The highest standard of colourblocking was set by Yves Saint Laurent, who transferred the graphic, pop-art look of painter Piet Mondrian onto fabric. The YSL look was an instant hit as it fit so nicely into the fresh, no-frills mod fashions of the mid-1960s.
US designer Lisa Perry is known for her bright traffic-stopping colour combinations on simple silhouettes, and says the style has become a classic that sometimes hits as a bona fide trend. This is one of those years, she says. It's part of a broader movement away from the earth tones that dominated runways and stores for a while.
"I never consider it trendy because we've done it since season one. It happens to be a trend now because things go in cycles, so you'll see it more and more. That's great," Perry says, "but I think it's timeless and always looks good."
A general definition of colourblocking is the pairing of chunks of contrasting colours. Perry likes it all on a single garment - her specialty being a dress - while she calls an outfit of, say, a pink top, red pants and a blue belt more "colour mixing." But, she allows, it's a fine line.
You can be fearless when it comes to colour rules, too. A lot of mixing and matching looks very fresh. Cobalt blue and orange, or neon lime and cobalt blue.
Even if colours look good, though, Perry advises you to be aware of the message you might be sending with your combination. Do you look like a sports mascot or a holiday decoration?
"I will never do a black dress with orange pockets - Halloween, or yellow, because that's a bumblebee. But no sports team is going to do acid green or purple with black unless they're the coolest team in the world," Perry says.
Sometimes she'll use grey as the binding neutral colour, especially with turquoise or hot pink which have a little bit of a tropical vibe, she says, and her best-selling dress is black with hot-pink pockets.
Barneys New York devoted a good chunk of real estate (and some of its famous Madison Avenue windows) to these playful looks.
One of the key colours is mint green, says Amanda Brooks, the retailer's former fashion director. It can be the bridge to either pastels or surf-inspired neons, she says. All of these notice-me colours are good for business, she adds. "A lot of customers are drawn into stores and to racks with colour. No one would walk up to a rack of black."
What combination will she be wearing? Tonal shades, such as red with fluorescent pink. She'll probably go for a dress because there's less legwork in putting it all together, Brooks says, and if you add grey, white or beige as a third colour in the mix then it makes it easier to find complementary accessories.
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