Summer’s getting softer, it seems. After the noisy kool-aids of last summer, and a barrage of bright on bright, all’s getting quieter on the summer front.

No longer for newborn rooms, flower-girl dresses, and easter eggs; designers have been proving that pastels are anything but diminutive.

Perhaps my favourite application of the pastel would be in the juxtaposition of its traditional girliness with tomboyish tailoring. For example: Givenchy’s Spring/Summer Ready to Wear included many nods to masculin-féminin which were rendered in faded pinks, and orange-creams.

While we all may not be able to afford Tisci (one day, dear reader, one day.), we can certainly make allowances for shoes. If you’re nervous about making the switch to soft-toned arty cool (or are more Alexa Chung than art-world), why not baby step it out with oxford brogues, and combat boots in the season’s trendiest tints?

Unsure of where to start? Why not get some new Docs! Not just available in the grungier-than-thou blacks, Dr Martens’ classic boot is available in a myriad of candy-coated dream colours.

Not just limiting themselves your favourite pair of combats, Dr Martens also make durable brogues, either with the traditional Doc Marten sole, or with a less industrialized flat.

Ones we love?  Try the Alfred wingtip in a sand-blasted cream, edged with just a hint of yellow stitching. Or, if you’re looking for something a little more saturated, their combat-oxford in a baby red chambray’s just the ticket.

~ Natasha Hunt