Fashion notes: A few tricks to pull off pastels

Easter is one of my favourite occasions of the year, mainly because of its dress code and colours, which consist of lightweight lace dresses and hues of bubblegum pink, sky blue and soft lilac.

An all-pastel look with black shoes, for instance, can look too jarring, whereas a touch of grey, brown or black in the form of a choker or watch strap might work better. Edward Berthelot / Getty ImagesShow less

Easter is only a couple of days away, and scrumptious, chocolatey Cadbury Creme Eggs immediately come to mind, along with a palette of soft, shimmery pastel shades. Though I may not have any religious connection to the holiday of Easter, it is one of my favourite occasions of the year, mainly because of its dress code and colours, which consist of lightweight lace dresses and hues of bubblegum pink, sky blue and soft lilac.

However, there is a downside to dressing in solely super-light hues. When we overindulge in pastels, we risk looking washed-out – or worse, like a nurse in a maternity ward. But fear not: as a frequent wearer of pastels, I’ve learnt a few tricks to help ground, or rough up, pastel ensembles.

After getting dressed, I’ll look in the mirror and check my balance of tones. Is everything so desaturated, that I look like a ghost? If the answer is yes, then I need to replace one garment with a slightly darker one – for instance, switch white jeans for light blue ones, or if you’re wearing the latter, go for dark blue jeans.

If the skirt or trousers are key to my ensemble, then I’ll trade my light-coloured top for a dark grey, beige or even black one. If you need to switch out something, take care to choose carefully. An all-pastel look with black shoes, for instance, can look too jarring, whereas a touch of grey, brown or black in the form of a choker or watch strap might work better. If you don’t want to rough up your look but rather make it more glam, then turn to gold and silver accessories, but not the minimalist kind. Think pointy heels and chunky chains.

Whatever you do, keep your pearls in your jewellery box – they’re all too predictable.