Layering in winter is a necessity; in summer, it’s an art. Learn to master it and you’ll have interesting, eye-catching outfits all year round. Layering for spring / summer can take the form of floating sheer layers for the ultimate in femininity, it can be present in heavier layers adjusted to reveal what’s underneath, or it can even go for broke in bold, sporty clashes…

There’s little that’s subtle to this look and you might describe it as quirky and you could describe it as quaint. It’s a causal look, one of contrasts whose shirt clashes with the knit and whose pleats are made of far more elegant ambitions than the sneakers which peek from underneath. It’s a casual look of contrasts and a casual look of conflicts. And all…

Frida Gustavsson’s off-duty style is elegant beyond her years. Here she was spotted after the Christian Dior show in Paris wearing a ladylike chocolate brown coat over a grey knit and shirt; but the twist of an embellished choker with leather fastenings gives the outfit the sparkle it needs to keep it from feeling corporate. A studded leather clutch adds the element of youth.

With its open weave it’s not quite a summer knit of the ilk that we’ve been writing about. Nor is its hem length on par with some of the crop tops making a seasonal statement. But it is a perfect balance between the two. Somewhat practical, and yet with none of the air of practicality.

They’d normally be winter colours that wouldn’t normally feature amongst summer’s fashion. But this isn’t a normal summer. This is a summer in which these colours are very much in and a summer for which we’re discussing summer cable knits.

Yes, cable knits and their cousins are a staple of the winter months. But S/S '12 has plenty of trends where winter pieces become summer pieces, and knits are no different. After the break we take you through the trend, with examples of how you can enjoy a stylis (but irregular) summer.

We’d be lying to you if we claimed that prints are ‘back’ on the trend charts because they never really went anywhere. Starting from printed scarves and migrating to printed pants, the vibrancy and quirkiness of prints has never been isolated from the fashion fields. What prints have done though, is escalate and become bolder. Thus summer 2012′s fashion brings with it something special, as…

Gary Bigeni to my mind is the man behind the twists and drapes. In seasons past he took jersey and reworked it, twisted and turned it, gave it new life; one imagines he must have looked at his work and on the seventh day said it is good, and having completed his mission so fully, moved on. Bigeni’s spring / summer 2012 / 2013 collection…

There’s a line between perfectly wearable and disastrously dull, and it’s a fine one. Collections that pride themselves on supplying to the world yet another batch of quality basics often slip into the latter, and in a world where consumers are spoilt for choice a little something extra is often what’s needed to pull us over the line. It may not be as obvious from…

Embellished clothing and accessories abound every season. They’re not a trend, but a staple. Despite this, the use of embellishments changes year by year, season by season, slowly evolving with society’s tastes. Contradicting their own past status, embellishments are experiencing that same shift in spring / summer 2012. Whereas in a not-so-distant time embellishments entailed loud and over-the-top metallics, this season is about accenting the…