Summer fashion: all bright on the night

I blogged recently about attending the Harvey Nichols (Birmingham) spring/summer 2013 fashion show - the annual, and increasingly well attended catwalk event that sees most of Birmingham's best trend setters, media and fashion pack seated side by side, cooing over the best the designer store has to offer.

This year was no different, aside from its move to a much needed, larger venue within the Mailbox complex.

So, what were the key looks on display for our summer wardrobes this year?

Keeping a light and airy feel to the season (here's hoping the sun decides to make an appearance) were a selection of all-white ensembles for both men and women, from the likes of Alice + Olivia (see jacket below), Roland Mouret, Alexander McQueen, Finders Keepers, Givenchy and more.


Much of the colour was a clash of brights - from tangerine hues to flourescent yellow, cobalt blue to scarlet, along with the ever returning (and my all time personal favourite) monochrome look.


Shapes for women ranged from cropped trousers and jackets, shorts suits and dresses ranging from short and structured through to long and flowing, with a range of textures from leather and luxe to satin and chiffon.


Details included over-sized bows, as seen on one of my favourite pieces of the evening - due to its rich colour and ultra flattering, un-fussy style - this beautiful blue dress by Phillip Armstrong:

Image courtesy of  Matt Ford Studio, Liverpool

Lace, embroidery and cut-out details also featured.

For men, as always the selection was much more limited - an issue many designers appear to struggle to overcome and no doubt due, in part, to the fact that it is not generally 'acceptable' for men to be seen sporting a skirt or dress - unless, perhaps, they're David Beckham and quite frankly, even he didn't manage to set that trend.

Limits aside, there were some bold slogans, illustrations and details on T-shirts and jackets, bold colour blocking that fit well with colour trends in the female collections and, as you would expect from the rails of Harvey Nichols' designer collections, some very sharp suiting. See below for a selection of my favourites: