater in the fall. We also carry a lot of jumpsuits, which you can layer tees or long sleeves under in the fall.
What materials would you recommend for spring and summer?
Corduroy is back in a big way, and it’s definitely being worn into spring and summer as pants, shorts, skirts, jackets, bags, and even sneakers. Another fabric we love in the summer is modal, which is a super soft and stretchy fabric that stays cool against your body when it’s warm out. We always carry a wide selection of basic tees and tanks, as well as jumpsuits in this material. What is your favorite thing about fashion and trends in general?
I love that fashion offers endless possibilities. It’s a form of personal expression, and it’s a tool of transformation. It’s ever-changing, it’s playful, and it should never be taken too seriously! Fringe Boutique, 201 W. Holly St., Bellingham, 360.312.4067, wearfringe.com
