Fashion's coolest clash

Fashion's coolest clash: How orange and purple became the colours of the season

Thanks to Gucci and and Diane von Furstenberg, Kim Kardashian, Cheryl Cole and Jessica Alba have all been rocking the look on the red carpet in recent weeks.

It's no secret that colour blocking is the trend of the season. But do you know which colours to block?

According to fashion powerhouses Gucci and Diane von Furstenberg, the only combo to be seen in this summer is orange and purple.

Making reference to the style set's current love affair with all things Seventies, the usually jarring hues have been rocking red carpets everywhere in the past few weeks.

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Block tactics: Kim Kardashian, pictured yesterday at the launch of her latest perfume in London, ensured all eyes were on her in a purple and orange Gucci dress, harnessing one of fashion's hottest trends in the process

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Dressing to impress: Hundreds of fans gathered outside the Debenhams flagship on London's Oxford Street to catch a glimpse of the newly-engaged reality star

Just last night Kim Kardashian chose one of the highlights from Gucci's spring/summer collection for an appearance to launch her latest fragrance in London.

The bright colours, cutaway details and figure-hugging cut ensured all eyes were on her as she took the time to meet and greet her hundreds of waiting fans.

And an eight-months-pregnant Jessica Alba knew that her custom-made Diane von Furstenberg gown would be just the thing to impress the fashion set at the CFDA Awards on Monday night.

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Clashing colours: Cheryl Cole in Diane von Furstenberg at X Factor auditions in LA in May (left), Rose Byrne in Gucci in May's Harper's Bazaar (right), and Jessica Alba in DVF at the CFDA Awards on Monday (down 1)


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Setting a trend: A model wears the dress for the first time on the catwalk in Milan in September. It was also worn by Monaco royal Charlotte Casiraghi, pictured with Salma Hayek, earlier this month

The clashing combo has made plenty of magazine covers too. Lara Stone wore the same Gucci dress as Kim when she graced the front of February's Vogue Paris, as did a pre-pregnancy January Jones on the cover of May's Marie Claire.

And on the inside pages of May's Harper's Bazaar, Bridesmaids star Rose Byrne wore the frock to stunning effect in a shoot to promote the hit rom-com.

Of course, such a statement look needs to be worn with some care. Poor Cheryl Cole endured more criticism for her take on the DVF look than her accent at X Factor auditions last month.

While the outfit alone wasn't bad, the OTT hair tipped over the style edge, from fashion-forward to fancy dress.

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Style seal of approval: Lara Stone was on the cover of Vogue Paris in that same Gucci dress in February (Up) while a pre-pregnancy January Jones wore it on the cover of Marie Claire in May (Down)

One thing that was on the money was her turquoise belt. In almost every case, either gold or an aqua blue hue (or often both) features. That popular Gucci dress comes with a gold tasselled belt.

And instead of jarring, Kim's shoes, or the Christian Louboutins strewn just so in front of Rose, set off the vibrant shades perfectly.

It's not a look for wallflowers though, so if you don't feel confident enough to do a head-to-toe clash, try using accessories to echo the idea in a more subtle way. Stacks of chunky bangles or clashing shoes and bag would be just the thing to earn your colour blocking stripes.