Introduction

Although global fashion weeks group autumn and winter collections together, significant differences set their respective seasonal pieces apart. For one, autumn has a strong transitional feel: thicker materials help beef-up lighter pastel colours, themselves remnants of summer, while muted blazers/jackets help block out the cold and tone down the overall palette.

Winter, by contrast, ditches the bright yellow, salmon and aqua hues that are appropriate for summer and autumn. Ensembles take a turn down a richer, darker path – bringing the colour scheme with it ? and materials, by necessity, become more substantial to counteract the lower temperatures and harsh winds we are subject to here in the UK.

Yet even though we are now officially in the depths of winter, it’s not all doom and gloom and boring monochrome looks. In fact, quite the contrary: both designers and the high street are pushing bold jewel tones for the start of 2014.

The Winter 2013/14 Jewel Tones Trend

First things first, what counts as a ‘jewel tone’? Specifically, it indicates colours based on precious or semi-precious stones: emerald, amethyst, ruby, sapphire, tourmaline or turquoise being some of the more well-known shades:

An Example Jewel Tone Colour Palette

Colour saturation tends to be greater, often making the impact stronger. Pairing these hues with a material like velvet or silk, therefore, creates an instant statement piece.

On The Runways

A trend that was extremely prevalent across the high fashion runways, powerhouses such as Etro, Prada, Emporio Armani and Paul Smith featured everything from trousers to outerwear in striking jewel tones for AW13:

Styling Guidelines

Coloured trousers, as well as bold-hued shirts and blazers, really took off in 2013, and for 2014 the style rules are set to remain similar. So, if you’re looking to incorporate jewel-toned pieces into your outfits this season, make sure you keep the following in mind…