2017: the fresh start we’ve all been waiting for. The dark December days and last leftovers of Christmas have faded into new beginnings, and January’s first step towards the new trends of Spring/Summer is looking pretty bright and clear to me. Florals, groundbreaking or not, are going to pale in comparison to this seasons’s new focus on NEON!
Neon fashion immediately sounds rather intimidating, and it’s impossible to totally rid your mind of images resembling ‘traffic warden chic’. But this is not where 2017 is headed: this Spring is the perfect time to inject a little daring brightness into your wardrobe without going Full Yellow Jacket. Electric colours literally lit up the catwalk in the S/S New York shows, with Alexander Wang and Jason Wu showing neon evening chic with daring full length yellow dresses. However, this is still quite full on even for the most adventurous: what the high street has managed to do is to pull together the more wearable ‘pop of neon’ trend, which is just bright enough to lighten up our wait for the springtime.
As a look, ‘pop of neon’ works best with an outfit which is either a mix of dark or muted colours, and simple texture. I’ve pulled together a couple of non-scary outfit ideas, to ease us into the inspiration of Wang and Wu:
- Bright Clutch Bag: A really easy way to add a neon pop to your outfit (and which requires minimal effort as you only have to coordinate one thing) is to try buying a brightly coloured clutch bag, and wearing it with a dark backdrop of supporting items. This can literally be as simple as a black jumper, jeans and boots paired with a fuschia clutch, or shoulder bag. I find this look really easy to do, and for those of you still feeling a bit reticent about buying a neon accessory, remember that you can always put your bag to the side once you’ve finished showing it off against your look.
- Neon Belt: Like the clutch bag, a belt is another great accessory to use to lift your look and inject a bit more life, but without committing to a huge scary canvas of neon ravewear. I’ve tried out a wide yellow belt against a dark dress, but what I’ve seen a lot of girls do is to wear skinny neon belts with skirts and trousers, in colours like bright green or orange. It’s another low key way to edge yourself into a bright trend, and you might be surprised by the amount of compliments you get from making a little change but with a bright effect.
- Hidden Tank Top: Progressing to actual clothing, I’m going to be realistic about how many people might be up for yellow fishnets or neon knitwear. The cheapest and subtlest way to wear probably the least subtle trend there is, is to buy a couple of neon tank tops, and work them as a layered look either by themselves, or under your safe but boring winter cardigans. I’ve found this to be a really fun look to wear which doesn’t intimidate you in the morning: a neon pink tank tucked into jeans with a plain cardi or open jumper brightens up any outfit, and is a pretty effortless looking way to nail a trend which most people might be intimated by!
Does your future look a little brighter? Neon isn’t as scary as you’d think! Send us in any of your own neon fashion creations with the hashtag #scanstyle on Instagram or Twitter, we’d love to see!
