Millennial Pink

River Island three-piece suit | ASOS hi-top sneakers | vintage bow tie from Clobber, Bournemouth

It's not just Wednesdays we wear pink. Since it sprung onto the fashion and design scene in the spring of 2012, "Millennial Pink" has become the colour of today's zeitgeist. Although if we're to be pedantic, Millennial Pink is not an exact colour, rather a term encompassing a wider range of soft and often warm pink hues embraced by millennial culture, ranging from the palest blush to a peachy salmon.

Towards the end of 2015, Pantone had named "Rose Quartz" as 2016 Colour of the Year, and suddenly Millennial Pink was everywhere. It was already nigh impossible to go one week without seeing the famously pink décor of Sketch London on your Instagram feed, and it seemed everybody and their aunt was after the new line of iPhones and Macbooks in rose gold. For those of you who enjoy your style blogs, you may have noted the soft pink colour pallette featured in the blog designs of What Olivia Did and Wish Wish Wish. And the recent tropical trend with its flock of flamingos is as much to blame for our indulgence in all things pink. Heck, even Gordon's jumped on the bandwagon this summer to début their - admittedly very tasty - Premium Distilled Pink Gin.

Truthfully, I arrived a little late to the Millennial Pink party. I have yet to see The Grand Budapest Hotel (or any Wes Anderson movie for that matter), and I only recently thought to treat myself to a dusty pink, three-piece suit from River Island. Rather conveniently, the purchase coincided with my discovery of Tonight Josephine, a pink paradise beneath the streets of Waterloo - and perhaps my new favourite bar. Described by Secret London as the capital city's "most Instagrammable cocktail bar", the venue echoes 80s kitsch on top of the fashionably pink décor with its neon lights, mirrored ceiling and monochrome floor. Not to mention a flawless playlist of Blondie to Bruno Mars makes it all the easier to order one too many 2-for-1 cocktails.

With autumn on the not-so-distant horizon, critics and trend forecasters have suggested that Millennial Pink has reached its peak, and are predicting, understandably, a gradual departure from our rose-tinted wonderland. But in March of this year, The Cut described Millennial Pink as the colour that "refuses to go away", and as long as there exist as pretty-in-pink places as Sketch and Tonight Josephine, I'm very much inclined to agree. We shan't be forgetting our blushing romance any time soon.

Richard James SS18

Chester Barrie AW17

Harry J Bartlett, 180 Strand

Inside the official venue for London Fashion Week Men's at 180 Strand, Harry J Bartlett wears an ASOS checkered suit with J Crew pocket square, vintage shirt, Vivienne Westwood shoes and tie, and glasses by Bailey Nelson.

Stars and Velvet

Blue velvet blazer c/o ASOS | Blue patent Chelsea boots c/o ASOS | Noose & Monkey star print shirt
Selected Homme slim-fit suit trousers | Ray Ban Clubmaster sunglasses

Christmas and New Year's Eve parties are the biggest nights out on the average Joe's social calendar, so it's no wonder that thousands of us hit the December sales in search of our newest and shiniest gladrags. Personally, I prescribe to the ASOS partygoer philosophy of "any party, any time, anything goes", which is why I'm all for attending or even throwing a shindig at any point in the year, and for no other reason than to dress up - whether in fancy dress or a fancy tux - and pop bottles of prosecco.

However, while the magic of social media may make my life seem fairly glamorous at times, said celebrations are traditionally hosted in a privately rented Zone 2 flat. It's not quite the Made In Chelsea lifestyle (Kennington is one letter and a world apart from Kensington), but a cosy gathering of companions and familiar faces, fuelled by inexpensive wine, a personal collection of craft gins, and generous platters of pulled pork and oozing cheeses, is often more enjoyable than a potentially pricey night out in the heart of the city.

Notwithstanding, my friends and I will still go all out when dressing up for a house party, the girls often raiding one another's wardrobes for that perfect dress or playsuit. I on the other hand prefer a smart jacket and a snazzy shirt to a bodycon or ballgown, which is excuse enough to do some online shopping - even if I cannot physically fit anything else in my own wardrobe.

Last month, ASOS invited me to preview the new AW16 releases, including a plenitude of statement party pieces. Patterned silks and colourful velvets take precendent across both the mens- and womenswear collections, which is how I came to fall in love with my deep blue velvet blazer with contrasting shawl lapels, naturally accompanied by matching blue Chelsea boots in patent leather.

The Ingenuity of Non-Iron Shirts

I have always considered ironing a necessary evil. Although I enjoy the benefits of a crisp and creaseless shirt, the thought of ironing said shirt doesn't occur to me until I want to wear it, at which point I may reluctantly switch on the iron, or I may choose a different shirt altogether, specifically one that miraculously made it off the laundry rack with very few creases to be seen. In my honest opinion, time spent ironing could be better spent on a more important part of my morning routine. Or an extra ten minutes in bed.

Gratefully, I have found my salvation in T.M.Lewin's non-iron shirts, which, to my absolute pleasure, require very little effort between washing and wearing. After removing the collarbones and ensuring all buttons are unfastened, give the shirts a spin at 40 degrees, hang them up immediately afterwards, then watch the creases magically disappear before your very eyes. (Or, given that it isn't an instant process, you may instead want to busy yourself with more enjoyable activities than watching laundry dry.)

The result: three sharp shirts with zero discernible creases in the cotton fabric, including on the placket, on the collar and along the seams. Thus the ironing board remained stowed away for another day. Better still, the luxury of non-iron technology seems to extend beyond the laundry process, as the shirts remained pristine and virtually creaseless even after a full day's wear.

Beyond their ingenuity and convenience, these shirts are as stylish and as comfortable as any I might purchase from T.M.Lewin. Opting for designs in my preferred palette of red, white and blue, the three featured shirts are from the label's "Fitted" range, which taper on the body and sleeves, yet maintain sufficient breadth across the shoulders. Together with the non-iron fabric, they make excellent additions to my wardrobe; the only downside being that I now wish all other shirts in my wardrobe were non-iron too.