Seasonal colours

Have you been inundated with emails offering you sales discounts from 10% to 80% like I have? Have you been tempted? If you're not tempted first time round, you may even get another email offering you a last chance special discount! Of course if you have any gaps in your wardrobe or are looking for something new to pack for your holiday, it may make sense to look at these summer sales. Just make sure that any purchases will either fill a gap in your existing wardrobe or will fit into your holiday capsule and work with your other clothes.

I have been a fan of Kettlewell colours for a long while, so I often take advantage of their sales. They allow you to shop by seasonal colours, plus they show tonal directions too if you feel you don't quite fit into the seasonal slots. Alternatively, just look for your favourite colours! You can read about their policies and practices on the Kettlewell website: about us. I am trying to avoid fast fashion and shop more ethically, so feel this is an important point. If you know of any other on-line retailers who are both ethical and have a good range of colours, please add a comment below.

As I live in Spain, I tend to wear a lot of bright colours during the summer months, with red and orange featuring strongly in my wardrobe. Come to think of it, red and orange feature strongly in my winter wardrobe too! Although I did buy the orange and pebble stripe top shown below (50% off, so how could I resist?) I decided that a different accent colour would liven up my wardrobe, starting with the linen top in the first picture, which I am wearing today.

I always read the reviews on the Kettlewell website before I make a final decision, which proved fortuitous. One reviewer of the sea blue spotty top mentioned the matching skirt, saying that together they make a really pretty dress, so I decided to try it for myself as you can see below. What do you think? I'll probably wear it with a dressier shoe rather than the chunky sandals shown.

Of course I realise that the striped top and spotty skirt don't go together, however I have several pairs of lightweight neutral trousers, including those shown here, so I have plenty of options. I wore the spotty top with white trousers when I went out with friends for lunch yesterday.

Do you wear lighter and brighter colours in the summer months then change your colour palette when Autumn arrives? I 've heard that some Americans will wear white clother throughout the summer, then put them away after Labor Day. However I suspect that most modern day women (including those who are over 60) totally disregard this old-fashioned rule!