It’s back to the drawing board, as one of spring/summer’s key trends pays tribute to the graphic arts. Scissor-sharp and crisp, all the new shapes, from the mini-shift and the maxi, to shorts and blousons, are etched in bold Op Art black and white stripes, checks and spots. When it’s not black and white, it’s the same graphic message in red/white, yellow/white, or beige/white. Blame it on Marc Jacobs who kick-started the mood in his mainline show in New York, and followed up with a chequerboard collection for Louis Vuitton in Paris, drawn with geometrical precision.

Classic and contemporary combine in the new season’s shapes and silhouettes. On the one hand, there is a renewed focus on neat, grown-up pieces, almost with a hint of prim. Think pencil skirts, smart, collared blouses, shirt-waists, duster-coats, and fitted day-dresses. Then toss the more sporty separates into the mix, such as The Blouson or Bomber, the ‘statement’ jacket of the season, perhaps paired with Bermudas or short-shorts; or  a bodice-top with slim trousers The colour palette references beige, navy and white, with accents of grey, lipstick red and cobalt.

Many designers looked East for spring/summer 2013, giving rise to a treasure-chest of Oriental inspirations. Miuccia Prada’s deconstructed Geisha Girl turned up in karate or judo-look jackets and origami-fold skirts, often emblazoned with a single Zen-like flower. Peter Dundas at Emilio Pucci plundered Indochina for knot fastenings, side-split tunics and sinuous, long gowns, often gold-embroidered or printed with tigers and dragons. Bill Gaytten at John Galliano worked kimono-style into ingeniously wrapped and folded jackets and dresses, while Veronica Etro’s slim tunics over trousers recalled the Vietnamese ‘ao dai or Chinese cheongsam, in Coromandel Screen motifs on black, or delicate porcelain-toned florals. Work the look with a wrapped jacket, cinched with a wide, silk Obi belt or simply add Eastern Promise with exotic, tasselled jewellery.

When even Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy, Gareth Pugh, Balenciaga, and Gucci are putting the focus on the flounce, it’s a sure sign there’s a feeling of prettiness in the air for  this spring/summer. But this is a modern take on ‘pretty’, too, interpreted in hi-shine, such as Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum’s metallic -fantastic parade of trenches, bodies and bustier dresses, or Jonathan Saunders’ hologram-effect and metallic foil patent shell-tops and pencil skirts.