Think Lucozade, think pumpkin, think traffic lights, think Iarnrod Eireann - but whatever you do, just think orange this season. While shocking pink was the "in" colour last season, and sombre black was the "in" colour last century, the year 2000 kicked off in a blaze of that most blatant of colours, orange.

In the spring/summer collections, it took over the catwalks with designers in London, Paris and Milan all squeezing big wodges of tangerine, amber, and rust on to their palettes. The high street soon followed suit - just take a peek in any town near you, and you'll find that the shops look as though Halloween has come early.

But let's be honest; orange may be a vibrant shot in the arm to fashion, but it's hardly the easiest colour to wear. Even the most healthy and glowing of complexions tends to look pastier than a bakery in Cornwall when swathed on all sides by pure orange.

So if you want to get the look without looking like a flu victim, plump for some of the brilliant orange accessories in the shops at the moment and start looking at the world through orange-tinted glasses.