Have a look out the window. Rubbish, isn’t it? Spring’s bleak this year. It’s felt more like dragging a dead body up a long flight of stairs than bearing witness to the reboot of the glorious cycle of life.
I think it’s time to apply a little magical thinking to the situation. If the sun won’t shine and the temperature won’t rise, then let’s create the warmth ourselves. Maybe we can evoke this evasive spring if we try hard enough. One way to do this is wearing yellow. It was a huge colour trend on the catwalks and looked just great. Each time it hit the catwalk, it was like the sun came out.
There were egg-yolk skirts at Emilia Wickstead, citrus stripes and patterns at Carven. Burberry did dusky pollen coats and there were pastels from Carolina Herrera. Miu Miu, Michael Kors and Marni did lovely yellow florals.
These brightly hued delights stood out because yellow is not an everyday colour. It’s eye-catching, it can be garish. You can’t drop gravy on it without everyone noticing. It may say summer, but in the wrong hands it also says high visibility tabard or Jay from Buck’s Fizz.
The key to making it work is to use it sparingly. The first clothes I picked for this column were blanket yellow and looked crazy, like roadworks outside a Lego factory. But used as an accent, a burst of brightness, this spring’s yellow is lovely.
It’s an excellent flash of colour on a sandal strap, an unusual neon gingham on a skirt. It makes a great base colour for a patterned shirt or dress. Florals are going to be big this summer (aren’t they always?) and the best designs featured a flower print on a yellow background. This citrus shirt by Equipment is a nice variation on that theme. Also, the stockist is a new website called veryexclusive.co.uk. It’s a different idea from Sarah Curran, a retailer who set up the sadly missed My-Wardrobe. Her new site lets customers pay for purchases in three instalments rather than one sickening massive lump. If you have to spend more than you can really afford on clothes, this seems a good way to do it.
Talking of expensive, I’ve included an Anya Hindmarch purse here. She’s such a popular accessories designer but personally I find her work gimmicky. This Yes purse, however, fits the yellow mood, I think.
And wearing this colour is about giving in to a feeling. It’s not practical or easy but it can look great. Writing this has made me think about the Coldplay song. Chris Martin has said its lyrics were about the mood of the band – brightness and hope – but he’s also admitted that he used the actual word yellow simply because it scanned. He looked round the room where he was writing and spotted the Yellow Pages.
Even if you hate Coldplay, it’s something to bear in mind. Yellow is a beautiful colour, joyful and uplifting. And this spring it just fits.
Follow Alice on Instagram @aliceefisher
