Fashion: Yes, you can wear yellow. In fact, you should ...

Yellow is the surprisng 'It' colour of spring/summer 2017. Stephanie Smith has tips on how to make it work for you.
Salma Hayek at last weekend's Screen Actors Guild Awards  in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
.Salma Hayek at last weekend's Screen Actors Guild Awards  in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
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Salma Hayek at last weekend's Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) .

Accepted style wisdom has it that yellow is not a colour everyone can wear.

It can, we are told, make its wearers look pasty and drained, lacklustre and really not very well at all, if not careful.

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However, for spring/summer 2017, fashion is simply not listening, Therefore, yellow is its surprising choice of “it” colour for the season.

T-shirt, £9.99; yellow ruched floral print dress, £19.99; shoes, £39.99 . All at New Look.T-shirt, £9.99; yellow ruched floral print dress, £19.99; shoes, £39.99 . All at New Look.
T-shirt, £9.99; yellow ruched floral print dress, £19.99; shoes, £39.99 . All at New Look.

From pastel lemon to rich, earthy mustard, yellow ruled the runways. Shades of saffron, ochre, chartreuse and buttercup populated the catwalks like hosts of golden daffodils and rays of dazzling sunshine.

Designers’ approaches were nothing if not varied. Mulberry gave us oversized shirt dresses in gelatinous sheer bright yellow; Jil Sander showed flowing, silky, pleated dresses, while Emilio Pucci took a pared-back route with long-sleeved, simple, full-skirted dresses in rich yellow, featuring this season’s must-have asymmetric hemlines. Simone Rocha offered embroidered flowers on floaty, sheer, feminine fabrics, while Chloe created mustard frills and tiers, and the likes of Lacoste and Jason Wu presented sporty takes.

So it seems that, from romance to athleisure, there is no getting away from yellow.

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But then, why should you? Yellow is a major contributor to the feel-good theme running through fashion for the spring and summer. It’s hard to say why this should be happening right now. Perhaps fashion is trying to do its bit to lift the spirits as we find ourself in such worrying and challenging global conditions?

Yellow shopper bag, £35, at Marks & Spencer.Yellow shopper bag, £35, at Marks & Spencer.
Yellow shopper bag, £35, at Marks & Spencer.

Yellow, after all, is the colour of confidence and cheer. It’s true. It has been proved (somewhere) that looking at yellow stimulates the release of serotonin and encourages a happy feeling, so at least you can congratulate yourself for doing all you can to cheer up everyone you meet.

And what of that notorious trickiness to wear? Fortunately, there are so many shades of yellow for this season to choose from (who knew there were so many shades?), there will almost certainly be at least one that works with each and every skin tone.

You’ll only be able to work out which is the one for you by experimenting with shades, however. And even if you can’t find a tone that doesn’t make you look washed out, that shouldn’t put you off wearing trousers, skirts, trims and accessories in yellow. It’s only on your top half and close to your face that you have to take care.

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An ochre leather skirt is an excellent plan, while Marks & Spencer has some rather fabulous wide-leg tailored trousers in the shade, for a smart but easy take on the trend.

Yellow maxi dress, £16; gold sandals, £10, spring collection from George at Asda.Yellow maxi dress, £16; gold sandals, £10, spring collection from George at Asda.
Yellow maxi dress, £16; gold sandals, £10, spring collection from George at Asda.

Consider also patterns and prints which include yellow – a great option for combining eye-catching, on-trend brightness with wearability. There’s a rich and striking variety to choose from. Look out especially for oriental silk prints and lace embellished pieces.

From this week, you can wear yellow in a good cause, as February sees the launch of the Great Daffodil Appeal, Marie Curie’s biggest annual fundraising campaign when millions of people show their support by giving a donationto the charity and wearing a highly fashionable daffodil pin brooch.

Every daffodil worn helps fund crucial hours of care and emotional support to people with a terminal illness, and their families. Last year, across Yorkshire, Marie Curie raised £138,000, and hopes to raise £145,000 this year, which means it needs to recruit almost 1,600 collectors to meet the target.

The appeal runs until the end of March. Go to the Marie Curie website, Mariecurie.org.uk, for more details.