The starter kit for Summers

Hurrah, you’ve had your analysis, and you know that the cool, soft, smoky and effortlessly chic Summer palette is your new home! There’s every chance, though, that even if you love every single colour in this plum, pink and blue toned palette, you might just be wondering how to inject those colours into your wardrobe in a gentle way, without feeling a little bit old fashioned and safe.

But panic not. We’ve got the top tips you need, as well as the ten items which will get you well on your way to a lifetime of being a confidently colourful Summer!

First, our five simple steps to wardrobe happiness:

1. If you haven’t already, give your wardrobe a preliminary sort out. Get rid of anything you really can’t bear to wear again, and divide what’s left into correct and incorrect colours - having a physical separation can help you identify colours that will build on the correct side, as well as making it easier to build outfits around your new palette.

2. As soon as you can, add a couple of tops and/or scarves in your best colours to your wardrobe - the colours from your palette that made you look and feel the absolute best! Don’t forget your make up too, if you wear it - this is the perfect time to add a lipstick and blusher in your colours, and to ditch anything that’s all wrong.

3. Actually wear the new clothes you’ve treated yourself to! Don’t save them for a special occasion, just get out there in your colours. The compliments rolling in will give you the confidence to continue your colour journey.

4. Begin to add extra pieces - bottom halves and outer layers - that will help your wardrobe harmonise and make it ever easier to pull in elements of your new palette, even while you continue to wear any old ‘wrong’ colours.

5. Once you’ve added a reasonable selection - say 10 pieces - of your new palette to your wardrobe, it’s time for a second sort through. Be more ruthless with what you get rid of, and make a physical list of areas where you have fewest items in your colours (eg trousers, skirts, tops, layering pieces), and consciously begin to build up your wardrobe in your new wow colours!

And if you need a little inspiration for those early additions to your wardrobe, here’s our Kettlewell Colour Confidence Kit - the colourful anchor pieces that will get you started with your new palette and weave effortlessly in with your existing wardrobe!

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1. Pink Ice Cashmere Gauze Stole 2. Smokey Orchid Everyday Cotton Tee 3. French Grey Cotton Rib Shirt 4. Provence Rachel Jacket 5. Pink Ice Semi Scoop 3/4 Sleeve 6. Cyclamen Cara V Neck 7. Wine Blush Lace Camisole 8. Light Giraffe Frida Infinity Scarf 9. Blue Smoke Silky Roll Neck 10. Magenta & Petal Pink Vivienne Skirt

Style notes: From our bestselling Everyday Cotton Tee and Cara V Neck to our brand-new-and-already-a-favourite Frida Infinity Scarf, this collection of our very best wardrobe anchor pieces, combined with your own neutrals and basics, is guaranteed to inject a little Summer elegance and confidence into your wardrobe!

(ps: it might not be Silky Roll Neck season yet, but we defy you to survive without our longstanding bestseller and fashion editors’ favourite once autumn comes around!)


To see starter packs for the other seasons, use these links: