Grey is often thought of as a bit boring but I love it. It is a great neutral alternative to black and this season all shades of grey will be right on trend. Grey is a great way to show of interesting shapes and features of an outfit. Create an interesting look by using a variety of textures and shades or grey for a subtle look or mixing grey with brights for an eye catching look. Grey also looks great when layered with black.

At Donna Karen beautiful draping adds interest to a charcoal grey dress.

The shiny fabric of this Proenza Schouler dress gives it a luxurious metallic feel.

At Akris, I love the texture of this grey top. It looks stylish but in an understated way.

Create your own outfit using shades of grey. Here are some ideas:

Lily grey wool jacket

Kaliko grey flannel jacket

Grey melange smock jacket

picture from  www.g-pisd.org

Imagine a sun drenched beach, turquise sea, palm trees and brightly coloured hibiscus flowers. These colours and pictures make you feel warm and happy. That is why I love tropical colours and prints for summer clothes, they remind me of everything that summer is  about. I also love the retro Hawaian surf wear feel of many tropical prints.

I love the mixture of colours in this Tropical print dress. It is perfect for a summer party, evening out on holiday or even a wedding.

This Tropical vintage dress is great for beach wear or a summer barbeque or picnic. It is casual and relaxed but a great colour with a really sweet floral print.

These Yellow Tropical Hot Pants would look great with a tropical coloured halter neck top for an perfect beach outfit.

This Tropical Foral Print Scarf is the prefect accessory for adding a bit of a tropical feel to a neutral work suit.

I have always loved the colour grey and when I look in my wardrobe, I find that there are more than a few pieces of clothing in the colour grey. It is such a great neutral colour. It goes with almost anything, looks less harsh than black, looks young and fresh and is a lighter alternative to black for the summer. There are lots of shades of grey to choose from almost black slate grey, to grey marl to almost white icy grey.

Here are some of my favourite ways to wear my favourite colour grey:

• Head to toe in different shades of grey ranging from light to dark with some chunky statement silver jewellery.
• Grey florals and ditsy prints.
• Grey sports wear
• Grey and black for a toned down version of monochrome
• Grey teamed with bright neon colours for an eighties feel.

Slate grey promod skirt

Promod light weight knit dress grey

Miso grey jersey dress

Grey jersey dress

On a lovely spring day like today when the sun is shining I feel really happy to be alive and like to celebrate by wearing some beautiful and bright colours. This season there are so many to choose from including neon pinks, acid yellows and electric blues. They look great as colour blocks or incorporated in to eyecatching bright patterns and prints. The great thing about bright colours is not only do they cheer you up but also others around you. You just need to find the right colours to suit your hair colour and skin tone and you will look absolutely amazing and turn heads where ever you go.

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Miso Embroidered Blue Dress

Promod Pink Trousers

Per Una Print Maxi Dress

Pink Linen Embroidered Shift Dress

Gerry Weber Button Front T Shirt

If I had to choose just one colour that will be the absolute must have colour for this summer it will be coral. I love this colour for it’s vibrant, feminine and happy feel. Coral can be combine with lots of different colours to create a very different effect. It is also one of the easiest shades of orange to wear.

At Alexander Wang, coral was combined with hot pink for a bright colour block look that feels warm and tropical. This combination of colours was seen at many other shows including Richard Nichol, John Galliano and Sinha Stanic.

At Mathew Williamson - coral was worn with tanned skin and a body con dress for a simple but hot summer look.

At Christopher Kane - Delicate sheer fabric in a peachy coral and cream created a beautiful and intricate dress with lots of cut out circles.

At Salvatore Ferragamo - a coral evening dress looks stunning with silver shoes.

Coral also looks great with Khakis, beige or nude for a toned down urban cool look and with other clashing colours like lilac for a really eye catching look.

For the ultimate in laid back beach style, I love these sugary sweet ice cream shades. Cool pastels and washed out hues are perfect for summer. They make me want to rush off and find an icecream kiosk for a delicious icecream. They look great with chalky blues and washed out denim for a really relaxed but feminine look with a definite feeling of holiday fun. Just as icecream is these colours are great for keeping cool on a really hot day. They also look great with creams and whites for a really fresh feel.

Full Circle Honeycomb Dress - a great dress for wearing to summer parties and barbeques. This dress will look amazing with a faded denim jacket.

 Mint Crew Neck T Shirt - for every day wear this classic style T shirt goes perfectly with a pair of faded skinny jeans and some pink accessories.

La Redoute Creation Strappy Dress - this dress is great for layering. Try wearing over a pastel colour vest top or T shirt for a great outfit for the beach.

 Oriana Small Flapover Bag - this bag will add some ice cream cool to almost any outfit. It looks amazing with a cream linen jacket for a smart but trendy look.

At the spring summer catwalk shows many designers decided to rebel against the doom and gloom of  the financial climate and  brighten up proceedings with some of my favourite colour - hot pink.

Hot pink can be used to describe a range of pinks from Fuscia to cerise and neon. It just doesn’t include those pale and sugary pale pinks. Hot pink is just about the most flamboyant colour that you can get and is perfect for girls who like to get noticed.

The best thing about hot pink is that when you wear it, it will brighten up your day and that of everyone you meet. The perfect colour for cheering yourself up - give it a try.

Hot pink looks great on its own, with neutral shades of beige or with bright tangerine oranges.

Richard Nicholl - Hot pink looks great in this dress with a bit of bright orange and pale pink.

Luella - Luella combines a bright pink with lavender coloured lace for a very feminine look.

Diane Von Furstenberg - The combination of hot pink and brightly coloured patterns makes this outfit rich and interesting.

Max Mara - the shiny finish of this hot pink outfit makes it impossible to miss. Definitely not for shy retiring types.

Jucca - this hot pink chiffon top is perfect for an evening out.

Alexander Wang

Valentino

Josh Goot

pictures from www.style.com

A great trend for spring summer 09 is colour blocking. The catwalks were full of bright primary colours that could have easily been taken from a childs wardrobe. I love the effect of combining differently brightly coloured pieces. It gives me a very happy and cheery feeling and gives me the energy that I need to get through the day.

With this look simplicity is the key. Clean lines and minimal detail stop it from looking like a clowns outfit. It is such an easy look to do. Jersey materials work great for daytime and satins for a really eyecatching evening look.

The perfect way to add a block of colour to any outfit is with this long sleeved T shirt.

Grey is not a colour that I think much about or ever really look for when I am shopping, but for some reason it is a colour that I wear all of the time. I love grey for its versatility and whilst I love black, grey is a great alternative as it is not quite as harsh. Thers are varying differerent shades of grey from almost black, charcoal grey to silvery or pewter metallic greys. I love wearing them all, quite often all together.

I like to layer on different shades of grey and sometimes add accents of bright colours like shocking pink or juicy orange. Other days I like to combine grey with shiny black and silver accessories for an urban cool sort of look. Grey also looks great with this seasons gothic and grunge trends. You could try combining grey with other dark colours for a really relaxed and laidback look. Grey marl also looks great for work or sports wear. I love grey for day time and evenings. As much as I love bright colored patterned clothes, there are some days when only grey will do.

Dark grey looks great with purple. I love this dark grey demin wrap skirt.

This grey glass dress ring is great for adding a bit of sparkle to an all grey outfit.

 picture from www.myvillagecarnival.ning.com

With August being the month of the Notting Hill Carnival, I thought that today I would write a post on the carnival. Notting Hill Carnival has been going since 1966 on the August bank holiday weekend, it is now a huge Carribean carnival with floats, lots  of music and amazing costumes. The costumes are planned and worked on for months in advance by groups who design, make patterns, sew, glue and paint. Some of these groups will be professional costume makers, others community projects with little or no experience but plenty of enthusiasm.

 I love the vibrancy and colour of the Notting Hill Carnival and so have decided to look for some bright clothes to really cheer up my day. Here is a carnival inspired collection of the clothes that I have found.

I love this bright pink Sarong/ scarf, perfect for the beach to wear with a carnival bright bikini.

This bright and cheery Orange handbag is a  great way to liven up a plian outfit.

These Daisy Flip flops will be great when we get a bit of summery August weather.