I love lavender. When I was about 4, my parents let me choose what colour I wanted my room to be. I AGONISED over two shades of purple, finally picked one & never looked back. Later, when I was 13, it was time to paint my bedroom again — in a new house this time. Again, I went for lavender. It is, obviously, my favourite colour for a bedroom. In fact, I have only ever had a white or lavender bedroom… & I like it that way.

Why the trip down memory lane? Lavender is going to be big-big-big in the fashion stakes in 2010. The delicate hue was omnipresent on the runway this year, in practically every incarnation possible, from angelic ruffles that bordered on the insane at Viktor + Rolf to floral slips & icy eye-shadow at Dior.

…& the shoes, oh the shoes. I’m so glad platforms have not yet been pushed from their perilous pedestal!

So the lavender craze is great news for people like me, who just cannot get enough. It’s such a lovely shade of purple but please note that it can be hard for some people to pull off. It all depends on the shade, but the paler ones in particular can make a lot of us look like we’re battling to stay alive. If pastels don’t suit you, go a bit brighter. Try violet, or team your lavender pieces with black for contrast.

Again, you can really wear any colour, but if it’s not quite the right shade for you, just don’t wear it next to your face! Lavender leggings (like these from We Love Colors), a pair of gloves or a bottle of nailpolish are an easy & inexpensive way to get in on the fun. Here are some other ideas for those of us who are probably not going to be rocking the latest Burberry Prorsum ensemble any time soon…

(I am absolutely in love with that purple satchel from Cambridge Satchel Company — expect to see me frolicking around with one very soon!)

How else can you bring a little lilac into your life? Try wearing purple with grey, white, yellow or blue. Start using a periwinkle highlighter on your to do list. Let plum-coloured socks peek from above the top of your ankle boots. Wear MAC Cosmetics’ Violet Trance eye-shadow. Drink parfait amour over ice — it is vivid purple, tastes like roses, vanilla & almonds & is my favourite drink bar none. Sign documents in violet ink. Dye your hair with Special Effects in Wildflower (!!!). Wear a big, sparkly purple heart necklace. Paint your nails with OPI DS Mystery. Don a grape Ring Pop. Wrap all your gifts with layer upon layer of violet & lavender tissue paper (& lots of silver stars). Buy a purple collar for your cat or dog. Make a miniature altar to Willy Wonka. Listen to Prince all the time. Buy lavender bed linen.

If you need a little more inspiration, commit this poem to memory. Then go forth & purple!

Warning by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes
that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.