Red Hot
In an act of fashion rebellion I waited until the last stray pine needles stopped appearing in your living room and Valentines Cards were in the recycle bin before talking about this colour because I fear this colour has been type cast like Hugh Grant in romcoms, we mainly associate it with Santa and Saint Valentine. We favour this colour at the same time each year and then cast aside in favour of the rest of the rainbow until at least November but I think it's high time we bust it out colour for longer.
Pillar box, Cherry, Tomato & Ruby, the beauty of red is the number of shades, red has its own spectrum of colour, from the very cold blue/red of Crimson, the more orangey red of Scarlet to the bright and instantly recognisable Fire Engine, there is a hue to suit all skin tones and contrary to popular belief red looks amazing with lots of other colours and is a brilliant styling tool to make the most basic of outfits look interesting.
If you aren't yet convinced check out the 2026 runway shows from all the big hitters, Celine, Loewe, Chanel and Prada all featured Poppy red in their latest collections, but before we get to summer let's talk about wearing red in early spring starting with 1 piece per look and from the feet up. A red sock tucked into a loafer and peeping out of your jeans, a red crew neck jumper worn over a white t-shirt with the collar and hem just peeping out, A red triangle scarf worn over the nape of the neck or a bright chunky red beanie ala Margot Robbie on the streets of Notting Hill, she teamed hers with mid-blue jeans, a grey knitted henley jumper (a henley is a quarter zip, but instead of a zip it has 3 buttons) converse high tops and a leather coat. A casual look so timeless it will never date - worth remembering this when you are thinking about investing in trends.
If you have road tested the accessories and are ready to think about wearing red in a bigger way, welcome aboard. Starting with knitwear, people often make the mistake of abandoning the idea of buying new knitwear at this time of year. If your knitwear collection is tip-top, congrats, if it's lacking, don't be frightened to buy now. One great sweater can improve a dozen outfits. Red knits look amazing through spring, around your shoulders in summer, for travel and every chilly morning and evening in between. Cos have a cashmere funnel neck for £249 while Whistles have one on sale with a lovely open collar for £89.
Ready to go the full 9 yards and wear a red coat? Look no further than the Massimo Dutti red oversized trench, they call it a parka but don't be put-off, it's in a technical fabric and looks a lot more expensive than its £139. Toteme has one and it retails for £990.
All that remains is head to toe but that's one for warmer weather because it's (red) hot.
