AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
When asked by friend Stephen Mitchell what she missed most during the COVID-19 pandemic, Petra Ligmond Roche had an instant comeback.
“Getting all dressed up to attend galas or fundraisers,” she said.
Like many of us, she yearns for a return to normalcy when jobs, meetings, church services, or dinners out with friends induce us to slip out of those “remote working” pj’s or yoga pants and into something pretty that makes us feel good about ourselves.
Theresa Kurtz, a real estate agent with The Gerdes Team of Long & Foster who’s always on the go showing properties across the county, said she’s never given up dressing well. Kurtz says looking stylish lifts her spirits and inspires confidence.
Both women are delighted that shopping local for stylish clothing is now very possible. One of Roche’s favorite haunts, The Cottage at Park Plaza in Severna Park, is awash in spring colors and fashions in every size. Dressing rooms are open and impeccable there so trying on clothes is a breeze.
The Cottage’s trendier clothes are popular with teens and with the shop’s young staffers and sometime-models like Emily Humphries. Emily is seen above showing off a swingy lavender print dress by Mahi Gold with heels by Toms and a bag from Annapolis-based company Hobo.
There are styles by labels like Vera Bradley, Spartina and Tribal that appeal equally to young moms, busy professionals and women who are involved in community volunteering or social activities..
Manager Courtney Coughy said resort wear is already being shown but, for the moment, customers are particularly drawn to Vera Bradley’s colorful floral print raincoats with matching handbags.
Accessories are big this spring – especially handbags or hats in shades of aqua blue. Equally prized are casual clothes like Spartina’s playful pastel jumpsuits that can be worn with sandals or dressed up with a pair of heels.
Hobo bags in shades of aqua blue are equally at home with spring or summer fashions. 
A playful pastel jumpsuit by Spartina can be worn with sandals or dressed up with a stylish pair of heels.
Next door to The Cottage, customers roamed the aisles at JOANN Fabric and Craft Store. According to manager Claudia Mbem. they have never stopped making clothes including “dressy stuff” for special occasions. Silks, satins and laces have been selling well because brides-to-be are currently making their wedding gowns or bridesmaid dresses.
Opposite Park Plaza, Kohl’s spring line of fashions is on display with labels like Vera Wang, Lauren Conrad, Apt. 9 and Chaps providing plenty of dress-up options for women. The menswear section includes sport coats, classic slacks and suits by Haggar and casual clothing and jeans by IZOD, Levis and Lee among others. Both men and women shoppers need to know their sizes, however, because dressing rooms are not open.
In Olde Severna Park, Savvy Consignment is a favorite place to browse for quality name brand clothes. Stepping inside, it’s easy to see why and to discover that Savvy’s dressing rooms are open too.
Owner Stacey Cassidy is proud of the wide array of designer label fashions she’s able to display. For instance, there’s a whole rack devoted to Lilly Pulitzer clothes. Cassidy took time to reveal a Lilly Pulitzer dress with simple, elegant lines that she’s particularly fond of, then reeled off some other high end labels.
She noted that the clothing on other racks is arranged by color and size and includes name brands like LuLu Lemon, Ann Taylor, JCrew, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Free People and Vineyard Vines. There is a more limited selection of menswear in one section of the store.
Spring is always a busy time at Savvy with mothers coming in to buy warm weather clothing for their children but these days the moms are lingering to check out something stylish for themselves.
Severna Park, Millersville, Pasadena and Arnold residents have long known that Partners In Care’s Upscale Resale Boutique at Fesitval at Pasadena off Ritchie Highway is a hidden treasure for shoppers with an eye for style. With spring in the air, shopping for clothes has picked up according to PIC’s Executive Director Mandy Arnold.
A group of volunteers known as “The Designing Women” do a great job of staging clothing in appealing vignettes.
Arnold notes that, in addition to a new jewelry counter showcasing the shop’s impressive collections, the boutique carries fashions bearing labels like Chico’s, Zulily, Talbots, Anthropologie and Banana Republic among others. They also carry menswear from name brands like JoS.A.Bank and Hugo Boss.
This gently flared dress by Talbot and wide-brimmed hat would be perfect for a lunch date in the garden at La Posta. 
An anniversary or birthday dinner for two would merit this floor length dress…or one of many dresses on the racks behind the mannequin.
Whether “dressing up” is a fait-a-compli for you – or right around the corner – it’s fun and easily doable by shopping local. You can even venture a bit further afield. Roche said she enjoys shopping at Macy’s at Westfield Annapolis Mall where dressing rooms are open or Nordstrom Rack at Harbour Center. It’s good to know those of us who like or need to try on clothes before buying them now have a choice of places to shop.
St. Martins’ Mustangs & Meatballs virtual family event
St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School is hosting a fundraiser called Mustangs & Meatballs on Friday, April 23rd. It will be a virtual family event including a student variety show, Italian carry-out dinner including salad, entree and dessert for two, a bottle of wine, wine tumblers and more. There will also be a silent auction. Tickets for dinner and show – or for variety show alone – will go on sale Monday at www.stmartinsmd.org.
