Look pretty in pink

Pink is not a colour. It is an industry and a cultural symbol. Pink stands for a particular definition of femininity, one of arrested development, where princesses represent the pinnacle of ambition and parties are about wearing cumbersome dresses rather than having fun. It's a lot like footbinding, except you buy it in Toys R Us.

This phenomenon is annoying because it means these days a grown woman in pink has about her something of the Katie Price. Annoyingly, I like pink. It's a really pretty colour; and besides, I look ill in orange and yellow. For this reason, I am keen to champion fashion's latest bid to reclaim pink for the centre ground. At Paris Fashion Week, I bought a pair of pink Zara trousers, the exact pink of a kir royale with which I am now obsessed, and I am far from alone: the pink trouser has been the LBD of spring 2011.

The pink-trouser trend was a game-changer. By taking the tailored trouser — which is a bit androgynous and rather modern — and colouring it pink, the sugar of the shade was adjusted to suit a more grown-up palate. So much so that pink dresses are back on the style radar.

How to wear a pink dress without looking as if you are chasing some ghastly, age-inappropriate notion of cuteness?

Avoid the Barbie zone of the spectrum. A peachy pink is much more grown up (indeed, detractors might feel it verges on Queen Mother territory). A deep, rich kir royale pink is a good alternative. Think fruit, not sugared almonds, and avoid the shades that set your teeth on edge.