Not so sweet after all...why it’s time to rethink pink Shane Watson
HAVE you noticed that pink is everywhere? It’s on the rails in all the shops. It’s on men in the park. It’s the colour of summer 2020 and it’s not pink as we know it.
This pink — specifically a light, delicate peony pink that’s slowly but surely taking over my wardrobe — is different: fresh, cleaned up, zinging and zero-sugar.
The secret to its success, apart from the sherberty tone, is the clothes that come in pink this time around: a plain silky shirt, a sharp blazer, a simple cashmere and cotton sweater — all the crisp classics that usually come in white, grey, navy or khaki. We can’t pretend pink is new, just the way you’re wearing it.
Without really noticing, I’ve gradually bypassed my usual go-with-everythings — the skyblue shirt, the denim shirt, the pale grey sweater and the flaxcoloured jacket.
Instead of reaching for an ivory shirt to wear with jeans and a blazer, I’m putting on an NRBY draped pink tunic shirt (£79, nrbyclothing.com) or the Zadig & Voltaire satin shirt I bought last year in a colour called ‘tutu’ (€293, zadig-etvoltaire.com).
I’ve swapped the pale grey sweater I often wear with khaki trousers for NRBY’s soft pink, cashmere-blend sloppy Joe (€110, nrbyclothing.com); NRBY is very big on pink this season, and if I thought I’d suit it, I’d be wearing its pale pink maxi linen shirt-dress, too (€166).
SHOULD I need a breezy, short-sleeve shirt to go over shorts on staycation, or tuck into a waist-cinched skirt, I will be going for Zara’s (€29.99, zara. com) or, if I’m lucky, cashmere label Homespun’s round-neck jumper (€215, homespun cashmere.com).
It may well be worth saving up for this on the basis that it’s the best quality Mongolian cashmere, machine-washable at 30 degrees and guaranteed you’ll have it for ever — if you can keep the moths at bay.
Also perfect for evening is one of French label Soeur’s handdyed, collarless dress-shirts in chemise rose (€75, soeur.fr) which I’ll be wearing with a navy, velvet trouser-suit or tuxedo come autumn.
Not-pretty pink works brilliantly with all sorts of colours. Navy, of course, khaki, black — it’s terrifically chic with hot red as seen on the catwalk at Louis Vuitton, and it’s a natural fit with denim. I like to wear a pink top with a clashing pink cotton scarf, or a bright turquoise collar poking out over a pink sweater.
Pale pink makes brights pop. It dials down hot colours and zips up stale old staples. The only thing that doesn’t work so well with this shade — it can look too sugar-sweet — is white, unless it’s a glimpse of a plain white T-shirt under a sweater or sharp pink blazer.
That’s the other thing about pink: it makes strong, minimal styles into something more playful but equally sharp. Everything is more feminine, without sacrificing the all-important 20 per cent cool that’s the key to dressing at this point.
And, whatever anyone says, it’s 100 per cent more wearable than mint green, lemon yellow or even sky blue. It just fits in, like denim.
I don’t have a pink blazer yet (I’m taking a breather from pinking up my smart-casual wardrobe), but if I did, it might be Iris & Ink’s double-breasted twill blazer (€160, theoutnet.
com). Or & Other Stories does an oversized linen-blend blazer in a great pink (€89, stories.
com) which you could wear with matching loose trousers (€56) or shorts, if that’s what you’re in the mood for.
Personally, I’m drawing the line at pink trousers. I want the flattering factor close to my face, where it’s needed, and pale pink is not the most flattering shade for trousers.
Caramelly-brown looks great with this shade and is a good choice for sandals. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with white trainers or shiny, strappy black sandals.
There’s plenty of other pink out there in hot shades, but let’s just enjoy the not-pretty pink moment, and leave that for another day.