tricky trend - colour blocking

Unless you've been living under a rock all year you would have noticed the exciting shots of colour we've been seeing on the runways, stores and streets for yonks now. If you happen to be one of the unfortunates boding under rocks, I urge you to come out and enjoy the emerging spring sunshine! While colour blocking, or the brights trend has been spotted as an emerging trend on runways as early as 2007, it was a huge element in the recent Royal Australian Fashion Week and is officially on our shores with a vengance. I'm sure it will enjoy a long time in the spotlight so we can look forward to lots of bright summer dresses, wide brimmed hats, sandals and the like in the months to come.

Where we've seen colour blocking: 

RUNWAY COLLECTIONS:

 Alice & Olivia's Resort '12

Josh Goot RAFW 2011

STORE COLLECTIONS:

 J. Crew's "Collection" line

Zara's April "Look Book"

CELEBRITIES:

Camilla Belle

Olivia Palmero

Jennifer Lopez

 Leona Lewis

Olivia Wilde

As you can already see, there are endless possibilities when playing with this new trend which I must say is a breath of fresh air after the waves of neutrals that have been huge the last few years. Fabulous new trends are often borne out of designers' desire to move as far away as possible from the last 'big thing', which is clearly the case here. What I love the most about colour blocking is that it's another truly accessible trend which is to say that all ages, sizes and style personalities can adopt this look whether it's with one bright accessory, a multi-tonal dress or a bright pair of jeans. 

Although totally accessible, mixing brights does have it's difficulties. Here are some simple points to remember when trying out this trend:

Tip #1: Go for contrasting colours for maximum impact. Have a look at this colour circle if you are unsure of what colours contrast with which. Pink contrasts well with bright greens and blue contrasts beautifully with orange.

Tip #2: Choose colours that you already own and that you know suit your complexion. This is especially important for colours on your top half or anywhere near your face. Light reflects colours upward so choose colours that will enhance your complexion.

Tip #3: Keep accessories as well as your make-up look neutral when playing with all over colour to keep the focus on the clothing and avoid the dreaded clown effect.

Tip #4: Avoid too much detail and let the bright colours do all the talking. Streamlined brights is where it's at.

Tip #5: Most importantly - confidence! Confidence really is the key to pulling off any look you like.  

As with all trends you can choose which elements you want to adopt and which you'd rather leave on the benches. If you're loving the rainbow of options hitting the racks, then jump into this trend fabulously heeled feet first by matching multiple colour blocked items for a high impact look. Have a look at my ideas below in the "jump in" collection. If you're more like myself and like to ease into new trends then start with one or two colour blocking items, like the super versatile neck tie blouse or the yellow leather sandals in my "ease in" collection below and mix and match with your wardrobe favourites. If you're up for a bit of colour, but only here and there, then you'll perhaps like my "wet your toes" collection below for the fashionista who prefers one colour at a time, thank you.

(Please note: due to Blogger restrictions you may not see all three collections mentioned directly after this post, if that's the case, click "Older posts" to continue reading.)

Which ever step you take, enjoy this fun new trend which is bringing joy to the masses, one bright colour at a time.

Are you excited about this new trend?

What's your favourite colour?