3 Pops of Spring

 If your work lifestyle is anything like mine, Spring doesn’t naturally coat your life in glowing relaxation with the promise of the Summer. No, no, no. For some unearthly reason, every time the sun bursts through the clouds like a rare invitation to linger outside, an angry deadline or a meeting grabs me by the scruff of the neck and drags me back to the office.

My only consolation is in the little things that leave me with a sunny smile. Here are three Spring-inspired trends that add just a pop of life to even the longest and dullest of days…

1.   ‘Le Parc Print’ by Bimba Y Lola

One unavoidable trend this season has got to be the ethnic print, or as my boyfriend calls it ‘Aztec cool’. There is an incredible ‘off the beaten track’ bite to any item with that characteristic black on bold pattern (even when you know it’s highstreet or designer!) I am personally besotted with this Bimba Y Lola ‘Le Parc Print’ special. It’s somewhere between the South American continent and 1960s geometry. Pair it up with an airy, oversized shirt and you’re good to go.

2.     ‘Hampshire’ by Hemsley London

I came across this London born and bred brand at Fashion Week this year. It’s a perfect example of how the Best of British is constantly evolving and transforming with up-and-coming talent. The Hampshire is a minimal beauty, combining off-white-painted calf leather, chrome plating and a pair of distinctive white racing stripes. It’s on my wish list.

3.     Decoltissimo Patent by Christian Louboutin

I am mad about block colour – especially when it props up quite unexpectedly. When I first lay eyes on these beautiful teal heels, I imagined a complete cream number accompanying it. What cheers ‘Spring’ more than a basic palette with a shot of the most joyful tone of the season?

Radiant Orchid

As we rolled in to 2014, I waited in anticipation for the colour that would take the year by storm from everything from the catwalks right down to your local design ateliers. Pantone had set the bar high. The worldwide authority on colour had nailed it three years running and truly made me believe that those tints and tones were painted across the background of the stories that I lived. 

                            2013                2012               2011

2011 marked my first year of university, and I spent many-a-moment looking at the world through Honeysuckled-glasses. Then when 2012 came in a whirlwind of ambition and glory, I found myself swooped up by the Tangerine Tango of the Olympic flame on the summer streets of London. And last year I was lost in Emerald city like so many others, bewitched by its deep elegance and the promise of its luminescent livelihood.

   Source: Pantone

Convinced that nothing could top the winning streak, my heart sank a little when I discovered that the Pantone Colour of the Year is purple. I have never really been able to wrap my head around the colour purple. Whilst its softer tints hint at a meek romance, the louder shades of violet are vicious and vain, and all too often vulgar.

But perhaps that’s what’s so captivating about the hue…the mystery of it all. It sits comfortably on the colour spectrum, somewhere between cool colours and the warm colours, whilst exuding neither feeling. Instead it appeals to imagination of the beholder. According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, Radiant Orchid is an “invitation to innovation”, encouraging “expanded creativity and originality”.

Burberry Prorsum's Spring/Summer Collection '14 stems beautifully from it's inspiration behind The Petal, the runway bag of the season. This English Lace Fitted Shirt exudes confident elegance.

Karl Lagerfeld's pursuit of art in fashion has tumbled in to yet another playful whilst powerfully feminine collection for Chanel this season. The fashion house most classically associated with the elegance of black and white found an outlet in vibrant tones of purpley-pink with Look 16 RTW SS14. 

Christian Dior's SS14 collection was bathed in a mystical element - a collision of textures, shimmers and silhouettes that elevated the unwary show to the transcendence which inspired the very looks. 

"Temperley dipped in heady, ethereal romance" might just be this season's fashionable embodiment of Radiant Orchid. The bold richness of the hues have me hooked, but the gloss of the fabrics and the A-line silhouette elevate the irresistibly feminine look completely.

Although an ethereal glow emanates from the Radiant Orchid at first glance, a profound sense of harmony resonates at the core. The balance of fuchsia, purple undercurrents and vibrant pink traces expresses an unyielding confidence: a captivating charisma that both empowers and enchants. I have found myself entranced by the soft luminescence of a new year full of promises unfolding before me… 

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