Margaret Logan Style

Every gal needs a little Tibi in her life…whether it’s a dress – designer Amy Smilovic is famous for her always stylish, always chic and always pretty frocks – or now, I’m happy to report, a pair of Tibi shoes.

Simply divine to the touch, not to mention the eyes, these shoes are an extension of the sometimes whimsical, and yet always eye catching approach to style that has become Tibi’s trademark.

One can imagine either of these little numbers jazzing up a pair of jeans and a tee, making a short shift dress all the more feminine or softening the look of a summer weight trouser with the use of color and embellishment.

As the Wall Street Journal pronounced this past December, when it comes to footwear, flats will continue to dominate both the retail landscape and our closet space well into the spring and summer months. They are, after all, comfortable and practical, and with such an expanding array of feminine, stylish and appropriate options, I can’t imagine this trend cooling down soon.

Available at Stiletto on upper Exchange Street in Portland.

The Daisy, a gray suede flat with mother of pearl button embellishment, $300, and the Francoise, an electric green painted suede flat with round toe and cut out heel, $280. Available at Stiletto on Exchange Street in Portland (207-775-3033).

For all the gals who lamented the loss of the Portland Lilly Pulitzer store, In The Pink, a few years back, let sadness reign no more. Bombastic color and outrageous prints offset by classic silhouettes that can be worn forever are officially back in town.

Helene m. on Fore Street has brought the Palm Beach line back to Portland with bright dresses, bold handbags and fabulous shoes (those metallic gold wedges are a must!), perfect for that mid-winter holiday to the Islands or anywhere south with a sandy beach and a few palm trees…

Granted, Lilly Pulitzer is more “The Breakers” than Margaritaville, but when it’s 7 degrees outside with snowbanks higher than your mailbox, it’s a moot point. Go south ladies, and go in style.

100% cotton yellow bamboo print Jacqueline dress $328, and zebra print modern shift dress with rope ties (for that extra little nautical touch) $198, both by Lilly Pulitzer. Available at Helene m.

Speaking of new lines, Cynthia Rowley has a new shoe line called, what else? Butter.

No longer designing shoes under her own name, she has instead launched a line that is “created in the heart of NYC…and is 100% Italian made,” according to a card that comes tucked inside each shoe box.

Each shoe is indeed handmade in Italy from handcut leathers of the finest quality and craftmanship, in an eco-friendly environment to boot! (Please pardon the pun.) No less stylish (though perhaps a bit less whimsical) than their alter-ego, Butter shoes are delightful to the eye and to the touch.

All the better, styles are created in limited numbers, which makes it less likely you’ll see your neighbor strolling about town in your latest footwear find.

Ahh, shoes. They really are a girl’s best friend…

Available at Stiletto on upper Exchange Street in Portland.

Left to right: white patent leather flat with peep toe $225, black patent slingback called Puddle $225, leather pump with orange detail called Sun $205.

Portland continues to cultivate its own little niche on the fashion landscape in 2008. What a way to welcome in the New Year! This time, kudos go out to Zane on Milk Street for taking some high style risks and bringing in lines by top designers created specifically for the contemporary market (served by specialty stores in the Old Port like Zane, Chantal., Simply Chic and Helene m.), but with price points that really begin to flirt with the outer edge…

This is a serious act of courage, considering the current retail climate, and is a testament to their belief that women here in southern Maine are indeed savvy and discriminating when it comes to style, and even more importantly, are willing to pay for it.

Too often here in Maine, our fashion offerings have been dumbed down to the lowest common denominator based on the assumption that women “up here” just “don’t get it.” Somewhat insulting. But stereotypes often are.

Thanks to an evolving and diversified retail landscape, however, this mindset is slowly beginning to change. And shoppers here in Maine stand to benefit – fashionistas and conservatives alike.

You see, we gals here in Maine do, in fact, get it, and we want what every other gal in NYC, Boston, San Francisco and London has when it comes to shopping for clothes: choice. Real choice. Clothing with substance, style, quality and life. It’s true, most of us aren’t looking to belong to the club of Haute Couture, where the fewer times you wear something the more valuable it is. And most of us won’t be donating the bulk of our closets to the MOMA when the time comes. But we appreciate “good looking” when we see it, we know what lines are hip and have strong brand (read: staying) power, and we believe in investing in key pieces and the occassional statement piece or impulse buy to build a functional and stylish wardrobe. Anything else would be impractical, and a true Yankee is nothing if not practical.

The new big name in town is See by Chloe. Yes, the very same Chloe that boasts a roster of former designers that would give anyone pause – Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo… And on the very day I stumbled upon it at Zane (it was literally being pulled from its boxes), I also got my daily email from shopbop announcing See by Chloe as its latest and greatest find. How many times does that happen? I love that – it’s as if we here in Portland have our fingers on the greater fashion pulse…with absolutely no delays or impositions of any kind.

So whether it’s See by Chloe, Tory Burch, Nanette Lapore, Milly or Diane von Furstenburg, enjoy the abundance of choice ladies, and indulge in a little something that suits you and your own burgeoning sense of style!

See by Chloe flower print shift dress $380 and green knit sweater dress $398, available at Zane.

Also coming soon to Zane: McQ by Alexander McQueen, Mara Hoffman and Pringle 1815.