A Seventies summer of fun – Mulberry Pre SS 2012 Collection

Mulberry has hit the beach for Spring Summer 2012, and we’re piling into our retro caravans for a Seventies summer of fun.

Spring Summer 2012 Ready to Wear takes our favourite summer styles and combines them with light-hearted detailing such as love hearts, the signature Love and Peace motif and pier light-inspired luxe gemstones.

Inspired by the great British seaside – piers, arcades, donkey rides and sticks of rock – the new season borrows the fanciful fun of Carry On Camping and fuses it with plenty of eclectic Mulberry charm, luxe detailing and kiss-me-quick chic. Add to that rolling English meadows, nostalgic Scouts and Brownies uniforms and the vivid brights of pansies, dandelions and daffodils, and what you have is a season of colour, classic British summers and camping cool.

There are retro shapes galore, with full skirts, playsuits, uniform-inspired shirts and prom dresses creating two strong silhouettes: transitional utility chic and innocent full-skirted femininity.

Super-washed denim, luxurious silk and delicate broderie anglaise are all stand-out fabrics for this season of relaxed summer fun.

The Spring Summer 2012 collection is based around a gorgeous palette of new neutrals inspired by the seaside, with Pebbled Beige, Fudge, Summer Khaki and Marshmallow White, complemented by the earthier tones of Bitter Brown, Fox Brown, Chocolate, Nightshade Blue and Foggy Grey. Flashes of Candy Pink, Grass Green and Hot Fuchsia provide the splashes of accent colour.

Styles are easy-breezy: full skirts, cinched-in waists and vintage-inspired high-neck prom styles are perfect for balmy evenings.

Other pieces focus on versatile classics, be they butter-soft leather bikers (one piece is glammed up with the season’s sparkling pier light gemstones), short trenches or lightweight rain slicker macs.

Our seasonal prints continue to provide a Mulberry signature and for this pre-collection they are more beautiful than ever. Bonkers Beach is a photographic montage featuring the unique Mulberry take on all things beside the seaside – on a miniature scale. And of course, when you think of the beach, you think of candy stripes, so the new Stripy Straws is a vibrantly linear take on that tradition: Stripy Straws makes an appearance on pieces from the Ready to Wear and Soft Accessories collections. And don’t forget the donkey rides: everybody’s favourite seaside friend features on the super-soft sweatshirts, tote bag and dogwear.