lime, orange and yellow and red is also coming forward.

So that means if you are getting your wardrobe prepared for the hot and humid days that Bermuda offers you have to make sure you have a splash of brightness.

Lime seems to be the number one colour according to several local clothing stores in an array of styles and fabrics from pique to chiffon.

At Aston and Gunn, manager/buyer Ernie Lewis said this summer's fashion is all about "colour, colour, colour and more colour'' in lots of orange and lime green.

"Red is also coming forward in the summer along with yellow. At the beginning of the summer you will see orange and green and then you will start seeing a shift to red and yellow. And pants that stretch are the item this year,'' Mr.

Lewis said.

He added: "Stretch trousers are in bright colours and prints and tops in retro prints and tie-dye are also hot along with plaid trousers.

"For men the style is the cropped tops that are more fitted -- people are not wearing baggy anymore -- everything's fitted. The colours are pretty well the same as the women's but not to the same degree.'' Mr. Lewis said in suits there are more light blues, ice blues and light greys and there is still a lot of navy and white.

"Ties will be extremely bright. Most men are afraid of wearing bright tops but now they can beef up their wardrobe by wearing a really bright tie.

"We are going into the Bermuda shorts so now we have the ties that will work well with the shorts.'' Twenty-Seventh Century Boutique owner Sharon Bartram said the store carries an array of bright colours. And for those that don't want brights there are natural colours, navy and pastels. "The lengths are still long and short, and we still sell a lot of separates,'' Mrs. Bartram said.

She added: "We also have sarongs, shorts and suits in pants, skirts, and dresses and for the young kids we are selling a lot of bright flip flops with matching shades and bags in orange, green, yellow and royal blue with matching tops and bottoms.

"For men we have very bright or classic colours. We also have a lot of dress shirts with bold ties to match, and knee length shorts in neutral colours with matching T-shirts.'' Mrs. Bartram also said the boutique has dress shirts that you can wear without ties for the man that wants to be smart but dressed.

"We also have men's shoes in different styles and sandals.'' Trimingham's buyer for the moderate and junior areas as well as ladies and swimwear, Gayle Stuart, said without a doubt lime and orange in whatever fabrics are hot for spring.

"There is a lot of pique and a lot of long dresses, as well as the short ones in chiffon and other soft fabrics in strong bright prints. Black and white is always in there for colour,'' Mrs. Stuart said.

She added: "In the junior areas there is also koshibo which is like a poly crepe type fabric -- very soft and flowy. It is a good fabric for juniors and the hottest colour is lime for juniors and swimwear. It's a great colour when you have a tan.

"The 1970's look is also still in style with the daisy prints and the boot leg in the pants.'' Shoe buyer for Trimingham's Jean Brady said the colours for this year aside from the regular white, bone, and black patent are also citrus and there are more sandals now with lots of straps.

"We didn't get a lot of those colours because in Bermuda people tend to say what pretty colours and then ask for black or brown.'' At H.A.&E. Smith, ladies buyer Dianne Barritt said: "Ice cream colours are the main colour palate for spring and summer which is mint and lilac. You will see it in two piece suits, dresses and shorts.

"The slim pant which was very strong for `Fall 96' is still going strong for the summer in pique and cotton twill in plaid and solids.

"Shear prints working back to solid satin is another look in dresses -- it gives you a very cool flowing look for summer.'' She added: "And for the juniors they are still projecting the 60's look for the summer -- tie-dye shorts and T-shirts and fringe bottom jeans.'' At Sizewise Fashions assistant manager Bruce Mayor said plus size women can expect to see lots of mix and match separates as they are always a hot item.

"They offer plus size women more value for money,'' Mr. Mayor said.

He added: "Koret of California brings this to Sizewise with a multi collections of tops, split skits, pants and shorts. Some of the groups are the Francisa fabric which you can simply wash forever and it always comes back fresh and new.'' "Colours that are very dominant include lime green, lilac, sky blue, salmon and fushia.'' Mr. Mayor also said that Cool Cotton Knits by Old Dell Designs, in vests, shell and short sleeve tops tied together with an easy pull-on pant or short are also available.

"Many of these items are unique in design with accents of shell embroidery, the colours are white, yellow, and sky blue.

"Bright orange is always a favourite for the hotter months of summer, and by Fun Dimensions we offer a small check print in tops, dresses, pants, and shorts.'' He added that romper suits are another popular item which offers the plus woman a two-piece look when it is actually a one-piece short outfit. These also come in many bright colours and patterns.

Sizewise also has dresses for work, church or weddings in 16w to 26w along with swimwear in sizes 16w to 30w. There are also wraps and cover-ups which match some of the swimwear.

"African prints are also very popular for the summer along with bright purple, gold, and black,'' Mr. Mayor said.

The Plus Woman owner Glaswell Powell also said the colours are very bright and can be found in unusual prints like the African look.

"The active wear is always good it has always been a hit and black is still the number one colour in the bottoms,'' Mr. Powell said.

He added: "We have lots of bright tops and we are doing a lot of cottons in the plus sizes as they are very soft and they come in a variety of colours and prints.'' Bright colours for the summer "We have a soft jade colour which has also been strong along with the denim which people wear right through the year. The khaki colour is also in and we have the burgundy/red dresses, silver and we have the a nice turquoise.'' Mr. Powell also said in the swim line they have the black with a dash of gold and other colours along with two-tone which gives you a nice look and animal print which always looks good.

"We still have the popular navy blue polka dot or the black and white which is also popular.'' At Cotton Ginny Plus general manager Gillian Motyer said for the summer there is still a lot of poly/rayon blends because they are light weight and they flow well.

"They come in the citrus colours and are very popular, very relaxed. We have are basic styles but for the summer we are seeing a lot of zippers and the styles have gotten away from the oversize looks,'' Mrs. Moyter said.

She added: "There are lots of vests and little jackets and stretch pants and shorts in plus sizes. Our customers seem to like them very much they also like the cottons as well.

"There are still a lot of dresses both long and short and a lot of shorts are still to come in as well. It looks like it's going to be a very bright and colourful summer.'' All photos by Tony Cordeiro THE HIPSTER FASHION -- Model Lori Eddy shows off the casual and colourful look of hipster pants complimented with a bright silk lime green shirt. Outfit from Aston and Gunn.

NYLON STYLE -- Twenty-Seventh Century Boutique model Perry Jones shows off a turquoise and black nylon two piece that also comes in lime green, orange, black and beige. The boutique also carries a great selection of men's sandals.

SUNBURST OF COLOUR -- This Parakian printed rayon two-piece can be found at H.A.&E. Smith in a burst of different colours and pieces. Model Joan Cabral.

COOL AND CASUAL -- Colours and great styles can be found for everyone, even if you are not a size 4. Sabrina Trott models a split skirt with matching shirt and vest with all the summer colours from Sizewise Fashions -- it's easy wear, easy care.