KEY POINTS:
It's the same every year. Fashion never seems to get sick of hearing about the new whatever-it-may-be - whether it's the new glamour, the new black, the new erogenous zone, the new pretty or the new It bag. And that seems perfectly reasonable to many glamoristas. After all, an ongoing quest for the latest thing is what the fashion industry is all about. Which is why, without any further ado, we'd like to introduce you to the newest of the new for the coming summer.
THE NEW BLACK
This one's easy. It's black's easy-to-wear cousin, good old grey. Any shade of this mutable colour will do - from the very lightest clouds of smoke for delicate, floaty looks to silver for evening wear to grey marl for the sporty to mannish, sensible charcoal for darker days. Because where black bludgeons you with its style and strength of tone it's a bit of an obvious fashion cliche after all - there's just something subtle and grown-up about grey. In lighter hues, it's also an excellent foil for those interesting pastels and in darker, it softens all those jewel-bright shades.
THE NEW EROGENOUS ZONE
There are several contenders for this coveted prize. Firstly we're checking out your legs. One look at the shorter skirt lengths, those adorable smock dresses (to be worn with heels while exposing lithe, long brown legs), the shorter shorts and the towering heels in stores and you know this is going to be a good summer for the ankle-fancier.
For any possessors of an hour-glass figure, there's also good news. The European runways were full of wasp-waisted heroines in ladylike outfits, as well as various high-waisted trousers, jeans and skirts - which is why another major contender for this title is the waist. And if the models weren't suited up like 40s and 50s ladies, then they were wearing an over-sized belt around their middle.
But the best is yet to come. This is an erogenous zone that nearly everyone will be willing and able to expose. After all, it's one of the boniest parts of your body, no matter what wobbly bits you worry about. Yes, it's the collarbone. Summer fashion will expose this bit of everybody with sloppy T-shirts, draped tops and deep, flattering decolletages. If anyone wants to take the striptease further, then the shoulders (and maybe even the upper back) are the new new erogenous zones.
THE NEW GLAMOUR
Doubtless there are still ball-goers out there dressed in giant satin creamcakes of dresses, trailing beads, veils and layers of tulle, and tottering about in strappy sandals. Because that's the classic vision of glamour that most of us expect to see on red carpets right around the world.
However, that has definitely been changing over the past few years. Even at the Academy Awards some of the attendees seem, well, a little dressed down. These days glamour appears to be more about art and individuality, rather than flaunting your diamonds.
It's all about covert luxury and that involves interestingly shaped frocks, strong-but-subtle embellishment, muted metallic fabrics and gem-bright colours, all of which have replaced frothy confections, tiaras and princess dress-ups. There's not a lot of retro about it either - as much as everyone loves the idea of a frou-frou fantasy gown, the fashionable and glam are looking less historic and more futuristic.
THE NEW PRETTY
There have been several flavours of pretty around in recent seasons. A while back now, there was the boho princess wearing polka dots with lace and leopard prints and generally looking like an adorable little hippie. Then there were various retro looks - from 50s bubble gum guises to 80s prom-goers. The latter look, in particular, blessed a whole season of dresses with over-the-top bows and ruffles.
This summer all of these sugary flavours have been mixed up and we're left with something a lot simpler and stronger, but that still has hints of all of the latter. For instance, you'll easily find a simple, streamlined tunic dress with just a mild trimming of crochet down at the mall. A few summers ago, boho pretty would have had that dress more voluminous and the trim would have been in a different colour. So this season's pretty is little more grown-up.
Possibly the most recent development on the pretty front is the use of prints. We're talking everything from retro geometrics in bright colours to delicate florals and wild plant patterns, which look to be a big ongoing trend.
THE NEW SHOE
Whether high-heeled or flat, the one thing that many of the new crop of shoes has in common is presence. Gone are the days when your footwear had to match your bag or when you would always buy a black or brown pair because that meant they would go with anything. In these days of consumer choice beyond our wildest dreams, our shoes have become hardened attention-seekers. Which is why they're either getting weirder and harder to walk in with frighteningly high exercises in designer architecture - or they're brightly coloured and not afraid to clash with everything else you're wearing.
Structurally, the biggest trends are for some sort of stack: this usually means extra height under the toe or body of the shoe. The classic wedge as we know it seems to have done its stylish dash and one of the most popular, flattering and easy-to-wear shapes is the Mary Jane-style, either flat or heeled.
