By Amanda Raymond

amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — As the warm weather settles in, it’s time to store away the heavy sweaters and jackets and break out the spring and summer wear.

For those looking to update and restock their wardrobes, Downtown Salisbury store owners have brought in the latest spring and summer fashions of the season, many of which were popular last season.

David Karczewski, from Ruby’s Boutique at 210 S. Main St., said bell-bottom jeans and shirt sleeves are popular sellers, as well as floral and Aztec printed clothing.

“We’re finding flowy dresses and skirts are popular,” he said.

Palazzo pants, which are loose-fitting pants made of a lighter material, are also popular this time of year, Karczewski said. The pants often come in different prints.

Compared to northern tastes, local shoppers have different fashion rules when it comes to warm weather clothing, Karczewski said. He has been selling more short sleeved tops, as opposed to spaghetti straps or tank tops, and more maxi dresses and skirts, as opposed to shorter skirts.

“This area tends to be more conservative in their dress,” he said.

Piko shirts, long, loose-fitting tops that also work as dresses, and rompers have been popular this year as well, Karczewski said, along with toe ring and anklet jewelry.

Stephanie Reilly, owner of BellaJayde Boutique at 205 S. Main St., said tassel jewelry and tassel fringe on tops have been popular, as well as bar and monogram jewelry.

People have also liked clothing items that mix and match different prints, like having stripes and Aztec prints in the same top, Reilly said.

“I like a lot of the graphic print tops,” Reilly said.

She said she carries tank tops with lake and beach sayings and pineapple prints. Sassy Frass T-shirts are always popular, she said.

Melissa Hammer, owner of Winsome Hanger at 105A N. Main St., said a lot of people have been going for rose gold-colored accessories for the season.

“You can definitely mix metals and mix it with gold and silver,” she said.

Statement jewelry pieces, with large jewels and bold colors and shapes, have also been selling well for Hammer.

Seersucker dresses, made of thin cotton fabric, work for anytime of year but become especially popular during the spring and summer seasons because of their pastel colors, Hammer said.

A runway look that has made its way to stores are mixed separates. The floral and printed clothing comes in matching tops and bottoms, but customers can mix and match tops with different bottoms.

“I think the hardest part is taking things off the runway and taking them to real life,” Hammer said.

She says she looks at fashion magazines like Vogue and Allure magazines to see what is popular and trendy, and then finds similar clothing pieces at more affordable prices.

Karczewski said he uses Google to look up current trends and research what to buy for the store. Google leads him to Pinterest pages, fashion magazines and other clothing stores that give him ideas for what might sell.

Reilly says she looks to social media to help her determine what trends are popular. She also looks under the “best seller” category that suppliers have on their websites.

She said that although there are a few boutiques in the downtown area, customers will find that each store carries different styles and clothing.

“We’re all similar, but we’re all different, too,” she said.

Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.