The future’s bright, the future’s… well, any colour you like really, as long as it’s, uh, bright. In the last of my semi-regular series of trends for spring/summer, it’s the turn of the dreaded neon. Although not a summer staple in the same way that nautical and safari seem to be, neons pop up on the runway with some regularity most summers.
I guess the theory is that when you’re tan, you can carry of bright colours. In the (shudder) current financial climate, I kind of think of brights as a way of cheering yourself up, sartorially at least.
"Jammer" Multicolored Folding Wayfarer with Clear Lens
$10 @ 80spurple.com
Let’s ease ourselves in slowly. Neon doesn’t have to be scary, see? A few subtle stripes on an otherwise totally plain pair of glasses. What’s hard about that? Nothing, that’s what. Pairing neon with black can look a bit like ‘girls on a hen night doing the ~80s~ theme’, but white is a much more wearable, and modern option.
Pac-A-Parka Coat in Fluro Yellow
£25, Topshop
OK, this is stepping up the game slightly I realise. It’s very, very bright. However, my thinking was… it’s a pack away raincoat. Like the ones you get in theme parks. It’s not like you have to wear this everyday to work – it would be perfect for a summer theme park adventure/festival/camping trip. Practical, and your mates would always be able to find you. Possibly not so handy when you’re trying to have a wee in a bush, but that’s a minor issue.
Highlighter T-Shirt
£12, American Apparel
On holiday in Miami a couple of years ago, I was drunk shopping (everyone does it in Miami, don’t judge) and bought all the t-shirts in the AA ‘Highlighter’ range. Imagine my surprise to discover that in the cold light of England, they didn’t look quite so good as they did in scorching Miami, worn with a tan verging on Valentino. Still, they’re very comfy t-shirts.
Neon Chuck Taylor All Star
$45, Converse
Converse are good in any colour, that’s just a fact we’re all going to have to get used to. They go with everything. They’re comfy. They’re cheap. You can stick them in the washing machine when they’re grubby. A neon pair of Cons would work as well with jeans and a plain tee as they would with a summer dress, a la Lily Allen – but so much more wearable than Nike Dunks, which can be harder to pull off.
‘El Shane’ Dress
£140.00, Diane Von Furstenberg @ Browns
Here’s a remarkably tasteful take on neon from the ever classy (and sassy) DVF. In a dream world this would be worn with a tan and big sunglasses in somewhere like Capri. Realistically, it would work just as well with trusty black opaques for a ‘summer’ in London.
Neon Print Bike Shorts
$10, TripleGemini @ Etsy
I omitted the word ‘rad’ from the original Etsy description, because I think it’s clear to anyone that these shorts are rad. We don’t need no website to tell us that. If you feel like killing about 10 trends in one go, how about picking these up? Worn with a fanny pack, visor and maybe some Spice Girl wedge trainers, you’d be bang on trend. Go on, I dare you. Please?
Main image via Style.com