The return of star prints: Look to the skies for your next fashion fix

For a few days in August, eclipse fever swept North America. People who hadn’t looked skyward since the 4th July fireworks display suddenly became experts on DIY eclipse goggles (or at least Instagrammed their own attempts – same thing, right?), lines of totality and solar diamond rings.  We didn’t get any of that excitement in the UK, but the appeal of contemplating the mysteries of the universe seems to grow with every vexing event here on earth.  Or maybe it’s something more elemental: the nights are drawing in, which does have  a way of reminding us of the stars. 

Anna Sui velvet dress, ￡390, Net-A-Porter.com. Gold earrings, ￡53, Tada and Toy. Celestial print skirt, ￡45, Marks and Spencers. 

Now I’m no astronomer, and writing about fashion doesn’t mean I know anything about constellations – unless  of course they’re the kind mapped out  in diamonds across CVC Stones’ cult zodiac necklaces. But lately, when getting dressed, all I want in my outfits is a little  bit of stardust. You’re probably susceptible to the same instincts, if I’m to draw conclusions from Zara’s sellout dress  of the season, a celestial-print midi.  That piece is long gone – I’m still  kicking myself for being in a ‘responsible’ mood the day I saw it – but stargazers will still find plenty of options in the shops.

Celeste blouse, ￡135, Lily & Lionel. Star sleeve jumper, ￡195, Wyse. 

Designer shoppers can head straight to Chanel for sparkly space boots or Christian Dior for midnight-sky dresses strewn with silver-embroidered stars. For the rest of us, there’s Marks  & Spencer’s swishy tulle midi-skirt  (great with a cosy grey jumper), Rixo London’s monochromatic pussy-bow blouse and Lily and Lionel’s Celeste (celestial… get it?) print dresses, skirts and scarves. If that all seems a little too ‘queuing for the first showing of the Star Wars film’ for your taste, then there’s always jewellery – few motifs light up the complexion like a set of starry earrings.  And twinkle-twinkle away.