Fashion: Spring inspirations

Take inspiration from the hot looks gracing the catwalks and you'll be right on trend as temperatures rise this summer

Meet the tribe

Paul Smith teamed leopard spots with brown and black stripes. Versace did a vibrant lime-print plastic shift dress. Marc Jacobs came over all Minihaha. And Rodarte took the tribal theme that bit further with body-painted models on the catwalk at New York.

The ethnic theme is one that returns year after year. Go all out with some multicoloured silk harem pants from Whistles or triangle-stripe playsuit from Beyond the Valley at Asos. But for the rest of us, the most workable way to work the trend is with accessories. So think multi-coloured strands of beads from Freedom, at Topshop, a techno-print scarf at Oasis or a woven hologram leather clutch bag at Reiss.

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And, since the big shoe story of the summer is kitten heels, get your paws on a pair of LK Bennett's snake-print Spiteli courts before they sell out.

Go nude

Nudity will be everywhere this season, so get ready to go bare. While last summer we were stressing out about colour-blocking and how on earth we could make an electric-blue outfit work for the office, this time around it's all about subtlety. Ice-cream shades of peach, beige and dove grey dominate the runways: both Donna Karan and Lanvin featured barely-there one-shoulder dresses, while Fendi mixed things up a bit with lace panelling. Marc Jacobs played with ruffles and sparkle in a flirty playsuit, while Roland Mouret did what he does best and upped the glamour quotient 100 per cent.

Topshop's cornelli-trimmed tea dress in the palest pink and beaded mesh top in almost transparent flesh tones point the way for the high street, as does a deliciously draped silk top with three-quarter-length sleeves from Zara and a tiered, scallop-edged shift dress from Ted Baker. Add some ruffles here and some lace there for a touch of romance, and you'll be right on trend.

Jeanetic engineers

Woah! What's with the trend for denim on denim? Once a look reserved only for John Wayne and the most die-hard of Status Quo fans, it is now considered acceptable to be seen in public wearing head-to-toe chambray. As seen on the catwalks of Mulberry (belted jacket with straight-leg jeans), House of Holland (heavily buckled biker trousers, jacket with cut-out panels) and Twenty8Twelve (denim shirt with high-waisted, cropped jeans), it's a look only the very stylish can carry off with panache.

The key is to mix up your textures. So take a tip from Chlo, which teamed patchwork jeans with a washed-out, oversized shirt, or D&G, whose ripped, frayed jeans contrasted with a fitted shirt and tan leather accessories.

Go all the way if you dare. Or make a nod to the season's love of denim by teaming an asymmetrical, zip-up biker jacket with strapless, vintage-trim dress, both from Warehouse, or a softly tailored cowboy shirt with snap buttons from All Saints. Jonathan Saunders has created a patchwork bandeau for Topshop – wear it just visible under a shirt for a sexy cowgirl edge.

Hello sailor

Ah, the nautical look, you cry. Every summer it's the same. And yes, each year designers trot out various combinations of navy, white and red, hoping we won't notice we've been there, done that and bought the Breton T-shirt. But this year there's a subtle difference – it's all about white. The little white dress was all over the catwalks at Yves Saint Laurent (elegantly fitted), Versace (embellished, short and sexy) and Jil Sander (modern, stylised and understated).

But if you buy anything this season, make it a pair of white trousers. Nicole Farhi teamed her pair of wide-leg pants with a boat-neck monochrome knit, while Margaret Howell was not afraid to go full-on nautical, with a striped, three-quarter-sleeve T-shirt and white chinos – with slouchy socks and sandals to bring it bang up to date.

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Pick up a pair of wide-leg white linen trousers from Asos or Gap. Or French Connection has a pair of slouchy harem trousers in stone – a much easier colour to carry off in chilly Scotland. Add to that anything from Sonia Rykiel's new range for H&M – her boat-neck stripe top with badge detail on the sleeve is perfect.

A navy blouse by Linea, at House of Fraser, features a contrasting ruffle-front – another key look for spring/summer – or pin on a little anchor brooch by Freedom, at Topshop, as a nod to the trend without going overboard.

All bright now

Sunglasses at the ready, gents, because this spring's menswear is so bright you're going to have to wear shades. Dolce e Gabbana featured electric orange hoodies and polo shirts on their catwalk show in Milan, while Louis Vuitton was all sunshine yellow – from its linen blazer down to its little cotton socks. Ralph Lauren featured ice-cream shades of pistachio and vanilla, and there were blues across the spectrum from Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger in New York.

Then there were the shorts. And we're not talking the football variety. Tailored in sharp cotton for work, and more crumpled in tie-waist linen for play (and in futuristic gold by James Long in London), shorts were at times teamed with knee-high socks and brogues, but this is a look best reserved for Australian posties and probably not one for the Scottish office. Try River Island for a neat shorts-and-cardi combo in raspberry. And if the weather allows, leave the socks at home.

There were harem trousers too, and lots of denim on denim, as the crossover between women's and men's fashion became increasingly blurred. But if there was one recurring theme it was modern man as sailor boy. Both Jean Paul Gaultier and Hugo Boss featured collections in navy and white, but if you don't think you can carry off the full shore-leave look, pick up a pair of simple deck shoes – they're ubiquitous this season across the high street – or some mariner-inspired stripes at Gant, and this summer will be plain sailing.

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