Some things bright and beautiful. How to achieve the autumn colour injection

This year, we are learning that the transition into autumn is a far more bitter affair when the summer we leave has been long and glorious, giving us week after week of holiday warmth and sun.

This is the time we have been dreading, exchanging Bardots and strappy tops for long sleeves and cardis, swapping sandals for ankle boots, having to think about at least carrying a coat at all times. So long, freedom; hello, grey skies and chills.

However, solace comes in new season colour, which has some surprises in store. According to Pantone, the organisation which predicts and records fashion colour themes and stories across the globe, there is a continuing move away from cyclical trends, and instead a focus on self-expression, and this is resulting in exuberant colour mixes and choices. So there’s a trend towards wearing blocks of unusual colour and combining unexpected tones to create an individual and creative look.

There’s an interesting new level of detail too, within colour stories, exploring nuances of shade and mixing textures to reinvent and renew colour for the season.

On the London Fashion Week catwalk, we saw autumnal hues evoking falling leaves and darkening skies, but also bursts of surprising tones adding playfulness and interest. Look out for Valiant Poppy, a “brave and outgoing red shade, effusive in its allure”, and Nebulas Blue, reminiscent of twilight, thoughtful and starry-eyed. Ceylon Yellow is punchy, spicy and exotic; Russet Orange evokes forest floors and earthen warmth; Ultra Violet signals the future, inventive and imaginative; Crocus Petal is cultivated and refined, giving a light burst that’s rather spring-like; Limelight is an attention-grabbing yellow-green; Martini Olive is a smooth, sophisticated and urbane green to bring depth to the autumn palette; and Pink Peacock is a bright, dramatic pink for an experimental approach.

We still need the classic shades, for structure and foundation in our wardrobes and to cross the seasons. These are the building blocks to which we can add variety through texture and colour combining. Sargasso Sea is a “boundless and fathomless blue, mooring the palette”; Tofu is a creamy white staple; Almond Buff is an understated camel hue; Quiet Gray is a timeless, soft grey; and finally, Meerkat is a versatile toasty burnished brown.

Going head-to-toe in a palette of neutrals, especially variations of camel, makes for a perfect autumnal look, but then you can charge it up, replacing one piece with something in poppy red, perhaps a pair of wide-leg trousers, or a sweater, or a coat. Easy and effective.

These are shades that take complexity and sophistication of tone and use it to simply striking effect. An energised russet orange silk shirt, a striking ceylon yellow jacket, a pop of vibrant violet or bright pink in the shape of a bag or a boot, these are the shades that will tell you everything you need to know about future fashion, instantly.

YORKSHIRE FASHION LISTINGS

Saturday, September 8: 10am-4pm, wedding and special occasion designer Anita Massarella opens her atelier. See www.anitamassarella.co.uk.

Vintage Fair at Square Chapel Arts Centre hosted by Yorkshire Vintage Fairs, Square Chapel Arts Centre, 10 Square Road, Halifax. See www.yorkshirevintagefairs.com/events

- Thirsk Ladies’Day, see www.goracing.co.uk.

September 8 & 9: Leeds Vintage Furniture & Home Fair, The Old Woollen, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, Leeds. £2 entry, see www.roseandbrownvintage.co.uk

September 13: Doncaster Ladies’ Day, see www.goracing.co.uk.

* There’s more fashion, beauty and events across Yorkshire here: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/fashion