I don’t know about you, but I am definitely ready to move away from wearing 10 layers of clothing to keep warm and looking forward to some Spring sunshine peeping through and a little refresh of the wardrobe!

Our Spring/Summer collection will be with us very soon and we are very excited to be sharing it with you but in the meantime, you may be wondering what we can expect to be seeing in terms of more general fashion trends for the forthcoming season?

One thing that is ALWAYS in fashion every Spring is a classic Breton stripe! Maritime history has always influenced fashion – think “Navy” blue as a key example as well as the classic Breton stripe top that is a mainstay of any wardrobe.

French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier has featured the nautical stripes and maritime references throughout his collections over the last 40 years even down to the stripes featuring on his Le Male perfume bottles but you may be wondering how the Breton stripe top came to be and why it is considered such a classic?

Originally it was a knitted fishing shirt designed to be worn for extra warmth and visibility in the water incase the wearer fell overboard, with 18th century seafarers wearing vertically stiped trousers/socks too.

A striped undershirt formed part of the official French naval uniform in 1858 and was called a “Breton” as many of the sailors were from Brittany but also known as the “tricot raye” meaning striped knit in French.

By the end of the century, knitted stripes became a popular choice for swimwear across Europe and was a trend embraced here in the UK too (remember Dick Van Dyke in his

stripy knitted bathing suit in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?? … or maybe you want to forget that lol!)

French Designer Coco Chanel’s early designs were based on the clothing of sailors and she was well known for her love of the Breton top but it really took off as a fashion staple in the French Riviera in the 1920’s when the “it crowd” of the day started to wear it. Since then it has become a fashion favourite across popular culture with varied and famous wearers including Pablo Picasso, Kurt Cobain, Simon Le Bon (trying to look French in the music video to the Bond film ‘View To A Kill’) and even Royal approval in the wardrobe of Princess Kate.

So, what has all this got to do with this season? Well, stripes are “in” but taking the Picasso quote quite literally, the “stripe rules” are broken and stripes are being used creatively in terms of irregularity, or mix and match with other fabrics or patterns too!

No Spring collection is a true Spring collection without some navy blue and white stripes – it’s a classic combination often paired with a little splash of red in accessories to liven things up on a dull grey day.

Other key trends to look out for are “discreet chic” and classic wardrobe staples like a trench coat, pencil skirt, trouser suit and good jeans. Think minimalism, 90’s style with a little elegance. A well cut blazer, clever styling, high waist trousers, and still some metallics either in fabrics or accessories are seen on the catwalks (so if you bought a pair of silver boots or shoes for your Christmas party, the good news is that you can still keep wearing them and still be “on trend” for Spring!).

Polo shirt style is making a comeback and anything that looks ‘craft’ inspired like crochet/macrame detailing, or garments with applique or other embellishments.

Given the “discreet chic” trend, colour pallettes are more muted with neutrals like camel and grey shades featuring alongside the Pantone colour of the year which is called “Peach Fuzz” so look out for all shades peachy, apricot and slightly brighter more orangey versions of the colour appearing in the shops too as we get further into Spring.

In terms of our Tortue collection we just have to keep you guessing a little while longer before all will be revealed on the 1st Feb!

To borrow a quote from Guinness Brewery “…good things come to those who wait….”!

Angela x