The two women looked as if they were on their way to a garden party but were actually out for an afternoon of spring shopping along Calder Way. Anne Schaefer and her roommate had both decided to wear sheer, floral print dresses in honor of the sun and warm weather.

"As soon as we saw how nice out it was, we both decided to dress up," said Schaefer (sophomore-elementary education).

Schaefer and Park headed to New Image, 200 Calder Way, to look for more items to stock their warm-weather wardrobe.

There's something about the warmth of spring that compels people to celebrate the passage of winter. One way to welcome the season of renewal is shedding those heavy layers of clothing for fresher, lighter threads.

Fashions -- whether in shape, material or color -- are basically natural in '94, not surprising given the recent environmental movements and general understated attitude of the '90s. Excessiveness and artifice are out.

Veronica Burk, a saleswoman at Mr. Charles Shop Inc., 228 E. College Ave., summed up this year's fashions as "the classic look with a twist."

From truly retro looks to tried-and-true perennial favorites slightly modified, the new spring styles have hit State College full force. The season's fabrics have taken a turn toward a more simple state, with items made of natural fabrics such as silks, cottons and linens.

"This spring, there's a lot of linens, while last spring relied on crinkled rayons," said Michelle Dougherty, a saleswoman at Metro, 324 E. College Ave.

And even synthetics are made to not look synthetic, such as acetates that seem like crepe, Burk said.

Less-showy natural colors, such as beige and olive, are also popular, said Tracy Dodson, manager of Chess King in the Nittany Mall.

"People are in tune with nature -- they want to project that image by wearing natural, simple colors," Dodson said. And consumers concur, if not specifically about their affinity for neutral shades, then about staying with basic colors when choosing their wardrobe.

While browsing at The Gap, 206 W. College Ave., Josh Nolan (sophomore-economics) said he was looking for beige or basic colors -- no pastels.

"I tend to be a purist when it comes to anything, including the way I dress. I like blues and greens 'cause they're kinda outdoorsy," said Nolan, adding that he would stick to standards such as khaki pants, "no prints or jazzy stuff."

Both men's and women's clothing reflect this new approach to color and style. One fashion standard for women that everyone keeps mentioning is the dress. "I'll be wearing a lot of dresses -- sundresses and long, loose skirts. They're cooler and a lot more comfortable than jean shorts," said Sandra Tilmon (freshman-liberal arts), who had just bought a blue floral dress with a long skirt by Esprit.

This season's version of the frock is called the "slip dress." Usually spaghetti-strapped, soft and fluidy, slip dresses are styled to wear over a fitted or cropped tee, Dougherty said.

Soda Blue, which specializes in rayon floral sundresses, sells its clothing to Rude Boyz, 200 W. College Ave. The company finds inspiration by sending its designers to Europe and modifying the styles to suit U.S. consumers, said Melissa Bennett, Soda Blue's national sales manager.

"(Europeans) are always more fashion forward," Bennett said.

The ubiquitous little fitted tees of this spring, for instance could have been seen on European teen-agers back in 1990. These versatile pieces can be worn as a layering piece under a dress or as a simple top worn with jeans.

"We carried a little top with a big flower embroidered in the middle, and it was sold out within a few weeks," Dougherty said.

Urban Outfitters, maker of the top, sends designers to Europe and New York to scope the streets and clubs for new ideas.

"A lot of our clothing for spring is athletics-inspired jerseys with athletic trim and stripes. Our other inspirations come from florals and little-girl looks," said Adriane Butler, an Urban Outfitters' account executive.

A younger, more innocent and doll-like look is the main difference between this spring's collection and last spring's, Butler said.

To go along with this natural theme, the shapes of the spring collections are simple. Skirts, long or short, are straight and in understated, neutral colors. And pants offer a liberating ease that is sometimes absent from skirts.

Straight, wide-legged pallazzo pants are a key piece for the season. Gina Febbraro (sophomore-psychology) chose to wear pallazzo pants with a ribbed tee the day of her speech communications presentation.

"I had to dress up, and I was comfortable in this 'cause you don't have to be worried about being too proper," Febbraro said.

The classic shape of the vest makes it another staple for the season. The vest comes in either a super-short length or a long tunic version, Burk said.

Diedre Reardon (sophomore-chemistry) has had her olive tie-back vest since ninth grade.

"It's weird because it's one of the things that's always stayed in my wardrobe," Reardon said.

The vest is also popular in men's fashion as well as the classic T-shirt and jeans, said Lea Seligman, assistant manager at Chess King in the Nittany Mall.

Stephen Smith (senior-dairy science) plans to wear vests this spring because "they're in between a suit and a T-shirt, giving me a oneness between the system and the natural drives." In other words, it's kind of conservative but not as stuffy as a suit.

From the vest, it's only a hop, skip and jump away to the tomboy look, which can be achieved with oversized overalls and unisex T-shirts. Tiffany Longan (freshman-general arts and sciences) said she has several pairs of oversized overalls because "you can just throw them over anything."

Rude Boyz owner Gary Filkins said hot items in his store have been the oversized denim overalls and Hang Ten striped T-shirts. Hang Ten's marketing people have dug up some original patterns from the '60s due to the demand from thrift stores on the West Coast at the start of the retro craze.

And students who can't get enough of everything retro might want to head to the local Goodwill Industries Store, 221 S. Allen St. Saleswoman Jasmine Paul said she overheard two female shoppers wishing they had a '70s party to go to so they could wear some vintage black shirts they found in the store.

Also popular in the Goodwill are gas attendant and bowling shirts (name patches and all), old smocks that older women bring in ("You can wear them with tights and combat boots") and "nice stuff you can find at places like The Lodge, only cheaper," Paul said.

But Burk admits that stores along the busiest areas of downtown State College are specialty stores that -- though all on the mainstream side -- try to carry more unique items.

So perhaps because of that vast array of choices available, Schaefer and her friend never did find anything they liked on that shopping expedition.