Excited by...Beige???

The goings on in Milan and Paris have had a strange effect on me. As designer after designer has presented collections dominated by black, I have looked for something more and just might be getting exctited by things that oridnairly would be far from exciting. The world is seemingly in an advanced stage of collective mourning in response to the terrible situation (we are frequently told we are in) and it seems we are supposed to dress the part in the coming seasons. Such a sorrowful colour palette has forced me to cling to any colour that I can and I have found myself being somewhat excited by glimpses of the neutral colour palette which we have been treated to from time to time. Who knew that it would be possible to be excited by beige?

Despite seeing black almost everywhere, the runways of Paris did offer some light tones. I was not 100% convinced that the Lanvin collection preached 'change' but I was convinced by the soft touches on show and was a fan of the cinched at the waist trench coats with contrasting lapels. McQueen's dark and aggressive Victorian vision shown by his 'McQueensbury Rules' collection contained some beautiful coats and some neutral tone styling which made the whole thing less menacing...However, the highlights were really off the runway and were captured by Mr Schuman in Sweden and by Tommy in Paris. The final look above (in particular) really caught my imagination. I'm not completely sold on short sleeve jackets but it works here because it shows off the lovely knitted texture of the jumper.

These recent demonstrations of how a neutral colour palette can be quite striking got me thinking about the coming season and the many examples I have seen since the last round of shows. The Cablog is a constant source of inspiration and he certainly knows how to use colour and textures to make some truly wonderful outfits. Upon the purchase of a delicate umbrella he used neutral neutral tones to create a soft and delicate look, all he needs is a promenade to stroll down. Martyn Bal's SS 09 lookbook was one of my favourites because it contained a number of light as-a-feather layered looks...perfect Spring dressing in my opinion. Likewise, Burberry's 'Crumpled Classics' collection beautifully demonstrated how men should layer throughout the seasons. Jumpers over printed shirts, with scarves and light macs in a number of soft, light and thin fabrics were so inspiring.

As the world is increasingly dark and sombre, it it that much of a surprise that I can be excited by beige? Am I an isolated case or are other people experiencing this strange phenomena?