Turning Japanese

So much high fashion at the moment is about bright, block colouring. I love it. And at the risk of sounding like my grandmother 'it is nice to see a bit of colour on you.' But what if it's not for you? Well, the recent glimpse of spring has shown us a different pallette altogether. Gentle blue skies, pale golden sunsets, delicate pink cherry blossom. It all makes me think of the colours that nineteenth century Japanese print artist Hiroshige captured in his work (see below).

These are the colours I pick up on in Holly Fulton's Spring/Summer 2011 collection. Below you can see a piece typical of the designer's direction. Her pieces are distinctly modern designs with a definite reference to historical styles - in recent collections Japanese and Egyptian. They are often beaded, printed. What they will always be is pricey.

So given that most of us are not minted, the best way to put a look like this together from high street retailers is...
Above: French Connection's Cleo Dress £145

Above: Navette earrings from Accessorize £10.80

Above: Klue shoes at Carvela £100