in the highstreet
Okay, think of New Look and you think of fourteen year old girls trying to dress like they’re legal, girls called Chantelle and dodgy innuendo t-shirts of the FCUK variety. With Topshop becoming more
high fashion every season, H&M still appealing to the euro-chic corner of the market, and even Primark coming up from the rear New Look needed the style to support their neon signs to avoid being left out in the high street wasteland resembling Topshop’s chavy and not always cheaper relative. So with the festive season over, our food babies subsiding and global warming making it already feel like winter is well and truly over, it seems like the opportune moment to be planning your spring wardrobe. New Look have got in there early, and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised! Seaside is in, think nineteen-fifties Brighton beach hut colours, nautical stripes, ladies in high waisted shorts on bicycles holding a 99er. Translating into highwaisted white trousers, silk swing tops with puff sleeves in yellow and beach hut patterns, teamed with mafia shoes. Metallics are here and more pronounced, although with no fear of looking astronaut or like a character from the Wizard of Oz. Matt gold swing jackets, matt silver round neck A-line dresses, to be teamed with skinny jeans (still a wardrobe staple…) or anything purple. Brown is not quite the new black but still showing its face in the shape of long gypsy style patchwork dresses teamed with purple, earthy green and yellow. The best combination of this being a plaid style swing top with yellow ribbon fastening. Boiler suits are also threatening to make an appearance, good news for anyone starting a Blazing squad tribute band or wanting to embrace their inner Proletariat. Swimsuits this season are going to leave even more random tan lines than the last, with even further plunging v-neck lines/one shoulder straps/ holes. Jewellery is getting bigger. The kind of jewellery every five year old girl dreams of, big plastic bangles with flower detail in pastel colours, beads, and matching earrings. Also Indian style bangles in golds and oranges. New Look has always been a reliable source of footwear, the Bugsy-Malonesque shoes in blue/white and black/white are fantastic and still at the kind of price you’d expect. Suede platform heels in purple and emerald green encrusted with big jewels may not sound appealing on paper but are sure to be hit. Bring on the Spring!