GET STREET SMART ABOUT YOUR STYLE
LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER BILL CUNNINGHAM always said that the best fashion shows are on the street. It’s true – designers may predetermine what trends we fall in love with every season but the real fashion circus is imagined by people. At the Brown Thomas SS18 show recently, I was as transfixed on the front row as I was on the models.
You never have to look far for inspiration, a cursory glance at what’s on the street is a profound insight into what’s happening in fashion. Right now, it’s brighter poppy shades (lilac and yellow are going to be big), trench coats instead of big chunky outerwear, while sweet icecream pastels are sneaking their way in, as are dresses and skirts – sequinned, fringed and tasselled – with bare legs. It’s February and the over-riding sentiment is already vibrant, feelgood clothes – the sort of clothes that make you excited to get dressed in the morning again.
Yet there are still some of us who will take refuge in darker, moodier clothes until the weather forces us out of them. I am sometimes the biggest offender – stubbornly choosing black and navy when certainly the more joyful options would be orange or red. Dark colours are safe. They are comforting for most women because of their functionality (tell me a colour that doesn’t go with black) and they’re slimming. Colour is more frightening because it makes you stand out more. On the other hand, it makes your outfit work harder and is also uplifting.
Adapting to colour sooner rather than later, according to psychologists, enhances our spirits and boosts our self-esteem. Delicate pastels and pale blues and purples are said to cause a release of the hormone oxytocin to calm us, while hot reds and oranges give us adrenaline, in turn speeding up our metabolism, giving us us more energy. In the spirit of making us all happier, healthier people, should our focus therefore not shift towards injecting much more colour and print even if the weather in contrast to our mood is miserable? Would shopping not be a much more pleasurable experience? And if that’s the case, what should we invest in?
Vibrant crayon brights – limes, reds, blues and yellows – followed by sweet pastel hues are dominating the palette for SS18. Purple and yellow are set for big stories on vintage, floral-print skirts in pencil silhouettes and dresses. Victoria Beckham and Irish/English duo Rixo fell for lilac and their influence is already showing telltale signs in shop windows at Zara, Mango and H&M.
If you’re unsure how to wear a soft lilac knit, tucked under heritage check tailored trousers is another clever injection. Bold reds, cobalt blues and yellows are also being translated on blazers and matching trousers, with a firm sartorial message that the tailored all-day power suit is back and she’s more vibrant than ever.
“VIBRANT CRAYON BRIGHTS ARE DOMINATING THE PALETTE FOR SS18”