Sunshine brights are the answer for the summer wardrobe

Look to the colours of a luscious fruit salad, blooming flower garden or opt for the crisp contrast of black and white, or shimmer in metallic fabrics.

Pattern is the hottest trend for summer – go wild with tribal prints or zebra stripes; say it with flowers; be spotted with dots. Whatever you choose pattern is a must for the summer months. 

The sunshine brights are great for the Clear and Brights; the zebra stripes are eye-catching on the Clear and Dramatics; the softer florals are pretty for the Soft and Muteds and the earthy tribal designs flatter the Rich and Muteds.

It is the season of extremes – wide floaty trousers are top fashion, but many are wary of this trend, so most stores still have a range of narrow legged pants. Contrast is the key, if you choose wide legs, make your top more fitting, keep the flowing floral tops for the narrow legs. 

As the cost of living rises, hemlines are falling – skirts are fluid and long as are dresses. This can be a tricky length if your lower leg is shorter than your thigh. If you are not tall, the key is not too  wide and not too long. Experiment with the longer length, but if you wear it and don’t enjoy the longer, almost ankle grazing, silhouette have the skirt or dress shortened, not a major alteration to a garment.

The silhouette is fluid, but don’t do head to toe floaty.   Only one piece can float and add volume otherwise you will shorten and widen yourself.   And most of us aim to dress to make ourselves look taller and slimmer!   So if you have a floaty top, team with narrow pants and in reverse if you wear wide trousers or slouchy harem trousers, choose a more fitting top half.     

If you’ve steered away from pattern recently, don’t be afraid of bright and bold designs. Not all florals have the same impact – tonal florals are subtle and clashing colours are show stoppers. Bright florals can be toned down with denim, or a neutral or universal navy. The printed dress can be worked in different ways to make it versatile. Team with neutral-toned tailored jacket and wear to the office. Shed the jacket, glam up the accessories, put on some colourful or metallic sandals and go party.

Choose your florals and patterns carefully, if you have small bone structure, don’t overwhelm yourself with enormous floral blooms. Take into account the size and intensity of the pattern.