Dress for success
/ 01 February 2010
Exotic prints, bold checks and dreamy pastels create a vibrant mix in the spring/summer collections. Katie Greengrass picks the best buys on the high street to make sure you stand out at work
Whether you like strong prints, bright colours, simple white or extreme shapes, there’s something for everyone in the spring collections, which are just about to hit the high street.
This season’s prints are refreshingly feminine. The print that made by far the biggest impression on the catwalk was good old-fashioned girly gingham, and Christopher Kane updated the whimsical fabric by layering it with tailored pieces and knitwear.
Aside from gingham, every type of print from exotic (Dries Van Noten) to futuristic (McQueen) to painterly (Stella McCartney) was paraded on the runway.
Take your cue from the catwalk and try mixing your printed pieces with tailoring. Blazers, waistcoats and pencil skirts work well as a base for strong pattern. If you’re feeling daring, layer two, three or four prints together like Marc Jacobs, who used retro styles, but you can use exotic or futuristic prints in the same way. Shop at H&M for cheap and cheerful checks or at Monsoon for brightly coloured prints, heady stripes and ditzy florals.
A question of proportion
This season hemlines are shorter and trousers longer and looser than ever before. Keep your mini for outside of office hours and experiment with a new style of trouser in work.
The trouser shape of the moment is an exaggerated form of harem and on the runways at Celine and Ralph Lauren these extreme harems were worn best in silk - loose and billowing on the leg and tapered at the ankle.
Try a lightweight fabric harem pant for the office – it will be a trendy alternative to tailored trousers. You don’t necessarily have to opt for the extreme shape either, as many high street stores have produced less radical versions of the harem pant,which are certainly work-worthy. A white cotton pair by John Rocha for Debenhams is a good investment buy – with slimmer lines, this is a halfway house between classic suiting and the edgier new shape.
In the shade
Colour was on the spring summer 2010 catwalks, but not in abundance. Designers whose collections are normally fuelled by colour went for pale and pared down, perhaps in response to the recession.
At Pringle of Scotland models dressed in white crochet cardigans and little white dresses while at Calvin Klein white was paired with black and grey separates.
Invest in white as the weather gets warmer – it’s eternally chic. Nothing beats a simple white shirt, clean make-up and minimal accessories. Gap is the best place for a white shirt but for something quirkier try Chilli Pepper, which has cut this season’s white shirts in Edwardian style.
If you fancy a splash of colour then blush and peach are the most popular shades for spring. Ted Baker has a fantastic range of ruffle detail dresses in these shades – wear them at work with a black blazer and a pair of black patent boots.
A touch of steel
Metallic shades are also key and on the catwalk, young British designer William Tempest did them best.
His Bond-inspired catwalk show oozed molten metal in tribute to 007. For silvers, golds and bronzes, shop at Jaeger for metallic thread detail blouses and elegant brocade jackets and mix these pieces with your pencil skirt and shift dress. Dorothy Perkins has some great sequin detail pieces – pare down the sequins by teaming with a linen suit or blazer.
With all the sheer fabric and cutaway styles on the racks this season, you should be putting as much thought into what you’re wearing underneath your clothes as the clothes themselves.
Dolce & Gabbana’s spring summer 2010 catwalk show featured lingerie almost exclusively and Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci opted for sheer – both themes have filtered out on to the high street.
For work, invest in a nude bodysuit from American Apparel or Wolford, it will make for a more conservative cover up and you will still be able to work the sheer trend. Out of work opt for underwear with strong lines and corsetry detail. Karen Millen and Topshop have done this best.
And for the men...
The future in colour
This season, the menswear collections are all about colour and pretty much anything goes. From bright red to vivid blue and beyond, mix any strong block colour with your existing spring suit for an instant wardrobe update. You just have to look at Paul Smith’s spring summer 2010 catwalk as an example. He used just about every shade imaginable mixed with classic suiting in grey, white and black.
John Smedley has good quality, bright block coloured knits on the high street – a range of v-neck jumpers, cardigans and tank tops. Try Smedley’s knits in bright blues and greens, which are conventional enough to wear at work while still tapping into the colour trend.
Mac attack
The mac has made a huge comeback this spring. Team your new mac with your suit trousers and smart office shirt for a nice alternative to a two-piece suit.
For fashion forward thinkers opt for a trendy colour like olive green, burnt orange or even silver. Nicole Farhi has a fantastic range of men’s macs on offer this season and you can’t beat a Burberry – it will last you forever. For a cheaper alternative, shop at Republic for a fun range of waterproof macs that will carry you through the rainy season.
The return of the loafer
Pack up your boots and put away your brogues because the only footwear for men this spring is the loafer. On the high street, retailers have refashioned this classic in just about every way imaginable – leather, tassel, canvas, rubber and bright.
Wear your new season’s loafers with a suit or chinos. The best way to wear them is with the bottom of your trousers slightly rolled up, particularly handy when the warmer weather hits.
For a smart loafer in classic leather shop at Russell & Bromley – their footwear is sturdy so it is worth paying a little more, especially as you will wear these shoes five days a week. For a fun spot of colour Ted Baker’s loafer comes in soft leather in shades like bright blue and classic cream.