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Ooh I love Spring, it reminds me of yellow daffodils, bleating lambs and fresh minty green fields and don't forget the onslaught of chocolatey heaven in Easter.
It's also a time to welcome the new season of high street colour flashes and get an inkling for the future Summer lovelies courtesy of Pantone (the colour forecasters that be) to help you plan that holibobs wardrobe.
Now, usually we see a lighter and brighter palette than the rich and deep hues that Autumn and Winter provide us with and this year is no different, however, there are some interesting newbies on the block for you to try.
So lets, get straight to it shall we with a few picks?
* Let the camel see the wardrobe
Wait what?! Yep, the neutrals will be king this season and the power of all things 'beige' will rule supreme, ranging from biscuit to butterscotch and cream to camel, so basically, if it's brown you're in! Who knew?
Stay with me because to be honest, this is great news for both the colour shy and the mixologists because as you may well know by now, neutrals are the grafters and the back bone of one's wardrobe and no... brown does not have to be boring and pooey trust me! It's a great basic to add, no matter how it comes, so I want to show you how it can be embraced.
So let's see how we could mix it shall we.....
You can try the 'analogous' effect of colour mixing which basically means, pairing it with it's neighbour on the old colour wheel or go for a monochromatic look with different shades and tints of the same hue. If you want to be more exploratory you can mix it with the opposites and go all out complementary.
So thinking beiges and browns then.....
ANALOGOUS COLOUR MIXING
So here, in an outfit....
So browns and beiges look great if you add to the mix golds, yellows and greens or you can go the other way and knock on the door of the reds and oranges. It doesn't just have to be about colour blocking either, as many prints include colours that work in this way and all you need to do is pair them with a plain garment taken from the print. Simples...
MONOCHROMATIC COLOUR MIXING
See it here in this outfit...
So this basically means mixing and matching prints that contain the same colour family and in this case I'm using the browns and beiges to show you that it can work beautifully and not at all boring. Animal print can work beautifully here as snakeskin and leopard contain a great base of these neutrals from which to build.
There is also optical magic at work here too, because if you wear blocks of similar tones it creates height and can elongate the body should you want to.
Wearing a brighter version or a print in one area can create focus and flatter an area whereas a darker or matte block of colour, worn on say the hips, can camouflage and shrink an area.
COMPLEMENTARY COLOUR MIXING
And lastly here....
This year there is once again a big influx of denim love (acid wash particularly) which is great news for the tans, camels and beiges of the high street because it works beautifully with blue and is it's opposite on the colour wheel. Woohoo! To be honest I would always work in some pattern, texture or interest somewhere, because plain blocks of colour can look a little meh... but I will leave that with you because we should wear things we like and how we like.
The other neutral primed by Pantone (the colour gods) can be seen in a good old brighter version of navy blue. So fill your boots luvlies and reach out to other neutrals other than black...
Don't be scared to pop on a little fushcia or mustard with your inky shade because they really do compliment each other as well as giving an interesting lift to your look. Just be aware of keeping the same tonal families together for now, so for example, cools with cools, warms with warms, softs with softs and brights with brights.
* Bright Additions
Other colours which will be everywhere, include pink (yes still) , green and yellow and they will be popping up everywhere, from the bright to the pastel. Ooh and keep your eye on the neon trend, if you're a dramatic in nature. I'm not suggesting head to toe Las Vegas signage here, rather a subtle pop or mix with an accessory to keep it practical and less well gawdy and it doesn't have to be yellow.
So the palette looks quite fresh this Spring and Summer and many of them remind me of those fabulous little sweeties 'Fruit Salads', remember those.. nom nom.
A good introduction to these colour bursts can be seen particular in the trouser suit department, so the office is going to feel less drab and a whole lot more like a spring meadow with any luck. I myself embraced this change and recently bought a suit in a soft pink and I can tell you, I felt awesome and honestly, empowered.
* Hello Green
So what about green, I hear you say? Well you don't need to go all out 'Robin Hood' here because there's more to it than corduroy jackets and camouflage .
There are a few to throw your hat at ranging from mints to mosses and olives to evergreens so you don't just have to stick to the predictors. Again it can act as a neutral or take centre stage in an outfit, it really doesn't matter and these sorts of colours often throw up staple varieties in the jeans, jackets and pattern departments for the season. Look out for bold florals and tropical foliage.
As with all colours, there is a green out there for you. All you need to do is get a feel of your overall colouring, taking into consideration your hair, skin and eyes to give you an idea. Make up artists too, look for colour cues in skin tones (warms and cools) to work with the most flattering looks and so too do we Image consultants and Stylists.
A session of colour analysis is of course very useful, however, on a very basic level odds are that if you're very pale, fair haired and soft in the eyes your best heading for a lighter softer shade whereas if you're darker and richer in looks then so too will be your green. Though this is very rough and you can't beat investing in a professional evaluation to get your very own personalised colour swatches.
There are so many gorgeous hues out there this season, so fill your gaps and experiment a little to lift your mood and enjoy wearing your happy. You never know, a bit of yellow just might make an appearance in your closet or even on a painted nail or quirky clutch.
For more seasonal colour love check out my Pinterest board or find out more about colour here. I'll also be posting more colourful finds over on facebook @TheImageTreeConsultancy
Bye for now
Sara
Feel free to comment or ask me more about this season's colour trends.