Sophisticated classics, investment purchases, normcore - all very sensible and prudent, but also, well, a little boring. A perfect white shirt, ballet flats and trench coat that you'll treasure forever are wonderful, if that's your sort of thing. But not everyone wants to dress up to blend in: sometimes you want something that feels new. And though the increasing pace of fashion means the traditional concept of seasonal trends feels old fashioned (this week it's 60s, next week it's 70s; this magazine says blue, that magazine says red), there are still particular looks that define a season. Consider these the micro-trends that will define the 2015 summer. In a few months time you may well look back and wonder what you were thinking - but that's all part of the fun of dressing up.
1. CULOTTES
They're pants that look like a skirt, and aren't quite shorts. Voluminous and sitting below the knee, they offer a sense of freedom and ease that captures much of where fashion is at right now. They're also slightly frightening for those who were forced to wear them as a school uniform. The modern grown-up version, seen everywhere from Hermes to Alexander Wang, requires heels and an ability to think tall (just below the knee is more flattering than mid-calf for those who are not models). Key local offerings include a frayed hem style from Georgia Alice, bottle green silk from Gregory and oversized versions from Cybele; or more casual options like the shorter, high-waisted culottes from Twenty-seven Names, Deborah Sweeney and Penny Sage.
2.MULES
How you feel about these backless, slip-on heels will likely depend on your age. If you survived the fashion of the 90s, you're probably about to turn the page in horror - but wait! Celine, Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney have been championing the look. In the love-hate stakes, they're up there with Birkenstocks, but unlike that low-key style, mules represent a certain type of highly social, high maintenance New York woman. Think of Carrie Bradshaw in the early days of
