Hot pink bags and clutches are hotsellers at Gas

The sultry season lingers on, and fashion-wise offers a muted colour palette of neutrals, off-whites, yellows and subdued aqua tones. This time around the silhouettes may be less voluminous but the accents are bold. Think of pretty little baubles, bangles, brooches, earrings, neckpieces and much more besides.

Yes, they’ve been around forever but this season there’s a twist is the style statement. The colours are all-out psychedelic — splashes of vibrant fuchsias and purples, flaming reds and oranges and often sunny yellows. The key words this season are bright, bright accessories. “When you are keeping the rest of your ensemble minimalist, you’d better go all the way with the vivid add-ons,” says fashion designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh.

And try not to miss out on the finishing touches — the head-gear (headbands, perhaps even hats), the scarves, bags and belts. “On a particularly stifling day, when all you want to do is walk out in a white kaftan to beat the heat, just dress yourself up with an orange brooch to keep yourself from looking plain,” says jewellery designer Suhani Pittie, known for her contemporary hand-painted jewellery lines. She has a personal collection of colourful bead necklaces and rhinestone hair bands, all picked off the streets of Mumbai.

The charms of flea-market shopping apart, designer labels have quirky, fun accessories to get you going. Dior’s spring/summer 2008 line has bracelets and necklaces in lacquer-work, as well as those that flaunt agate and turquoise.

Meanwhile, interesting neckpieces — strings of plastic red chillies and brilliant blue beads — fill Gas’s summer collection. Also check out the bright red plastic rings from the house of Jean Paul Gaultier that’s on display at a stand-alone store in Bangalore’s UB City Mall.

Fendi ‘Sweet Boxes’ in bright hues like red, orange and green are perfect for an evening out

Meanwhile, at Muse, fashionista Tarini Jindal’s fashion store in the heart of Mumbai’s art district, Kala Ghoda, colourful chunky bangles scream fun quotes and phrases from movies, books and even New York graffiti.

“Muse helps you make your presence felt — a presence that is dictated not by the rules of fashion, but one that breaks away from the expected,” says Jindal. At Muse, Jindal has also stocked up on accessories by well-known names such as jewellery designers Lara Bohinc and Clara Francis, both known for their eclectic and intricately carved jewellery.

Designers Shantanu & Nikhil Mehra too have adopted oodles of colour in their Benaras Boulevard collection. The look for their season’s offering has been rounded off with bags in a bright yellow palette. Another flavour of the season — belts — are getting slim, says Nikhil. “No more chunky belts this season. Belts in blue and yellow are in,” he adds.

Check out the collection at Gas and you will encounter belts that are thin and colourful. Take your pick of purple, pink, green and orange. These can be teamed with just about anything — floral dresses, bright tops in soft fabrics and jeans in grey and summer blue.

In the bags department, Gas’ hot pink bags and clutches are the hotsellers. “They are inspired by the flowers, fragrances and colours of an English country garden. And the mood is distinctly fresh and the look colourful,” says Zohair Officewalla, COO, Gas India.

And if bags continue to be the ‘it’ accessory pieces, the small ‘Sweet Boxes’ at Fendi in reds, oranges and greens are perfect for an evening out. The box clutches are created in a material called plixi-plastic, and so have a sheen to them.

The fashion house of Jean Paul Gaultier offers bright, plastic finger rings

The boxy bags in emerald green and brick red have also become the highlight of the season for Kiran Uttam Ghosh’s collection.

And there’s more: the vivid splashes of colour in scarves, glares and headbands at Dior. The fashion house even adds quirky pink hats and plastic orange-rimmed glares to keep up the funky look.

While your accessories may be fairly dramatic, take care not to clutter the look. Says Ghosh: “When you are working with quirky, bright accessories, less is more. Do not match everything — that’s a big no.”

So as the rains refuse to let up, brighten those dull days with splashes of designer colour.