The Rules
On the ball: Olivia Palermo attends the Valentino show as part of Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Getty Images
I am fascinated by the role of the ''neutral'' in fashion. There used to be very strict rules about this group of colours that forms the foundation of all our wardrobes, because of the neutral backdrop they provide for feature prints, cheeky bright colours, statement jewellery and all other embellishments.
The first rule was about the specific shades that made up this iconic group. They were black, navy, camel and other shades of beige, chocolate brown and grey. That was it, nothing else, no other applications accepted.
Now, do I hear you thinking, ''But surely white is a neutral …''? Well, yes, but, no, because it could also be worn with all the neutrals. The other unbreakable rule of the neutral club was that you could never mix your neutrals. Give or take the odd black handbag, it was a navy day, a black day, or a camel day.
I can remember having a conversation about this with an eminent stylist in the early 1990s, as we sat waiting for the MaxMara show to start. How it pained her, she was saying, having to choose which wardrobe to bring when she packed for Milan each season - black, navy or beige.
That conversation now feels like it took place in another universe. These days it's not only acceptable to mix your neutrals - it's a ''thing''. Adding a large bag in a deep caramel when you're wearing a black jacket and a navy T-shirt, just shows your styling confidence.
I can still remember the moment the necessity of mixing neutrals in this way was revealed to me. Also in Milan, but fast forward to about 2008, I was walking through the Piazza del Duomo after the Burberry show when I saw one of US Vogue's fashionistas wearing a navy pashmina with a black jacket. Shazam! It was like being struck by lightning, how such a simple - but at the time, radical - detail could give a simple look fashion edge. I copied her immediately and haven't stopped since.
Around the same time as the navy and black revelation, another shift was happening with neutrals; once feature details like leopard print, red tartan, metallics, bold scarf prints, camo print and sequins started to feel like neutrals.
We all got across jeans with evening heels very quickly, didn't we? And it didn't feel like a great leap from that to pairing a silver shoe with a red dress, or a sequined skirt with a matelot stripe for daywear. They were the New Neutrals.
Now I look at this picture of Olivia Palermo and see the next stage: she's doing Mixed New Neutrals. She has got camo on the shoe, tiger print on the skirt and a feature print scarf tied on to her bag.
She isn't wearing a classic neutral colour in her whole outfit - that role is taken by the utility-basic white shirt, which is what anchors this look. It's almost like a new sub-genus, the Neutral Garment, which can be the foundation for such a daring - and fabulous - exercise in styling mash-up.
The other obvious inclusion in the Neutral Garment category is indigo jeans. I'd throw in navy T-shirts, cowboy boots, ballerina pumps, leather motorbike jackets and black polo necks, too.
With any of those as your anchor, I reckon you can pile on your neutrals - Classic and New - with abandon.
Then, of course, Ms Palermo, being who she is - a walking style workshop - is showcasing another key trend and a total now thing.
The trend is the pink jacket. The thing is wearing it draped across the shoulders.
Exactly how does she make it look so easy?
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