Shiny soft satin skirts trimmed with lace are having a fashion moment. Lace trims vary from contrasting to self-colour. Lace trim is positioned on hems, waistbands, around the edges of slits, down side seams, or cut into a shape and inserted. Lengths vary from mini to maxi, although knee-length and midi lengths are common. Many silhouettes are column, cut on the bias, or slightly A-line. Some styles are asymmetrical, and some are flared. Most lace trimmed skirts are neutral and solid. Non-neutrals and patterns are less common. The collection shows examples.

Soft silky lace trimmed skirts form part of the Modern Romance trend. They take me back to the early ’00s, which is one of the decades influencing current fashion. Back then, most of them were cut on the bias and knee-length. They sat lower on the waist too. Slinky, clingy, and not that easy to wear. This time round waistbands are higher, lengths vary, and silhouettes are more than simply bias cut. There is added ease and coverage to the skirt which are fit and style upgrades to my eye.

These are flimsy, breezy and lightweight skirts, so best in mild, warm and hot weather. They can be paired with lightweight knitwear, tees, tank tops, fitted button down shirts, boxy button down shirts, button down shirts tucked or tied at the waist, mesh tops, or matching lace trimmed tops. The idea is to wear a Spring jacket or coat over the top like a blazer, moto, short trench coat, funnel neck jacket, denim jacket, bomber, or bubble hem jacket. Shoes vary from tall boots and booties, to Mary Janes, sandals, flats, pumps, and sneakers.

I like the look of the upgraded lace trimmed skirt and how it’s styled with a simple top, short jacket, and pretty shoes. The jury is out as to whether I’ll sport the trend though. Personally, I don’t want to wear a clingy bias-cut version, but I might wear a silhouette with movement. My version would look more like a skirt and less like a slip, like the patterned ones or flared silhouettes. If the right version finds me, that’s fab. If not, no problem. I’m more of a dress than skirt wearer, anyway.

Over to you. What are your thoughts on this trend?

Soft pinks are trending in most wardrobe items, like they do almost every Spring. Pastels have their pros and cons, so you either enjoy wearing them or you don’t. Wearing pale pink in specific wardrobe items, and styling them in specific ways can create the correct outfit mood for you. You might prefer wearing pale pink on the bottom instead of on top, or vice versa. You might prefer soft pink in patterns rather than solids. Or you enjoy wearing soft pink shoes and accessories best of all.

These outfits show the versatility of soft pink, and specifically, how well the pastel remixes with stronger colours to create a high contrast. Creating a high contrast is one way to prevent feeling “washed out” when wearing pastels.

1. Yellow

A soft pink oversized patterned shirt is pattern mixed with a high contrast yellow and pink floral on the same garment. The shirt’s yellow collar adds high contrast too. The swingy top is worn over high contrast blue barrel jeans. White hi-tops add a sporty touch. A white or tan bag would complete the look.

Some soft pink and lemon combinations. The pink on the left is brighter although the visual effect is soft.

2. Red

Soft pinks work well with bright and dark reds. Here, a bright red collared top is paired with a pair of wide soft pink trousers. A chocolate animal print belt and chocolate sandals match the chocolate blazer that tops the lot. Add a bag that works with the palette.

Soft pinks work well with deep reds like merlot, wine, maroon and raisin.

3. Brown

Soft pinks are lovely with mid-tone browns like biscuit, toffee, caramel, whiskey, cognac, gingerbread and cinnamon. Here, a soft pink, chocolate and cream paisley patterned dress is combined with an oversized pinstriped toffee blazer. A chocolate bag co-ordinates with chocolate in the patterns. A soft pink cardigan draped over the bag is a topper alternative to the jacket. Black sandals match the model’s hair. Sandals in a shade of brown would work well too.

4. Grey

Soft pinks are a classic pairing with greys, and a combination that takes me back to the ’80s. Here, the outfit on the left is from ME + EM, which combines light wash blue jeans with a soft pink top, and a grey and cream houndstooth Spring tweed jacket. Snakeskin flats in greys and creams pattern mix perfectly with the jacket. The outfit on the right is from Lucky Brand, which combines a soft pink tulle skirt with a grey sweater, chocolate harness boots, and a chocolate studded moto jacket. The hard-edged jacket and boots create a fab bit of tension with the floating ballerina-esque skirt.

5. Black

Last, a ’90s inspired version that combines a soft pink full skirt with a dressy short black buttoned-up jacket, black opaque tights, and chunky heeled black patent loafers. The black adds hard edge to the soft pink full skirt thereby toughening it up. Add jewellery, watch and bag as desired.

This top picks assortment is for Team Belts, which is a small and meaningful team. If you wear belts, you’ll appreciate how effectively they finish off an outfit, add polish to a look, and pull a look together. They hold up bottoms that are too big on the waist too. Personally, I find belts an effective styling tool because I like to tuck and semi-tuck tops. Filled belt loops look complete.

Belts don’t need to match your shoes and/or bag, although it’s a good guide to follow. There are belts that work well with jeans and trousers, and belts that are better over skirts and dresses. Click through the styles to view other colours.

Shout out to Anthropologie for keeping their prices more affordable, and for offering beautiful quality belts that are made in Portugal. I’m refreshing wardrobe essentials, and bought the Notched Square Buckle Belt in cream, and the Geometric Cut-Out Belt is in white. These belts are more ornate than I typically wear, yet felt like giving them a go. Glad I did! Both are in full rotation, and I’m enjoying the change.

The Rag ‘n Bone X Boyfriend Belt comes in a rare metallic pewter. The J.Crew Grommet Belts come in a rare blue-toned red with silver hardware, and burgundy with gold hardware. Web Belts and canvas belts can look great with sneakers and espadrilles. And last, if you don’t like the visual effect of a belt, but need to keep pants and jeans from falling, there’s the comfortable and streamlined No Show Stretch Belt. It lies flat and is invisible under tops.

We see pastels in fashion every Spring and Summer. As per my trends post, celery green, pistachio, buttery yellow, pale pink, and light blue are the pastels of the moment. Combining light blue with buttery pale yellow, white, and earthy browns is particularly on trend. Of course, feel free to wear pastels like lilac, peach, and mint green if those are more to your liking. 

Pastels can look fresh, light, airy, romantic, calming, and pretty, especially after lots of wintery darks and heavy clothing. Pastels instantly soften an outfit, add a charming and graceful quality, and are an entry point to wearing a particular colour. They are less of a commitment than wearing brights, thereby adding interest without the intensity. Pastels are an effective component of tonal dressing, where soft hues are remixed with darker ones to create a cohesive palette. Pastels add playful tension when remixed with dark colours. They also pair well with neutrals like white, cream, tan, navy, toffee, whiskey, chocolate, grey, and blue denim.

On the other hand, because pastels lack depth they can wash you out and drain your complexion. The visual effect feels flat rather than fresh. Pastels can look overly sweet, faded, or child-like. If you like wearing bold, high-energy outfits, pastels may feel too subdued. They also don’t have the punch of brights or the drama of darks.

Here are styling tips to make pastels work, should you want to wear them:

1. Add high contrast to the outfit with navy, charcoal, chocolate, or black. Or wear them with brights.
2. Combine pastels with crisp white for a clean and modern vibe.
3. Choose saturated pastels over more watery and dusty ones if you need more brightness.
4. Wear pastels on your bottom half if they wash you out near your face.
5. Wear pastels in structured and tailored items to offset softness and to look more “grown-up”.

6. Anchor pastel pieces with a hard-edged or “tough” element like leather, hardware, chunky footwear, and dark colours.

I’m a bright colour person at heart, and thoroughly enjoy pretty pastels. My pastels of choice are pale pink and light blue. I don’t wear other pastels. My favourite eyewear of all time is a saturated light blue, and I have pale pink specs that I frequently wear too. I adore very light wash blue jeans, pale pink clothes, and light blue shirts. I find light blue and pale pink bags useful styling tools because they add an unexpected element. I used to have pastel shoes to match the bags, and miss them. They’re on my shopping list. The pastel pink scarf is a great match with my pink eyewear. Here’s my current collection of pastels.

As for styling pastels, I follow the first five of my own suggestions. A saturated pastel works best of all. I wear pastels with brights, navy, and crisp white or cream to create contrast. I wear them as accessories and shoes too. If the right light blue and pale pink wool coats find me at some point, I’ll welcome them to my outerwear capsule.

Over to you. Do you wear pastels, and if so, which are your favourites? How do you style them?