If you too are afraid to wear colour, now's the time to conquer that fear!
Today, I wore pink tights. And we’re not talking subtle, powder pink tights - we’re talking hit-you-in-the-face, day-glo pink.
I felt both strangely powerful and slightly ridiculous in these as I went about my day, attracting flickering glances on the train and a smirk from someone at the ticket barriers.
But while the majority of the city seemed to be wearing black anoraks, I looked down at my highlighter legs and thought: "hey, this is cool". Even if it meant looking a bit like a superhero from the 60s, it felt fun and freeing to dress this bright.
And for this, I can both thank and blame Cara Delevingne. She caught the media’s attention when she ended Burberry’s February show wearing a faux fur coat of all the colours of the rainbow. The impossibly long number was both a celebration of LGBTQ youth and, according to ex-creative officer Christopher Bailey, “a reflection of Burberry's past [and] present, but also my great excitement to see what the future holds for Burberry.”
This enthusiasm for the future says a lot about this year’s attraction to bold, unapologetically vivid colour. Jeremy Scott’s space-age fantasy for autumn is drenched in shades like Barbie pink, baby blue and screaming orange; the bubblegum wigs reminiscent of Natalie Portman in Lost In Translation.
Alberta Ferretti, on the other hand, is selling a rainbow jumper with the word ‘TOMORROW’ emblazoned across the front. Universally, it seems that the fashion world is excited about the future - that, or it desperately wants to be. And what better way to express this optimism than stepping out in a kaleidoscope of colour?
In fact, unlike 2017’s official spectrum, which according to Pantone included ‘pale dogwood’ and ‘hazelnut’, Vogue reports that 2018’s trending shades are sky blue, sunshine yellow and tomato red. The year’s official colour, meanwhile, has long been recognised as being ultraviolet. Take it as fact: this is not the time for muted mauve or a splash of pastel, it’s the time for wearing all the colours of the wind.
Still, I hear you - looking like a unicorn on acid isn’t for everyone. I’ll hold my hands up and admit that I paired my pink tights with an outfit that was otherwise entirely black.In the early light of morning, I’d considered complementing them with a neon orange dress, but chickened out at the last minute.
For a lot of us, accenting is the only way to work this trend without wanting to hide under a hat or behind a pair of sunglasses. If that includes you, take some cues from the A-listers. Hailee Steinfeld, for example, got some serious style points at the Grammys by pairing a white dress with knee-skimming, eye-poppingly purple boots.
And on the same red carpet, Sam Smith turned heads in the easy-breezy combination of a dark red tee and a bottle-green blazer. More recently at Coachella, Rihanna forwent #basic flower crowns for an outfit of on-trend athleisure - her boots offering a pop of yellow; her top a burst of candy pink.
Another simple (but effective) way of mixing and matching this year’s trends is by investing in a couple pairs of colourful trousers. Yellow, red or purple wide-legs are enough to make any outfit sing - even if you only accessorise them with grey trainers and a plain white tee. Complete the outfit with a relaxed blazer of the same colour, and drape it across your shoulders for that straight-outta-Insta look. The streets outside Paris Fashion Week were sprinkled with French ladies in this very ensemble, so you know it’s chic.
If you’re feeling daring, this is also the perfect time to dye your hair - pink apparently being the general colour of choice. And, handily, by opting for a new ‘do, there’s no need to invest in an updated wardrobe to go along with it - you can don the black turtleneck and still stand out from the crowd. Just know that if you have blonde hair and you dye it purple, it might eventually turn into a boggy green that doesn’t wash out for six weeks.
Anyway... Whatever do with your looks and wardrobe this summer, just make sure that you sport some colour. Most likely, we’ll all wake up tomorrow to another bleak day (oh hey, British summer) - the looming clouds urging us to reach for one of fifty shades of grey. But fight the feeling and grab something so garishly bright that it makes you smile.
Yes, you might raise eyebrows; yes, the man checking your ticket on the way home might snigger, but maybe you won’t care. Maybe you’ll feel ten times happier than if you’d worn that black anorak. Clothing’s a state of mind, after all.
Shop the look on SHS...
Other ways to get some colour in your life...
Follow: @mirandamakaroff
This Instagram sensation is a pro with colours that pop. Her sometimes easygoing, but more often extravagant, style will give you inspiration for days.
Stream: Rainbowland by Miley Cyrus
Because, d'uh - the title. Also because of its feel-good message, and because it features Dolly Parton.
Watch: Legally Blonde
A movie you can't watch without a smile (unless you hate it, in which case WHAT), Elle Woods also offers some guidance in how to rock the Barbie-est of the pinks. She even pulls off pairing it with red.
