Pep up your wardrobe with some Spring Bling
HeRe’s something that you don’ t often see when the daffodils are out: sparkly clothes. I mean proper ‘ it could be Christmas’ levels of shimmer and shine: dustings of crystals on sweaters and jackets; tweedy fabrics threaded with lurex and sequins; metallic satin tailoring … and all before you get on to eveningwear.
These are clothes meant for everyday wear — the office, lunch with friends, a weekend trip. You can wear them in the evening, of course, but they’re not to be put away for that special event and this is no fringe trend intended for the clubbing twenty-somethings.
To prove the point, last week in Zara I counted no fewer than seven sparkly jackets, from a round- collared cardigan style in textured sequin fabric (£ 79.99, zara. com) to a cropped silver jacket appliqued with clusters of sequins (£109) and a shimmery gunmetal blazer (£69.99).
In store, these jackets were hanging on the rail with loose leg jeans, lest you should be in any doubt that this is not a party look.
The message: the shortcut to smart casual this spring/summer is a dash of sparkle.
But is it really for us? Absolutely. Because we’re in the middle of an everyday classics moment, and there are only so many of those you can take before you start craving an injection of something less subtle.
ShINY separates work because they’re different, yet they won’t alter the DNA of a smart minimal look in the way, say, a bright print would. And they introduce another texture into the mix. Always good.
More importantly, a dash of bling is a midlife woman’s best friend.
Instead of wearing a white shirt under a jacket try a fine knit foil Zara sweater (£22.99) or a cropped jacket with light-reflecting threads to wear with your jeans, and you instantly look brighter.
simply mix some shine in with the clothes you always wear. swap one plain, everyday item — a jacket, perhaps, or a knitted top — for its sparkly or slightly shiny equivalent. That’s all it takes.
On that trip to Zara, I saw a woman striding out of the shop in a pale blue cropped jacket shot with lurex thread and I was sold instantly. The thread caught the light, and made something plain look fun and fresh. Who made the rule that sparkle should be kept for parties anyway?
By the way, tinsel is set to be the new fringing for autumn, and silver and gold fabrics were everywhere on the autumn/winter catwalks, so you could treat this as a getting-ahead investment.
start slowly now — stick to simple separates, avoid black and strong colours — and work up to something more partytastic come November.
You can pick any item of clothing and find its sparkly version this season but, arguably, the most useful is the round-necked cropped jacket that you can wear over everything from T- shirts to fitted dresses.
The already mentioned Zara silver sequin jacket (£109) is one of the best, and sticking on the silver spectrum makes sense because it goes with everything and doesn’t have the festive factor associated with strong colours and gold.
BESIDES jackets, sparkly fine knits and lurex sweaters are having a moment. Cos has a sparkly, ribbed knit shirt in gunmetal grey (£50, cos.com) to wear over smart trousers, or a beige sweater with a rhinestone dusting on the shoulders, (Zara again, £25.99), will sit well on top of A-line skirts.
shiny trousers, from lurex flecked tweed to sequin pants, are in all the shops, but they’re undoubtedly harder to wear. I’d focus on above the waist: it’s more flattering and easier to sit down in.
Zara’s light, long- sleeved silver sequin sweater would work with trousers or skirts. It comes with a matching midi skirt (both £49.99) if you want a set. I wouldn’t wear the top and skirt together but adopt the trick of matching the skirt with a polo collar sweater.
The alternative and the simplest route to spring shine is accessories — namely mid-heel, snipped toe (a tiny bit squared off at the end) silver slingbacks, which are the shoe of the season and come at every price point, including Ralph Lauren (£130, ralph lauren. co. uk) and Zara (£35.99).
There are lots of silver bags around, too, including Jigsaw’s metallic leather pouch (£50, jigsaw- online. com), which is your event bag sorted in one.
But slingbacks really are an investment to wear this summer and on into autumn. You can’t go wrong.