Pink isn't right for January, with its sweetness and optimism. No, it feels much better suited to a month like May, teetering on the cusp of summer, a time of possibility. This is the received wisdom, right? A cursory look at the latest street style emerging from men's fashion month would say, perhaps not.
With a particularly dreary forecast in Milan, it fell to attendees to liven things up—a mission they took seriously with a "pop of pink". Whether deployed in the form of a sweater, a pair of trousers or a shirt, the smallest hint of pastel, often worn otherwise with neutrals, wasn't just a welcome respite but a styling tip worth stealing. The pigment in question, incidentally, isn't bright or particularly in your face. Instead, a powdery shade that's subtle, and easy to pair with basics like charcoal grey or chocolate brown, is what you're aiming for.
We should have predicted the return of pink after the latest women's shows, in all honesty. At Chanel, a pink shirt was styled with a crimson mullet-hemmed skirt, the gradations specifically chosen to create a slightly "off" contrast. Meryll Rogge, meanwhile, went literal with her pop, sending out a skirt that was a) amusingly minuscule, b) satin and c) tickled pink.
Whether on the catwalks or streets, however, one thing remains consistent. The amount of pink isn't immersive but, instead, the merest gesture. One editor wore a checked pink shirt under a navy short-sleeved sweater, letting its lapels peek out as well as its arms. The memo? Wear pink, by all means, but please don't overdo it.
I inadvertently gave the pop of pink a test drive last week, pairing an oversized pink shirt with a sweater, trousers, coat and trainers, all in (you guessed it) black. And you know what? It was uplifting, if not discombobulating, to be wearing a shade that, usually, I'd reserve for the first signs of spring. Like a bunch of flowers, pink and perky, that reminds you there will be an end to winter, it's guaranteed to put you in a more palatable mood this January.
Shop The Pop Of Pink
A sliver of pastel at the shoulder will lift a sombre winter coat in two seconds flat.
A pink shirt, worn as part of an (almost) head-to-toe black outfit, will deliver punch.
Me+Em's fine-gauge vest has supreme layering potential. Pop it over a white shirt, under a black cardigan and, come late spring, team it with sharp tailored Bermudas.
Have you ever seen a more delectable shoe than Herbert Levine's?
Pink hosiery sounds like a bad idea but, in the hands of Swedish Stockings, it becomes a tempting one.
A V-neck cardigan, in the softest of pinks, will be a useful layering piece.
You might class a blazer as more than a "pop", but, pare it back with charcoal grey separates, and it'll still be a subtle yet statement-making approach to colour.
