Nude is the Word
There is nothing sexy about beige. It brings to mind tummy-tucking underwear and pre-suffrage hosiery. Shades of buff, however, conjure a whole new host of images: tawny leather at Celine, nipped-in waists in the creamiest camel from Luella, Isabel Marant's slouchy, sandy, one-shouldered dress, and peachy petal-print trousers at Marios Schwab. But it wasn't all girly: Nicolas Ghesquiere included an oatmeal tank with zip detailing in his urban army for Balenciaga. The spring/summer shows confirmed what has been a long time coming - that any hue which shares its name with a shade of foundation is key to the new season's looks.
Neutrals have come to the fashion forefront ever since our economy began to dwindle, with designers and buyers hoping to heal our recession depression with easy-to-wear, goes-with-anything basics, reasoning that it's easier to justify an investment piece if it comes in a classic colour. And never had grey been so in demand, but now it's time for a new neutral to emerge, this time as an antidote to spring's sugarsweet pastels.
Tawny nudes offer a fresh, grown-up kind of pretty that marries perfectly with this season's rough-hewn textures. At Calvin Klein the crinkled cottons and parachute silks enhanced the minimalist palette. Elsewhere sheer chiffons and organdies allowed a sensuous swathe of skin to peek through at Alberta Ferretti, proving that buff is best worn with an air of artful insouciance, understated and undone.
While the new neutral works as a head-to-toe colour block on the runway, offsetting it with a streak of brilliant colour - petrol blue, scarlet or, as seen at Luella, taxicab yellow - is essential for adding a youthful edge on the street. But pairing cafe au lait with crisp white is the ultimate coup in the tawny trend: Christopher Kane embellished his slashed-to-the-thigh dress with milky beadwork while at Hermes the cloudiest ecru was paired with cream.
Backstage at Alberta Ferretti, makeup artist Lucia Peroni worked pale and interesting, using MAC's Face Gloss for a gently glowing, dewy complexion. Gently defined features and a touch of blush on lips and cheekbones are all that's needed to compliment creamy shades of cappuccino, putty and sand. Just don't call it beige.
