The first months of the year seem so long don't they? And there are some days the sun is simply too weary to come out at all. We need a cheery look at what's in store as soon as the sales are over. Spring is going to be so bright, brighter than it's been for many seasons, and if not in full blocks of colour verging on acid, then also neon, and that's something that hasn't really been done to great effect since the '80s. It started on the major catwalk shows.
In New York, Marc Jacobs went 1970s with shades of orange, purple, red and mustard, Karen Walker's Perfect Day collection featured acid bright colours contrasted with muted shades, while in Milan Miuccia Prada went bananas, literally, with a collection featuring bold blocks of bright colour sitting next to jungle and banana prints and acid bright stripes; she described it as “brave colour”'. When the economic forecast looks bleak, we can always rely on fashion designers to come up trumps with colours that can't fail to put a smile on our faces.
Because with the entire dreadfulness going on in the world right now, the last thing we need is more seriousness. Fashion's response has been to become more frivolous than ever, by decreeing that crazy colours are in. We're not just talking fuchsia: we're talking full-on neon pink. Marigold? Lemon? Overruled by acid yellow. Tangerine? Apricot? Fluorescent orange, if you please. The only rules when it comes to this new passion for colour seems to be the brighter and more obnoxious the better - fortunately it also looks fantastic teamed with those neutral “investment” pieces you may have already bought such as camel and grey.
Grey is like your quiet and calm friend. The golden rule in fashion is to match strong colours with neutrals to tone them down. Black and white are less suitable, because they make such strong statements by themselves - black makes the acid colours stand out even more and white can be just too bright. Grey, however, mildly tones down the acid colours and can look sophisticated with acid pink, blue and yellow. And if you're still nervous of neon, then simply carry a fashionably bright handbag or wear a sexy pair of kitten heels instead.
