We're in the army now!

Pick up on military green this spring with jewellery and accessories to complement your wardrobe

The Pantone Fashion Color Report comes out twice and year. Fashion industry specialists take a look at the shades prevalent in collections and catwalk shows around the world to come up with a palette of colours they think are going to be hot in haute couture and on the high street in the coming season. 

The report comes out around six months in advance and is usually spot on.

Last year’s report for Autumn/Winter 2015 promoted quite a muted mix including the colour of the year, Marsala alongside other earthy colours, Oak Buff and Dried Herb, as well as the more vibrant Cashmere Rose and Amethyst Orchid.

The report for Spring/Summer 2016 was published last September with an unusual choice of pastel hues (including the joint colours of the year, Rose Quartz and Serenity – a baby blue) juxtaposed with some really popping brights such as Buttercup and Fiesta Red.

If you are shopping on the high street for clothes, you won’t necessarily see colours suddenly disappear from the rails as stocks change from one season to the next. Certain colours prove so popular, they continue into the next season where they can be teamed with a new palette of colours for a completely different look. Dried Herb is one such colour. 











Spring/Summer Fashion Week showed its flexibility on the catwalks in New York and London. Whether it’s sharp tailoring in khaki or the more casual look of a shirt dress or wide leg trousers, there is plenty to inspire you to keep this colour well into spring. Choose to wear the colour in large blocks or use it as an alternative to black or white as a background shade to some bright tones such as Fiesta Red or Buttercup Yellow.

On the high street

We’ve taken a look at some high street fashion retailers to see how they are suggesting we work this versatile colour into our wardrobes this spring.

Debenhams have this light knitted top with long sleeves and wrap front, perfect with skinny jeans and ankle boots – perhaps these heeled ones from Mantaray? Finish the outfit with some dressy earrings from M&S for a night out with the girls, or give it a more daytime feel by adding an chunky bag, big enough for all the essentials for a day out shopping.

Shop:

Quiz Khaki Light Knit Wrap Top, Sizes 8-18, £19.99
Debenhams

Mantaray Khaki fleece cuff mid wedged ankle boots, Sizes 3-8, £45
Debenhams

Leather Astor Tote Bag, £109
Marks & Spencer

Pearl Effect & Facet Bead Drop Earrings, £8
Marks & Spencer

Both H&M and M&S are working the bohemian look, matching longline knits and jersey with floppy brimmed hats and boots. 

Accessorise with a long necklace (also from M&S) or why not make your own cluster bracelet using a kit from Jilly Beads?

Shop:

Jersey Dress, Sizes XS and S only,£19.99
H&M

Open front longline cardigan, Sizes Small to Extra Large, £35
Marks & Spencer

Shell Chip Rope Necklace, £15
Marks & Spencer

Vintage Charm Bracelet Kit, £3.75
Jilly Beads


Go casual with a shirt dress from H&M and carry that khaki right through your outfit if you dare, with a beautiful suede leather biker jacket from Next and a handbag from Accessorize. 

Pop over to the Spoilt Rotten Beads website for free instructions to make this kumihimo bracelet using Long Magamata beads in just the right shade!

Shop:

Shirt Dress, Sizes 6-16, £14.99
H&M

Khaki A.M. London Whitby Biker Jacket, Sizes 8-16, £150
Next

Demi Barrel Bag, £35
Accessorize

Kumihimo bracelet pattern, FREE
Spoilt Rotten Beads

Feeling inspired?

Writing this post, I have certainly fallen for the charms of this colour. I don't have a lot of green in my wardrobe currently but am loving how it works with other colours and will certainly be replacing some of my boring black with this more natural shade.

Typically, I've already picked out some interesting combinations of colour to use in my jewellery designs. What do you think about this mix? The pendant from J-Lynn Jewels has just the shade of green we've been raving about and it led me to the addition of some other familiar colours. 

I think the red sits somewhere between Marsala (last year's colour of the year) and the Fiesta Red in this season's palette. The other two colours that jump out are an old favourite of mine, the aquamarine tone of Limpet Shell and then a mustardy yellow that is somewhere between last season's Oak Buff and this season's Buttercup Yellow.



In this mix are some Unakite rounds (perfect combination of khaki green and dusky pink), Amazonite rounds, faceted Mookaite rounds, Czech glass beads and small brass faceted beads from The Curious Bead Shop, and antique brass flat patterned rings, Milky Pomegranate and Topaz Sea Foam Size 6/0 Toho beads from Smitten Beads. 

I've seen a few lariat style necklaces recently that allow you to adjust the length by looping beads at different heights.It's a great design to try because you effectively begin knotting at one end of 3m of cord (doubled over and fastened to the pendant focal with a Lark's Head knot in this instance) and finish with a loop and some beaded cord ends at the other. I used C-Lon cord here as it was able to pass through the holes in the beads twice without too much bother.

The large Unakite rounds act as the button fasteners. They stand out from the necklace because you pass one of the C-Lon threads through, through a small faceted brass bead and back again, missing the brass bead on the way back.

I just knotted beads at 4-5cm intervals, leaving a clear length of cord where the necklace would sit around the back of the neck. I created a loop at a higher point which, when fastened onto either of the two Unakite rounds on the other side, would create two different necklace lengths. I then knotted a few more beads before adding another lower loop and finishing the ends with beads.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with my first attempt at an adjustable lariat. This is a colour combination I will certainly use again.

PS Follow the links to the clothes and accessories and you might just find some of them are now on sale!