London - Should a grown woman ever wear pink? And if she does, is she in danger of not only being a bad role model to female children, but teetering into Katie Price territory? Would she automatically be taken less seriously?
Even last summer, I would have said that no woman should ever wear any colour more at home on the side of a cot.
To me, brought up in the Sixties and Seventies in various shades of navy and sludge brown , anything vaguely pink is deeply unfeminist. It’s frivolous and sugary.
Since the late Seventies I have only ever worn black, with the odd smattering of stone or ivory. Women who wear colour are, to me, rather show-offy.
But various hues of pink are everywhere, given the trend for pastels. On the European catwalk for summer 2012, even the normally gothic Alexander McQueen label sent out baby-pink frills.
It’s a happy colour, too. It reminds me of when I travelled in India and saw women in bright-pink saris lugging bricks on a hot, dusty building site and still managing to look beautiful.
While baby blue and pistachio are just as ubiquitous for summer, I’m gradually coming around to the idea of wearing pink, as I feel it flatters the complexion in a way no other colour can.
A colour virgin, I bought my first pink garment this summer, in a huge hurry at the airport on the way to Nice: a fluorescent, hot-pink bikini.
Having only ever worn a black Speedo swimsuit and brown bikini bought from a super-expensive boutique in Notting Hill, to actually own a garment in a cheerful colour was a revelation.
I started to wonder why I’d never worn pink before.
So, how to wear pink if you are a grown- up? Well, beware what sort of pink you wear. I love baby and blush and fluorescent hot pink, but hate anything vaguely red or raspberry-hued: it feels a bit old-fashioned and wintry.
Avoid salmon, coral and flamingo at all costs - these remind me too much of the colour of dentures and hearing aids. A rich aurora or super pink (Google the Pantone colour chart to see the exact shades) can be quite youthful - as long as you avoid flounces and frills, which would tip you into Barbara Cartland territory.
If you have blonde hair, you really need to choose a pink with some depth, avoiding anything too blush or pale.
You’ll be in danger of looking insipid or way too girly, as demonstrated by Holly Willoughby recently. It’s just all too much, especially if your lips are anything other than nude (though I love the sugar-pink lipstick worn by Alesha Dixon on Britain’s Got Talent).
Avoid, too, the addition of anything appliqued or silver or gold. And because pink is a feminine colour, I’d choose garments that are slightly severe or masculine.
A plain pink dress is so much more striking than a print; I find overblown roses and jazzy geometrics too busy.
A tight, bodycon dress in pale pink is sexy in a way a floral tea dress is not. Picture Carrie Bradshaw having lunch with Mr Big in Sex And The City versus a character from Last Of The Summer Wine and you will see what exactly what I mean.
My best tip of all for pink virgins is to simply invest in a new nail polish from Tom Ford. It’s called Pink Crush and it really is fabulous - exactly the colour of Natalie Portman’s Rodarte dress at the 2009 Oscars (it’s Pantone Begonia Pink, 15-2215 TCX).
And at £25, it’s cheaper than an article of clothing. - Daily Mail