For those who love to wear black – and let’s face it, most of us do – bright, block colours can be a daunting proposition. According to the image consultants Colour Me Beautiful, most women wear only 20 per cent of their wardrobe 80 per cent of the time, which implies a fairly limited set of clothes and an even more limited range of colours.

“Women wear the same shades all the time,” says Veronique Henderson, its director. “For some women it is head-to-toe pink, for others it’s navy blue. But there are shades in a woman’s wardrobe that are never placed together: navy and black is very smart, green and aqua go well together. The tone-on-tone look is rather an elegant one.”

By simply re-evaluating your wardrobe, and experimenting with colours you might previously have dismissed, this trend becomes quite the bright prospect of the season.

— If the thought of orange, fuchsia and turquoise scintillating on the rails is one that gives you palpitations (black, black, wherefore art thou, black?), panic not. Dark shades twinned with primary-colour tights or a pair of jewel-hued shoes offer refuge. “If you’re scared of colour, then wear a bright pashmina, beads or choose a colourful handbag,” advises Henderson. One experienced member of the Times fashion team was spotted in a black dress with beacon-like emerald green Marc Jacobs über-wedges: a simple lesson in how vivid block colour can transform a more muted outfit.

— For the expert’s guide to head-to-toe colour, Emilio Pucci (or rather Matthew Williamson, the designer now at the helm) is your man. Not one but five models emerged in military formation to open the collection, sharing between them three shades: purple, canary yellow and tangerine. A trifle Amazon rainforest but striking nevertheless – and a case in point of the number one rule: with block colours stick to softer tones, they are kinder to the skin.

— A little colour psychology may help to convince you. Purple (the colour of last season and this one) signifies creativity and sensitivity, while red is the colour of energy, best worn to give you confidence and a sense of control. Much more interesting options than black (according to Colour Me Confident by Veronique Henderson and Pat Henshaw, “worn by many women as a uniform for business” – yawn) or brown (“a colour to wear when you’re in relaxed mode” – are you still awake?).

— Block colours have been known to take advantage of curves, so team skirts with a jacket or blouse to break up the look. Choose different shades to create separation, but stay within the same colour palette. Think in terms of fire and water tones (orange with red, green with blue, etc) to remain a safe distance from the human rainbow/ children’s TV presenter look. As one person with an aversion to brights advised, after witnessing the combination of a chartreuse jacket and a fuchsia dress, “you don’t want to end up looking like an ice-cream”.

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