Fashion: Seeing Red for SS16

You might have quite reasonably assumed that we would all be heartily sick of red by now. What with Valentine’s Day and then Christmas before that, we do seem to have been on red alert for months.

But we’ve only just begun, as far as the colour red and fashion are concerned, because it’s a major player trend for the coming spring and summer, first seen on the runways of Milan, Paris, New York and London, before making its way, starting about now, into a department store or boutique on a High Street near you.

Red has also been a favourite on the red carpet this year. In fact, so far, it’s turning out to be a lucky winning colour for leading ladies with Jennifer Lawrence winning the award for best actress at the Golden Globes in a red Dior gown with Chopard jewellery.

Fifty Shades actress Dakota Johnson (pictured) also wore a beautiful, softly ruffled, red Dior gown to the Baftas last Sunday, although she lost out on the Rising Star award to a dapper John Boyega, but then again she did manage to wow the style watchers, which is a feat itself on a cold, dull and miserable night in February, when glossy fashionistas are desperate for red carpet misses.

Dakota Fanning was not the only star to decide that red on red really was “a thing” at last Sunday’s Baftas. Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke caused a couple of jaws to drop when she arrived in a plunging red gown by Victoria Beckham, but she did also highlight the so-called “cold-shoulder” trend for this coming spring and summer.

Basically, this means that there will be a lot of special occasion dresses about, probably tight bodycon style, which play about with structure around the shoulder area, perhaps having cutout holes for the shoulder blades to peep through, or maybe having extra material straps alongside halter and V-necklines, quite unnecessary but adding interest to the upper quarter of the dress.

This is all very well, but I am already wondering how we will be seeing the cold shoulder trend interpreted and worn, say, at ladies’ days up and down the land. Overly tight frocks with extra cutout detail might not prove to be quite such a becoming look as the season progresses. We’ll have to see.

Red lace looks look set to be a better bet for any races, weddings, anniversaries and garden parties coming up for the spring and summer, and there are two perfect examples here, from Laura Ashley and La Redoute. Lace has become more open knit, if you like, and net-like for SS16, with a slightly organic appeal, and often slightly more sheer, which seems to make it look more elegant, bizarrely.

You can also go down a more casual weekend route with bold block red for the coming season, although the red dungaree dress seen here, is a great example of a piece that dresses up and down with ease, teaming with flats and a white T-shirt for day, and then wearing by itself, with suitably artistic underwear for night. Underwear is another strong trend for the season, allowing your lace bra to be visible under a lace or sheer top, or worn with side slit and backless tops that allow display.

For this look to work, you have to select your underpinnings with care. You have been warned.