Looking at the Spring/Summer 2012 collections it is quite evident that this season is marked by a return to a romantic and delicate form of femininity and that pastel shades are playing an important role in the revival.

This spring’s trendy hues are delicious like gelato and soft like macarons: baby blue, vanilla yellow, mint green, cotton candy pink, sorbet orange and lilac. The materials are vaporous, almost transparent, with touches of lace that emphasize the softness of the pastel outfit. The shapes are fluid and smooth, suggestive of an educated elegance.

Pastels can be worn as monochromatic looks or in combinations of two, maximum three shades – vanilla yellow with baby blue, light pink with mint green are the first two that come to mind. While I love the mix that Phillip Lim presented this season, I am on the edge about the number of pale tones that can be blended at one time without looking like a box of cupcakes. The touch of black or dark blue in the clutch helps break down the outfit though, removing some of the saccharine feel and creating what could become a classic look.

Bodhi.