I have a real phobia about pink. Aged 12, I was obsessed with it – think baby pink fleeces from GAP, a bubblegum pink Groovy Chick duvet cover and an unnerving attachment to a fuchsia pink boa. Weird, I know. Certainly strange enough to kill it as a colour for me – even when at the end of last year every single fashion person in the world seemed to be instructing me to buy that M&S pink coat.
I thought I’d be able to ride it out, too. A pink revival won’t last for long, I thought. I was wrong. Burberry and Temperley London featured buckets of pink for SS14 – and now it’s all over Jigsaw and Topshop, too. So it’s time for me to get over it and get to Whistles – once a workwear destination, now the home of a seriously cool slew of Barbie-coloured clothes – to stage Changing Room Selfies: the Pink Panther version.
Look one: Dress down mohair
In terms of knitwear I’ve long thought fisherman jumpers are the best – and this chunky Kitty Ribbed Mohair Knit, £195, is no exception. Fluffy, cropped and salmon-hued, I’ve staved off the girliness by pairing it with a white shirt and boyfriend jeans.
Look two: Add some Moss to your Middleton
If pink is cute, then short-sleeved jumpers are super-cute. But you can avoid looking too much like Pippa in this Kira mesh-insert knit tee, £175 by wearing it alongside some leopard print. Ok, this faux ponyskin A-Line minihas a gulp-worthy £395 price tag but isn’t it great? Sigh.
**Look three: Double pink – oh no I didn’t **
Double denim, double leopard, double tartan… even double pink is doable. #sorrynotsorry. The fact this blush pink wrap belted coat, £495, (which feels just like a really, really nice dressing gown) is a different blush shade to the carnation pinkness of the thin crew-neck makes this work. And riffs nicely on the monochrome sporty slacks, £250. [NB: Whistles sizing is generous in the trouser department, so if in doubt, size down.]
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Look four: Can shell tops ever be cool?
I’m bad at shell tops. They’re blandness scares me (which, I’m aware, says more about me, than the shell top). However, there’s definitely a place for sporty shell tops in anyone’s wardrobe and as they go this Tessa sporty crepe top, £75, would work well with an A-line skirt. Note that I am pointing out the neatly organised pink items hanging behind me, please.
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**Look five: Even varsity jackets can be pink **
I bet you didn’t think a pepto-bismol pink varsity jacket would ever worn outside of a Grease tribute party. You were wrong. This leather-trimmed wool Harlow bomber, £295 is bang tidy. What’s more, you can get it monogrammed. Now if that won’t make you feel just like Rizzo, then I don’t know what will.
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Look six: The new ‘it’ coat
Last season’s sugar-pink Carven coat prompted the pink coat boom and Whistles’ Dina Overcoat, £395, looks like it’s going to do the same. For those of you that can’t ever see yourself committing to a pink coat, try it on with a man’s denim shirt and black waxed Luna jeans, £95. Even I, a long-term member of Pink Anonymous, was tempted.
Follow Pandora on Twitter @pinsykes
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.