Off the top, yes, H&M is coming to Vancouver, opening in Coquitlam Centre early this fall. Let's all heave a deep sigh and exclaim, “Finally!”

Now, down to this week's fashion business. Spot one of something out of the ordinary—a skirt length, a heel height, a jeans brand—and it's generally an anomaly signalling somebody who's either totally out of it or, more likely, way ahead of it. Two sightings and you ask yourself, “What's happening here? This can't just be a coincidence.” Three and you can be fairly confident you're seeing the first indications of a trend. Let's just say that recently, on a single day, I noted it not three but four times, first on Adhesif designer Melissa Ferreira, and later, at the recent Spend on Trend, wrapping Kania's Stacey Martin in a funky top with a French Lieutenant's Woman hood. Later at the Chan Centre, I spotted it in the form of a leather jacket that I really, really wanted and, at intermission, as a whisper-thin cardigan. What they all had in common was colour. The surprise news: that colour is yellow.

It's showing up all over, and the examples I jotted down prove that yellow needn't mean taxi, although that was the colour Martin wore—the leather jacket was deep butter, the cardigan a pale primrose. Bravest of all was Ferreira, who wore yellow eye shadow. She loves the colour, and says of the clothing she makes from mingled recycled fabrics: “I use yellow whenever I can get it. And I dye other fabrics [yellow]. It's a nice way to tie in other colours. It has a kind of neutralness to it.” Neutral? Why not.

Ferreira's eye shadow looked terrific—bold but pretty—especially teamed, as she had done, with smoky grey shadow on the outer half of the lids. The source of the French-made shadow was Clio Professional at Tinseltown (1069–88 West Pender Street). Hers was #28 Yellow, and you may want to take a look at #110 Wild Lily too. Those are not the only golden glows around. MAC (various locations) makes the ochre-y but vibrant Golden Rod, plus the more lemon-coloured Canary Yellow and, brightest of all, Chrome Yellow. Also in the really yellow category is Ms. Fire, made by Toronto-based Niko Cosmetics (available at The Bay downtown).

Given the all-pervasive greyness we get in Vancouver, wearing a shot of yellow is like waking up to an unexpectedly sunny day. Night owls can think of it as the lemon zest in an extra-dry martini. On the rack at Le Château (various locations) is an unadorned T-shirt in citrus yellow ($19.95) that's perfect for sliding under a jacket or pinafore dress. Fabric the exact shade of custard makes a girlie top with lace straps and vertically ruched panels shaping the midriff ($25) a swift way to freshen up jeans for night. Big jacquard fringed scarves (like scaled-down pashminas) come in scads of hues including yellow ($19.95), and for the littlest price with the biggest impact, check out those yellow plastic earrings the size of small bagels ($7.95).

Club Monaco (various locations) is throwing caution to the wind, or at least trusting that fashionistas will yearn for a break from the sea of black, white, and grey clothing that is almost all the store currently carries. Yellow really pops against this monochromatic background. Options include a scoop-necked thin cotton T ($22); a classic V-neck sweater in a blend of cotton, cashmere, and silk ($99); and a luscious little three-quarter-sleeve cardi in cashmere ($179) and reverse stocking stitch. The sweater's tag says Lemon and the cardigan's reads Snapdragon, but they look identical.

Yellow is allegedly a difficult colour to wear, but keep in mind that its spectrum ranges from pale blond to deep amber. Somewhere in there is a shade with your name on it. If your mom told you yellow makes your skin look green, it does make sense to keep yellow away from your face. Far, far away. Sunflower-coloured shoes are a speedy way to whip ho-hum outfits into the spotlight. Feet First (various locations) sells pumps in a wearable, mellow amber-yellow with a black medium-height heel that immediately links them to anything black. You do have something black in your closet, don't you? Sterling Shoes (various locations) carries another killer pair that pushes a number of current fashion buttons, peep-toed and sling-backed, styled in yellow-and-black plaid with a black-patent platform and high heels ($69.99). A budget treat, but if you really want to go all the way, go see the gorgeous Tod's double-handled bag at Holt Renfrew ($1,395). Just keep in mind that its golden hue may be a caution to check your credit-card balance before you slap your card on the counter.