Vırginia Chadwyck-Healey What to wear... with any colour

Lilac suits all ages and most hair shades, so embrace this unsung hero for autumn

Around this time of year many of us try to inject some more colour into our style as summer’s vibrancy is replaced by an arguably less uplifting palette. Even our plates become a little less colourful – stews, apple crumble (although mine is dowsed in Bird’s yellower than yellow custard), merlot, Twiglets in front of Strictly... In the garden, the last of the dahlias rear their heads, the roses start to withdraw, pink cosmos retire and the leaves begin to crisp up.

If you are a fan of ginger or chocolate hues then this is your moment. If, like me, you need to lean on colour a little more heavily in the autumn for a boost, then lilac might be one to consider. Not as deep as violet and more grounded than the coral pinks of a summer now past, lilac is younger in its character than mauve but not as serious as liturgical purple (we aren’t into Advent quite yet). Google “what are the key colours for Autumn/Winter 21?” and you will find lilac in the spotlight.

So yes, it ticks the trends box, but more than that, this is a colour – or rather a shade (of violet) – with a delicacy that means it works brilliantly with grey, blonde, brunette and black hair (cue purple rinse jokes – though if you have red or auburn hair, I would go for a deeper purple, more Cadbury’s Dairy Milk). My point is, this wide-ranging appeal doesn’t happen with very many colours, so embrace it.

If you do have grey hair, my other tip would be to enhance your features more than normal when wearing this colour so that you balance out the soft shade of your hair and the soft lilac with a sharper lip, slightly ruddier blush or extra lick of mascara. The Queen is a big fan of lilac; she might wear it in a wool bouclé dress-coat in winter, with black patent shoes, or as a silk mix suit for Trooping the Colour in June. Her Majesty is proof that this colour has year-round staying power beyond just Autumn/Winter 21 fashion lingo.

Lilac, I am told, represents innocence, youthfulness, spirituality, and tranquillity. Yes please. I’ll have all of that. So what does this unsung hero of a colour go with? It works well with denim – I had to ensure this, such is my dependency on it – yet it also works