BRIGHTS: NINETEEN

DAY NINETEEN: Multicolour woven marble jumper, Warehouse

First off, apologies for the heinous photo today. It was taken after work, when I was knackered and had managed to rub most of my face off. Well done me.

I bought this 'marble' jumper in the Warehouse sale the same day I bought the yellow desert trek trousers and again, I have worn it to death in a few short weeks, quite literally. I keep on catching it on all manner of things - jewellery, belt buckles, even door handles - much to the amusement to all of those around me.

As you can see, I'm still big on the whole layering thing. And apparently the primary colours thing. Not one to usually wear dresses (too girly), I've recently been revisiting my collection and exploring new ways to wear them - often with oversized jumpers or checked shirts thrown over for a more grungy take as demonstrated here with a lovely silk dress I bought from Topshop Boutique a year ago that has hung in my wardrobe, unworn, since.

Since the photo above doesn't do it justice, here's a close up of the pink, white and pale blue threads that are woven together to create the marble effect:

Pretty, no? And good news! The jumper is still available online [here] in most sizes for a bargain price of £25. Run, don't walk.

Worn with: yellow stripe bag, Marks & Spencer; plimsolls, Converse Limited Edition; Navy silk dress, Topshop Boutique.

BANK HOLIDAY LAYERS

DAYS SIXTEEN, SEVENTEEN & EIGHTEEN: Yellow dress, H&M; Blue clutch, Clare Vivier for Shopbop.com; Khaki cape, Zara.

So I'm cheating and using one outfit for three days but I figured that since this bank holiday weekend has had what can only be described as mercurial weather, I should tackle the art of layers. After Saturday was a virtually constant barrage of monsoon-like rains, heading out on what was meant to be a sunny Sunday, I wasn't taking any chances and I figured I could cover every eventuality with layers.

So, first up - base layer of a dress. I bought this shirt dress from H&M last year - its the same shape that they do every year and for some reason, last year I bought it in yellow with little heart polka dots all over it. If ever there was an item that was SO not me, this was it - girly, fitted and yellow. For those precise reasons, it has spent the last year hanging in my wardrobe until today when I suddenly decided that today was the day for its inaugural outing when teamed with layer two.

Layer two is my new grey jumper (because I clearly do not have enough of those yet) from Sparkle & Fade [here] that I picked up in the sale the other night. The difference with this one is that it has massive layered keyhole cutouts on the back so when you wear it, there's a not-unpleasant breeze circulating around.

I topped off with my new-ish Zara lightweight cape [here] - it has the biggest hood I've ever seen. While it might not be that warm, I knew it would keep me dry in a sudden downpour plus if I suddenly grew an extra head, I could live comfortably with the knowledge that my extra cranium would stay dry. Later in the year, I figure I'll layer it over my biker jacket for a leather/canvas contrast.

Finally, for a pop of colour, I added this Clare Vivier clutch from Shopbop [here]. I've had it for a while but I've only recently started carrying clutches during the day largely because I like to be hands-free but I really love the bright, cobalt blue. It's meant to be worn as a fold-over clutch but I far prefer carrying it as a slouchy pouch. Plus it fits way more stuff in that way and I don't like travelling light.

Detail shots tomorrow.

Worn with: sunglasses, Kurt Geiger; watch, Michael Kors; ring, Daisy Knights; shoes, Converse.

BRIGHTS: DAY TWO

DAY TWO: Mesh ballet pumps, Nelly

Heatwave - YEAY! New shoes - DOUBLE YEAY! First up, apologies for the lack of posts over the weekend, our ever delightful internet connection decided to up sticks and piss off on holiday, meaning that I was at the mercy of my 3G connection which does nothing for my laptop. I spent the whole weekend trying to do things on the rest of my Mac stack to no avail. Coupled with a ridiculous workload, I have been incommunicado from most of the internet world. And the real world for that matter.

But let's talk about shoes, yes? I love shoes. Behold the newest addition to a shoe collection that means that I will very soon need an extra room just for footwear. They are from Nelly.com, which is kind of like a Swedish ASOS and has just launched in the UK to massive fanfare and an awesome party not long ago at one of my favourite venues, Aqua London.

I picked up these particular shoes for three very specific reasons:

1) I have had orange ballet pumps on my mind for quite some time now. They have seeped into my consciousness like a bad smell and I could not get rid of the thought. I think this is a run-on from my obsession with orange at the beginning of the year, but on a more manageable and less look-like-a-plague-victim level.

2) The mesh. Thanks to my dodgy grandma knees, I have to wear insoles in my shoes at all times or risk the wrath of my joints. This means that most styles of sandals are out of the question when this plus my freaky toe-post hating toes factor into the equation, meaning I spend most of summer in ballet pumps and with stinking feet. I bet you wanted to know that, right? Well, the mesh on these means that my feet can breeeathe this summer. Hurrah!

3) They are only £14.95. Amazing.

They are so amazing in fact, that I am giving serious thought to buying them in every colour combination that they come in. You can buy this particular fetching orange and blue combination [here], blue and pink [here] and my next purchase, neon yellow and green [here].

Worn with: grey skinnies, Topshop

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY TWO

DAY TWENTY TWO: Printed tee, Miss Selfridge


So, the great battle of the British weather continues. My daily routine seems to go: wake up to blue skies, realise that the temperature's still single digits and then by mid-afternoon get attacked by the rain. All of the spring/summer stuff that I'd started wearing is firmly back in the wardrobe until the temperatures pick up because this certainly isn't Miami.


However, never one to admit defeat, I am trying to pretend that the office is a tropical paradise by wearing this really, really colourful tee from Miss Selfridge. I'm not usually one for such full on prints if they're not on trousers but I am however sucker for both leopard print and palm trees. So bam, SOLD.


I had a hard time deciding whether to choose this purple/blue/green colourway or the slightly brighter pink/orange/yellow but the darker hues won out this time. You can get the colourway I'm wearing [here] or the pink version [here], each for £24.


Roll on, summer.


Worn with: grey skinnies, Topshop; Tortoiseshell Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.

TRANSITION: DAY NINETEEN

DAY NINETEEN: Blue striped knit, River Island

The sun came out again on Sunday, so to celebrate the the last few hours of glorious weather before it all goes downhill this week - I mean, snowing at Easter? You've got to be kidding me - I whipped out another purchase from my night of influenced shopping last week. Again, another pastel. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME??

I don't know how it happened but not only was I wearing pastels again, I'd somehow ended up wearing more colour than I ever have - pink chinos, the blue sweater and a yellow bag. My multi-hued look definitely got some stares as we pottered around the park.

Worn with: pink chinos, Zara; grey vest, American Apparel; Yellow satchel, Asos; tortoiseshell Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.

TRANSITION: DAY FOURTEEN

DAY FOURTEEN: Blue polka dot trousers, Topshop 

If these look familiar, your eyes are not deceiving you – you might recall that a few months back, I featured these trousers in green [here]. I loved them so much that when Topshop reissued them in blue, I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me to grab a pair before they sold out, which of course they duly did and quickly.

I’ve been wearing them pretty much constantly, as have several other members of the fashion department - leading to some near-misses in the identical outfit stakes but they’re so versatile and comfy that its inevitable that one day two of us will eventually turn up in the same trews.

While they sold out at the speed of light, there were several pairs hanging out on eBay waiting for a good home when I looked earlier today and for bargain prices too. I’m hoping that Topshop will release another colourway soon, maybe a deep pink would be nice? What colour would you like to see them in?

Worn with: grey tee, H&M; necklace, Nocturne; Black pumps, Office.

TRANSITION: DAY THIRTEEN

DAY THIRTEEN: Bee Mine playsuit, Monsoon Fusion x Burt's Bees


Third day on the trot of sunshine and it's gone straight to my brain. And wardrobe. I picked up this cute little playsuit on the day of my now infamous Marni at H&M binge, arriving at the newly revamped Monsoon store at Marble Arch dragging my loot and grinning like a loon.


I wasn't meant to spend any more money after my blowout up the road but the second I laid eyes on this piece, all sensibility went flying out of the window and my card came flying into view again. Oops.

This playsuit is a collaboration between Monsoon and Burt's Bees in aide of the Honey Bee, which is slowly dying out in Britain. With every purchase from the range you receive a packet of wild flower seeds to sow in your garden/pot/window box, which will abstract the bees back. So really, my splurge was worthy rather than naughty this time, no? Plus, how cute are the little bees that are dotted all over the honeycomb print?


It's funny, everyone who sees it thinks that it's actually a dress because of the loose style of the bottom half which I quite like as most of my other playsuits are shorter and more boyishly structured. More girly than my usual style but I guess sometimes I have to step out of my tomboy box. (Says the girl who wore neon pink and florals yesterday.)


The playsuit is available for a very reasonable £58 [here] so buzz on over. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY FIVE

DAY TWENTY FOUR: Blue and green palm print sweater, Versace x H&M

So, unless you've been living under a rock for the last few months, you'll no doubt be aware of the Versace X H&M collaboration that has been whipping the fashion world into a veritable neon leopard print frenzy for the last few months. Originally, I really wasn't that fussed - sure it's great but I draw the line at having to queue overnight to get my hands on a dress. It just so happened that I was in town yesterday morning for a breakfast meeting and on my way to run another errand, I thought I would nip in to a few stores and see how the collection looked.

I didn't even bother with the flagship on Regent Street, having seen the queues that snaked down and round the corner to the Courthouse Hotel. Instead I headed to the store opposite Bond Street tube station, which was also ridiculous - clothes flung everywhere, queues and I swear I saw two girls wrestling over something sequined.

Giving up, I headed to Selfridges where the queues were much smaller and you didn't even need a wrist band to get into the menswear section which worked well for me - the tills were also located there so in order to pay, you had to make the passage through, where inevitably a lot of women changed their minds about their purchases and flung stuff back onto the rails so I got some pretty decent pieces of womenswear - expect them to drop on the blog over the next few days in some way, shape or form.

Saying that, this sweater is actually from the menswear collection - I had planned on wearing it as a dress but since it's ever so slightly too short, I teamed it with my neon pink Boutique by Jaeger skirt for a real Miami vibe.

Just call me Donatella.

Worn with: Pink neon skirt, Boutique by Jaeger; pink neon belt, Marks & Spencer; Gold chain, Vintage; Gold brogues, Office.

AUTUMN: DAY FIFTEEN

DAY FIFTEEN: Faceted bead necklace, Freedom Premium at Topshop

I have longer been a sucker for a statement necklace and I think that this necklace from Freedom at Topshop's new Premium collection is about as statement as they come. Simply put, it was love at first sight for me when I first saw another girl wearing the gold version and it seems to be the case with everyone who lays eyes on it - the first time I wore it, I spent the whole day fielding questions about it wherever I went, including my commute home on the tube. It's a great piece on days when I can't decide what to wear as I simply add it to a plain tee and jeans and I'm done.

There are so many great pieces in the new Premium range and I want them all, although at the higher price point than normal, I'm going to have to be selective with what I buy. Check out the whole collection [here], this particular necklace is [here]

Worn with: grey sweatshirt, Petit Bateau.

AUTUMN: DAY SEVEN

DAY SEVEN: Blue leopard scarf, Louis Vuitton

I was misled by the sun in the morning and naively wore a suede jacket. That’ll teach me not to carry an umbrella to fashion week.

Worn with: Sheer maxi skirt, Topshop; grey tee, H&M; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban; jacket, unknown; gold brogues, Office; Stingray clutch, Salvatore Ferragamo

SUNGLASSES: DAY TWELVE

DAY TWELVE: Blue metallic aviators, Ray-Ban

I’d never realised just how many pairs of various aviators I own until I started this project. These are the newest additions to my collection, which were a gift from the Ray-Ban party on DAY THREE. Aren’t they just lovely?

I’m no longer contagious but am very, very pale after spending the last few days hibernating, working and lamenting my oversized tonsils (which I’m sure you’ll be delighted to know are now back to a normal-ish size) so here’s my awesome ant print tee from Issa for Matches as a nice summery background instead.

Worn with: Ant print tee, Issa 4 Matches at LFW; Grey denim shorts, Topshop; Navy and cream quilted ballet pumps, Office; Green military jacket, Da Nang; Leopard print scarf, Marks & Spencer; Yellow satchel bag, Asos.

SUNGLASSES: DAY THREE

DAY THREE: Blue Wayfarers with NYC Subway print arms (Special series), Ray-Ban

In honour of the Ray-Ban Aviator party tonight, I thought it only right to represent and wear some Ray-Bans today. Since the large gold Aviators that I lust after are not yet part of my collection some lovely, shiny blue Wayfarers will be taking their place proudly on the bridge of my nose. These beauties from the spring/summer limited edition collection are awesome with a capital A as they have the New York subway map printed inside; when I got them, it was very much love at first sight and they have very rarely left my face/hair since. I kid you not, I’ve never had so many compliments, comments and requests to try them for a pair of sunglasses that I’ve owned.

If blue isn’t your colour, the range also comes in some other lovely bright Pantone colours as well as more subtle black and white. I’m giving serious thought to a black pair with floral print inside. Yum.

Worn with: Black skinny jeans, Topshop; Black and cream striped tee, BDG; Green military jacket, Da Nang; Yellow satchel, Asos; Pewter woven pumps, Topshop.