Spring fashions: Land of the free

There’s a fresh new spirit of freedom sweeping through fashion for spring. Stephanie Smith offers her advice.
New spring fashionsNew spring fashions
New spring fashions

First rule of spring 2015 fashion is ... there are no rules, so don’t worry about getting it wrong, because you can’t. Not really.

But there is a lot of fun, plus opulence and sophistication, and swathes of clean white, nostalgia, brightness, and layers and layers of texture. Feel free to mix it up.

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First, the fun, which comes in the form of what some style commentators are calling the “glamorous groupie” look, mixing mini skirts and babydoll dresses with “stolen from the band” jackets. Think beaten-up short styles in suede, leather, snakeskin, or with fringing, and faux fur – adding rock-star long thin silky scarves wound around the neck once. Finish with knee-high boots (especially cross-laced, for some reason) or sandals or snakeskin cowboys, and of course some dark shades, and look like you’ve just crashed off the tour bus.

New spring fashionsNew spring fashions
New spring fashions

This blends in with the really big fashion news for spring – the Seventies. Oh yes – flares and bell-bottoms, boho floral dresses, hyper-real floral prints and retro shades of rust, olive and mustard. Actually, it’s all rather wearable.

You can go all preppy, all fitted V-knits and tonal A-line skirts (I’m thinking Velma in Scooby Doo), or you can go totally rich hippy, in decadent silk and chiffon boho maxi dresses in beautiful all-over scintillating prints, with halter-neck or drawstring necklines, lots of fabric, lots of see-through, lots of movement. There are strappy styles and kaftans too, just begging to be whisked away to louche Hollywood pool parties, or, failing that, to anywhere hot on the Med, or maybe wait for a neighbour’s garden party barbecue meet-and-mingle.

Then there’s denim, which keys in with the Seventies’ theme, with flares, patchwork and dungarees, but also diversifies to feature as trouser suits, lots of different styles of throw-on denim jacket, as all-in-ones, culottes (fashion’s loving the culotte for spring), plus button-through dresses. There are also neat, tailored, pared-down looks, such as cropped, zip jackets and simple pleat front, sharp crease trousers.

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Stripes will also be hard to avoid, as they are wide and defined and bright for spring. Think carefully about how you wear or they really will wear you. Overall, there’s a slight comedy, retro, seaside edge to many of the season’s stripes, which means that, away from the catwalk, it’s all too easy to veer towards the ridiculous.

New spring fashionsNew spring fashions
New spring fashions

There’s lots of white, especially cutwork and worked, in sophisticated all-over looks that will work especially well in high summer, or as separates to pair with the season’s surreal and cartoonish floral prints and also violet and marine blue, key colours for 2015.

Finally, fashion’s love affair with the East shows no sign of abating, but does grow in opulence and elegance, with exquisite silk oriental floral prints, plus high-neck shifts, kimono styles, Japanese landscape designs and obi belts.

Twitter: @yorkshirefashQ

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