Keeping up with fashion is a full-time job. But what if someone broke down a season into bite-sized chunks for you to devour at your leisure? Then you could easily update your wardrobe with only the things you love. Here’s our foolproof guide to the shopping trends to care about this spring. Spoiler: you won’t want to wear them all at once.
This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue
The key thing to note here is that Bretons are out and big, bright highlighter stripes are in. Think less muted shades and more the sort of colours you’d want to see on a beach bag. Go for shirts, jackets and, yes, even shoes bearing bold lines and you’ll be “new-season ready” (as they say) in no time.
“I can’t get enough of the block-stripe bag by Loeffler Randall — I love the idea of it teamed with vibrant block shades like yellow, but it works beautifully with clashing stripes too.”
Flossie Saunders, fashion editor
From left
Advertisement
• Hat, £255, cultgaia.com. Earrings, £140, otiumberg.com
• Shirt, £150, and skirt, £150, gant.co.uk. Bag, £170, Loeffler Randall, net-a-porter.com
• Sandals, £195, russellandbromley.co.uk
Ask a fashion purist and they’ll tell you that Ikea blue is having a moment. But there is more to this colour than dressing like a sturdy shopping bag. This spring’s blues range from a muted sky to deep chambray. It’s a great season for denim too. Try wearing all your blues at once. A suit is a great place to start.
“A denim shirt that doubles as a jacket is forever useful — I love the dark wash of the one from & Other Stories.”
Laura Atkinson, editor
From left
• Sunglasses, £126, poppylissiman.com. Sunglasses chain, £45, talischains.co.uk. Shirt, £95, stories.com
• Bag, £65, cos.com. Jeans, £150, reiss.com
• Sandals, £350, byfar.com
Advertisement
Whatever else new fashion seasons promise, they always deliver a host of wearable pieces designed to stay with you — and work really hard in your wardrobe. Tailoring falls neatly into this category, and this spring the focus is on wide, slouchy trousers teamed with useful neutral pieces. A lightweight polo shirt is the basic to buy now and wear all year long.
“A ‘posh’ take on the classic polo shirt is my go-to for work this spring. I’d wear this grey one from H&M tucked into wide, tailored trousers.”
Karen Dacre, fashion director
From left
• Earrings, £390, theysso.com. Top, £45, hm.com
• Trousers, £207, thefrankieshop.com. Bella bag, £505, cultgaia.com
• Faux-leather boots, £430, manuatelier.com
OK, so we’re hardly reinventing the wheel with this one but what’s new with animal print is the way you wear it. It’s all about spicing it up with a hit of colour, ideally a hard shot of letterbox red. Try a leopard-print coat layered over a bright red rollneck or, if you’re feeling brave, a pair of red tights worn under a pencil skirt. Wild.
Advertisement
“Red and animal print is the combo I never knew I needed — I really like the punchy colour of the sheer shirt from Whistles worn with a snakeskin-print accessory.”
Helen Atkin, junior fashion editor
From left
• Sandals, £410, filippa-k.com
• Shirt with vest, £129, whistles.com. Bag, £35, johnlewis.com
• Trousers, £130, jigsaw-online.com. Boots, £700, filippa-k.com
Buttery soft in light neutral shades, leather can be more useful in the days between March and September than you may think. Of course the trick is to team it with the right pieces. Try a pair of chunky sandals with a leather pencil skirt (excellent spring workwear) or a leather blazer with your favourite pair of jeans.
“The cream faux-leather skirt from The Frankie Shop is just the right side of oversized. I’ll wear it with a neat white T-shirt.”
Verity Parker, associate fashion director
Advertisement
From left
• Shirt, £320, and skirt, £335, thefrankieshop.com. Bag, £36, zara.com
• Belt, £30, cos.com
• Sandals, £95, dunelondon.com
Hair: Tommy Taylor at Stella Creative Artists using Davines. Make-up: Linda Andersson using Violette_FR. Model: Bianca O’Brien at IMG Models. Nails: Cherrie Snow using Dior Vernis