Team Brown or Team Blue

You are on Team Brown if you prefer wearing brown to blue, and vice versa. Any light, medium or dark brown counts in warmer or cooler tones. From tans and toffees, to cinnamon, whiskey, gingerbread, chocolate and anything in-between. All shades of blue count. From pastel blue and sky blue, to turquoise, blue-teal, cobalt, navy, and anything in-between. Blue denim counts as blue.

I wear a lot of blue denim across all the washes. I also wear solid navy, light blue, aqua, turquoise, sky blue, and French blue. I love blue and white stripes, and wear an assortment of navy patterns. These days, I’m wearing more and more brown. I enjoy tan, toffee, whiskey, gingerbread, and a sprinkling of chocolate. Overall though, I wear more blue than brown so I bat for Team Blue.

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Brown or Team Blue? Tell us why, and no batting for both teams. If you bat for both or neither, you’re Team Bench. I’m serving tasty salmon poke bowls with buttery melt-in-your-mouth shortbread for dessert.

Trend: Elevated Polka Dots

Polka dots are a familiar and classic pattern that we see in varying degrees every season. The playful print is having a fashion moment so we’ll be seeing lots of dots. They’re showing up in casual, dressier, and formal clothes. Also in socks, underwear, workout wear, swimwear, scarves, handbags, jewellery, co-ords, and footwear. 

Polka dots carry a sense of whimsical and retro charm, but in 2026 they seem more elevated and sophisticated. Less cutesy and more serious. More “grown-up” for lack of a better way of describing it. For the most part, polka dot patterns are neutral and two-toned. Many of them are very small in scale. Black and white polka dots reign supreme. There are also navy and white, earth tones and white, and other colour combinations.

Unexpected pattern scales, an elegant touch, and innovative fabrics refresh the playful pattern. The collection below showcases some examples.

Zara
Polka Dot Bow Blouse
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Zara
Polka Dot Midi Skirt
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Zara
Polka Dot Print Scarf
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Bloomingdale's
Priya Skirt
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Bloomingdale's
MIA Dress
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Bloomingdale's
Miriam Dress
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Shopbop
CULT GAIA Cami Top
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Polka dots are great at setting the mood of an outfit. The simple geometric pattern can be as minimalist as it can be maximalist, depending on the details. Polka dots are versatile and therefore easy to remix into a wardrobe. Oversized dots make a bold and graphic statement. Micro dots can give items a textured and luxe feeling. Asymmetrical dot placements add a contemporary edge. And some dots are small enough to look like a solid and function like a false plain.

Patterns, like colours, are extremely personal and we can be very moody about them. What is eye candy to one person is poison eye to another. Some people enjoy polka dots, and some don’t. Some enjoy a particular type of polka dot. Some will wear polka dots in certain wardrobe items, but not others. I believe that there’s a polka dot for every person because they can very subtle or bold.

Personally, I bat for Team Polka Dots and always have them in my wardrobe. There is something inherently cheerful about polka dots, and I don’t tire of them. I’m particularly fond of their trendy elevation this year. I like them two-toned and best in navy and white, although I’ll wear polka dots combined with white and another colour. I also like self-colour polka dots that are textured. I’ll wear just about any size polka dot, and am open to the pattern in most wardrobe items. Asymmetrical polka dot placements are fab, and hubs Greg bats for Team Polka Dot Collared Shirts and Socks.

Over to you. What do you think of the elevated polka dot trend?

Elevated-Polka-Dots

A Structural Shift in Fashion

For most of recent history trends have been relatively obvious and easy to spot. Designers and fashion houses showed their collections, editors interpreted them, magazines amplified them, retailers and manufacturers translated them, and consumers followed along. This system no longer dominates the fashion world. 

There is no single fashion authority. Trends co-exist instead of replacing each other. They feel subtle, rather than obvious. They don’t arrive with a bang, but drift in slowly. Today’s fashion is fragmented, fluid, and consumer-led.

Instead of one dominant look, we’re seeing many style directions existing side by side. Minimalism and maximalism. Structure and volume. Hard Edge and soft romance. Casual and dressy. Tailored and oversized. Neutral and Non-neutral. Punk and preppy. Classic and experimental.

This is a huge shift. Previously it would simply be “this is in, and that is out”, but now everything goes. What I’m seeing in my life and with my clients is that as trends become harder to distill, personal style becomes even more important. Fit, fabric, comfort, authenticity, longevity, and function matter more than ever. Styling choices matter more than the garment itself.

The harder trends are to define, the more power shifts to the wearer. Keep wearing what you love and refresh it with intention, rather than pressure. Update your wardrobe thoughtfully and on your own time. If there is a clear trend, it is to Do Your Own Thing (DYOT). Dress in ways that suit your needs and preferences without worrying about being “out.”

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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Outfit Formula: Quieter Checks

Quiet checks (or plaids) are smaller in scale, neutral in colour, and low in contrast. Loud checks are the opposite. Some checks are as quiet as a mouse. So much so that you can barely see that they’re patterned. Those we call false plains. 

Onto some outfit inspiration.

1. Jacket

A pair of dark blue pleated wide leg jeans is paired with a short greyed-brown turtleneck. A short jacket in a quiet brown and blue check tops the pairing. White sneakers add a sporty touch. The short sweater and jacket works particularly well with the long wide bottoms, to my eye. Add a bag that matches the palette.

Jacket

2. Skirt

A dark brown and cream box pleated A-line skirt in a quiet windowpane check is paired with a dark brown sweater. An oversized and short boxy aviator jacket is the trendy topper of choice. Black socks worn with black loafers create a pseudo boot-effect, and match the black jacket. Add a black or earth-toned bag.

Skirt

3. Trousers

A pair of wide grey and black checked pants are combined with a black top. The check is as quiet as a mouse! You can barely see it’s patterned. Two toppers are layered over the pairing for warmth and an interesting effect. A longer black quilted vest is worn under a shorter chocolate brown leather jacket with furry black collar. Chunky black boots bookend the black hair of the model and match the black in the outfit. Add a brown or black bag.

Trousers

Here are outfits with lighter brown quiet checked pants.

4. Coat

Last, here’s a quiet check worn in a louder way by remixing it with a bold pattern. A teal and brown geometrically pattered belted dress is combined a with quiet checked coat in the same colours. I like that the coat and dress are similar lengths, although that’s not essential. Teal high heeled Mary Janes match the teal in the patterns. Feel free to wear lower heels or flats. I see tall boots work well here too. Add jewellery, bag, eyewear and watch as desired.

Coat

Wearing Skinnies Again

Wider, bigger, roomier, relaxed, and slouchy jeans and pants silhouettes have dominated fashion trends for years. That said, skinny jeans and pants did not disappear. They simply took a back seat. They have been available at both first and second hand retail. 

Last year, slim straights were back as a fringe trend. Slim straights are also known as stovepipe, drainpipe, column, and cigarette pants, or simply “slim bottoms”. This year, slim straights are gaining momentum and I suspect they will go mainstream again soon. Interestingly, when skinnies resurfaced twenty years ago (and as I remember them back in the ’80s) they were slim straights with no stretch component as we know them today. As the skinny jeans and pants trend continued in the ‘00s, they became skinnier and stretchier. They were very tight and stretchy like leggings, and competed with leggings as a bottoms option.

Bloomingdale's
Slim Pants
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Bloomingdale's
Slim Pants
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Ann Taylor
The Natalie Pant
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Ann Taylor
The Natalie Pant
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To my eye, there are skinnies and super skinnies. Skinnies are slim straights, and super skinnies are even tighter. They are 100% body con like leggings with very narrow ankle openings, whereas slim straights have a bit of ease and a slightly wider ankle opening.

My preference is for wide, wider, flared, architectural, and relaxed bottom silhouettes. I wear relaxed straight rather than slim straight jeans and pants. That said, I have one very old pair of slim straight jeans. They are my least frequently worn pair of jeans because they’re very slim. I keep them because I love the dramatic blingy gold button trim and their high rise.

I will never again wear slim straights or super skinnies with a low rise. I will wear low rise, but with roomy and wide leg silhouettes. I will wear slim straights with a high rise but not super skinnies. That bit of ease with a high rise makes a remarkable difference to me visually and physically. As an ex-equestrian I have a soft spot for slim straights tucked into tall boots, and will re-visit the combination at some point.

Because slim straights count as skinnies in my style world, I’m wearing skinnies again. Very infrequently on this leg of my style journey, but I’m wearing them with specific stipulations. The jury is out as to whether skinnies of the slim straight variety will once again be a main player in my style. My guess is that they won’t, but who knows.

Over to you. Are you wearing slim straights or super skinnies? If not, do you think you will wear them again someday?