Color is key for business fashion this spring and summer

During the dreary winter months, business districts across the country are awash with executives in black and grey suits. Happily, with the blossoming of spring comes a change. For the men, shirts and ties in fanciful hues appear: daffodil yellow, pink rose and grass green. For women, it is the accessories—scarves, hosiery, head wraps—that reflect colorful personalities. “Purple is a big color this year,” says freelance stylist Kevin Lennox. “The male executive’s use of shirt and tie color has really become daring. For that, I think we can thank Donald Trump. He used to only wear red power ties, but in the past year he has been seen with light-colored ties fairly often. A lot of high-powered businessmen saw what he was doing and followed his example.” Women, too, can look forward to a shot of color this spring. “Many of the suits will be in neutral colors, but a belt or scarf in lilac or mint green will look great.”

For women, especially many workplaces tend to relax the dress rules during the warmer months. “A lot of the time men are able to wear suit jackets and slacks instead of wool suits,” says Lennox. “The new look for this spring will move away from the three-button jacket and toward two and even single-button cuts. I think it is a great progression. A single-breasted, slim-lapelled, two-button jacket works to streamline the wearer.”

Women can look to the dress as a core piece. “The ladies are going need to ? nd a way to make these dresses work in the of? ce, because all the designers have designed gorgeous pieces. You can make many of them of? ce-friendly by wearing a blazer or cardigan over them.”

Lennox’s favorite stop for investment pieces—which can run as much as $1,000 for a single jacket—is Burberry. “They have been very fashion -forward for men’s and women’s business pieces. Their use of color and the quality of cotton is just perfect.”

For those working with a smaller budget, head to H&M—where a jacket will run about $200. “The quality is very good, and there are pieces that are very well-styled.”

High-end or mid-end, the key to dressing well is to look at a season’s fashion highlights, and then filter what is “in” with who you are. “The cost of a single suit can run as much as $2,000, so you don’t want to buy something that will be obviously ‘out’ after one year,” says Lennox. “The key is to concentrate on the accents—shirts, ties, hosiery, jewelry—that allow for creativity.” ■