Honestly, I have to stop going to the shops at the moment, which is quite difficult considering I shop for a living – but there are so many fabulous things to buy I could spend a fortune! Every time I’m in a store and “clock” something that I just “have to have” I think, “now Fiona, you’ve bought enough this season, you can make do with what you’ve got” – but no, I spot another hot pink or neon number and think, “ok I’ll just get this and then that’s it”!!
There’s lots of white, denim, stripes and florals out there but my favourite trend to embrace for the season has to be “brights”! Actually bright stripes would probably be my ideal!! Keep me away from Prada’s stripey bags “du jour” – they’re stunning!!
Thankfully, I’m happy to get my “fixes” from the High Street as it has embraced the “brights” trend full on. I seem to be especially taken with Zara this season. In the past it’s often been a store I venture into but come out empty handed because of the fit. However, for S/S11 the majority of their sizing is spot on and as the prices are very reasonable there’s no reason to say no! The most important thing I need to stress here is that bright colours may appear to be scary at first glance, but actually they are hugely flattering against the skin. Whilst baby pinks and blues may be very “pretty” against most English complexions, they are also hugely draining and must be worn with caution.
Brights on the other hand have a way of reflecting their colour onto skin and thus giving it a glow. Most people are terrified of orange and yellow (on the questionnaire I send to my clients before we go shopping about 95% say they can’t wear either of these colours) but it’s down to the exact shade and tone of colour as to whether you can wear it or not. I look fairly ghoul-like in certain yellows and one of my worst fashion disasters was for a photo taken after I’d had my wisdom teeth removed aged 13…
I was hideously bruised and swollen around the face anyway, but to add insult to injury I happened to be sporting the worst yellow over-sized Mickey-Mouse t-shirt you’ve ever seen! When I showed someone the picture a couple of years ago, they genuinely looked shocked and said “Wowzers – you really can’t wear yellow can you!” It wasn’t because I can’t wear yellow as a rule, it was because the specific shade (and lack of facial definition due to swelling!) was completely wrong for me. One of my favourite colours is actually bright neon-ish lemon/yellow! Bright orange, hot pinks, lime greens… I love them all! They look especially great with a tan – but don’t shy away from them if you’re on the paler side as I am… Just add a bit more eye-liner and bronzer and away you go!
Here are some of my favourite “brights” this season:
A Zara butterfly print scarf that I’ve worn to death over the last couple of weeks (£25)!
An amazing printed dress and bag from Mulberry (www.mulberry.com)
Me sporting a rather bright Minkie dress (www.minkie.info) from Topshop Oxford Street and bejewelled Zara necklace (and my Prada handbag that I can’t put down! www.prada.com) with my good friend Sally Heath, Head Buyer for brands at New Look…
This top from River lsland (£21.99) is an easy way to introduce brights into your wardrobe without going too full on! The scarf is from Accessorize and the leather bag is from Zara (www.zara.com) – great with a black blazer and jeans/skirt/trousers for work
This dress is from River Island (£29.99 from www.riverisland.com) and the scarf is again from Accessorize (www.accessorize.com) – orange looks especially good with indigo blue denim, think a denim jacket and tan accessories
In summary to wear this trend: think BRIGHT and BOLD…. so be brave and give brights a try!
Styling in the City 