Approaching Spring Summer with Tess Purcell
The spring summer season is now in full swing in our stores – with all sorts of interpretations of the seasonal trends which have eventually trickled their way from the catwalks to the high street. But this can prove a little overwhelming for people who haven’t quite settled on a style that they are personally happy with.
On top of the endless choice, we now also have the credit crunch to deal with and shopping wisely was never more important. Perhaps now is the time to rethink some of our shopping habits. Gone are the days of the endless impulse buying. Well, we still like to splurge a little if we have it, but perhaps splurging wisely (if there is such a thing) is the key i.e. buying a few staple pieces, which will instantly update your look. A little homework is needed before hitting the streets in search of that something new. Invest in a few mags and peruse the pages of trend fashions. Examine the looks and ask yourself are you a rock chic, a romantic, a classic dresser or the sporty type? If you’re not sure, question whether you are attracted to the garment for its colour, cut and or fabric? It is also a good idea to tick off the looks you like and you will then start to see a pattern forming. This pattern will also be obvious, when you organise your wardrobe and see repeat buys, for instance 5 pairs of the same coloured jeans. After your bit of magazine research, look in to your existing spring summer wardrobe and see what it is you need to pick up in order to bring your look up to trend. For example if you choose a silk with lace cami or bustier top this time round for layering with rather than a string top, you would be on trend as the underwear as outerwear trend is hot for the season. The maxi is still on trend so if you have some maxi dresses in your wardrobe update them by investing in some Chanel style canvas clogs, flat sandles or kitten heels. Or if you fancy a new maxi dress, there are some gorgeous bohemian look maxi dresses available across a lot of the spring summer ranges at the moment. See this printed floral design maxi dress from Monsoon (€99)
A crisp white shirt is also a good investment, as it will bring you from day to evening when teaming it with a pencil skirt or pants / jeans by day and perhaps jazzing it up with a shorter skirt or if you'e really daring, some hot leather shorts by night. Left: White shirt €27 from Marks and Spencer
Left: Grey leather bag from Faith €65. The IT bag has become more structured and takes its inspiration from the satchel. If that look isn’t for you then check out the transparent trend in bags, which has a very urban fresh look. Another tricky trend to come on stream is the head to toe denim look, which is prominent in fashion forward stores such as Topshop or River Island. The trick here is to pair two types of washes. For example a dark denim jean paired with a pale washed denim shirt. If you feel this look is just too much denim for you try using an oversized denim shirt instead of a jacket or tuck a fitted denim top inside a regular pair of trousers.
Left: Nude Pied a Terre dress from House of Fraser €168. When you are out and about start looking at nude colours, as they are featuring widely and will be an instant fresh update to any look. Make sure to choose a shade, which enhances your own natural colouring – and remember, the heavy false tan look is a thing of the past. If you dont want to go out spending money of nude dresses and coats etc, update your current dresse swith some gorgeous nude accessories!
The ethnic tribal warrior look is also alive and well this summer and the combination of rustic materials, ethnic prints and nude palettes works well when teamed with the open toe boots and gladiator sandals trend that is also prominent. Left: Metalic look gladiator flat sandals from Evans €42
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