"Which season is your favourite?" - Oh no, not "that" question. Have I ever been able to answer it? No. Because come on, how can you decide between crisping up on a beach in Ibiza with your gorgeous one-piece costume, big sunnies and a yummy cocktail, and snuggling up in a big knitted jumper with a cup of tea and and a good film?
When push comes to shove, I've always settled on Winter being my favourite season (perhaps because this comes with the promise of the occasional duvet day). Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my excitement for Winter, that I start to wish Spring and Summer away. But no more.
Autumn/Winter is fast approaching here in England, and don't we know it! We've had such a fabulous Summer, and I think we're all a bit sad to see it go. So let's take a moment to remember the amazing fashion trends and bold statements that came hand-in-hand with the glorious sunshine and, more importantly, let's get all excited about what Spring/Summer 2014 has to offer. (There are definitely a few trends I think are strong enough to be sticking around long enough to see next year).
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| (Blink Brow Bar) |
Now if London Fashion Week is anything to go by, we'll be seeing lots of new styles flooding into our high streets and designer names. Burberry do a superb job of highlighting the introduction of pastel shades to our, currently, quite bright summer style taste. Burberry have also predicted patterns to make a huge comeback, as shown by gorg Burberry models, (including Cara Delevingne) below.
By absolutely no means are we waving goodbye to the glitter and neons that we have held so dear throughout Spring/Summer 2013, but the addition of more neutral tones certainly give us a lovely balance.
Christopher Kane's collection also confirms this (drastic, but super duper) trend heading our way for 2014. We're definitely seeing some calmer tones with pops of brighter shades, patterns, prints, and a bit of texture here.
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| (Fashion Me Fabulous) |
So what are we expecting for Spring/Summer 2014? In short? A gradual transition from our current, rather 1990's-inspired style. But how do we prepare for it? Great news. We've got all Autumn/Winter to deal with that. But here are five simple tips on how to make sure you're ready for it!
1) Keep hold of pale summer dresses/tees, especially if they are patterned! This will add some depth to your outfit and jazz up the use of such simple colours.
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| 1. Cutout Back Lace Overlay Dress, Yesstyle, £15.05 (buy here) |
2) Look at the big picture. We've all seen them (and some of us have even had them bestowed upon us), the "ugly sweater". But worry no longer! Those slightly-too-big-for-you, funny-coloured, high-necked, big-picture-of-an-animal-centre-front jumpers have spring-boarded their way into 2014. Be ashamed no longer, and if you haven't got one already, treat yourself! They're seriously cute, and 2014-you will thank you for it! If the "animal thing" isn't really your cup of tea, then try out just a patterned front.
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| 2. Brave Soul Cream Tiger Print Jumper, New Look, £19.99 (buy here) // 3. Parisian Cream Vintage Rose Print Jumper, New Look, £27.99 (buy here) |
3) Prints, prints, prints! As neutral colours are looking to be our staple for 2014, we're going to need to experiment, and this means with patterns, textures and, of course, prints! Here we have a gorgeous V-Neck print baggy tee perfect to pair with some bright nails, jeans, accessories or sandals.
4) Sandals are looking to be a big thing next year (not that they weren't this year, of course). As Burberry so wonderfully showcased, this is definitely an opportunity to add that stand-out colour to your outfit. As an example here, I've chosen some seriously cute pink Missguided Roman Sandals (also available in orange). Don't worry if you're not into wearing bright footwear, there are loads of other opportunities to add some colour to your look.
5) As a follow on from number 4, don't chuck out that gorgeous neon polish, don't forget, you're going to need some stand-out colours, and if you're not really into wearing bright and bold clothing, then bright nail polish is probably more for you. It would be too much of a shame to chuck any nail polish out (I struggle even with my oldest polishes) for next year's trends, I personally recommend NEON by American Apparel.
So there we have it, my Spring/Summer 2014 predicitions based on what London Fashion Week has already teased us with! Remember, 2013 will have finished - not vanished! I think Spring/Summer next year promises to use the bright colours introduced this year in conjunction with some cooler, neutral shades polished off with some classic patterns and textures. I'm totally exciting about trying out these new trends and seeing what fun experiments I can have with old and new. Summer, to me, means a chance to explore colour combos, dress brightly, freshly and comfortably, and I think Spring/Summer style 2014 is definitely a fantastic opportunity to see what I can do. I'm hoping you're feeling pumped and inspired too!
This post has been submitted for Company Magazine's 'The Company Academy in association with Veet'.
