AT THE RACES

I'm interrupting this usually scheduled Brights blog with a bit of an off-piste post. What with the outdoor events calendar firmly under way and several of my friends asking what I'd recommend for a day at the races or the polo, I thought I'd do a little post about what I wore to the Investec Epsom Derby Ladies Day last week.

I was there helping to pick stylish race-goers for WhatBestToWear.com's competition and of course, we had to adhere as much as possible to the dress code - smart dresses and hats, etc.

Now, I love a good hat but I've never really worn a formal one as up until last week, I was a race day novice if I'm perfectly honest - luckily, I picked up my hat the other week in preparation for Ascot later this month but still had no appropriate dress! Cue a good level of panic, including the standard race around Topshop the night before to see if I could find anything to wear as most of my dresses are either black or casual.

Having panic bought a structured black dress, on the tube home I had a sudden fashion epiphany (fash-iany?) - the perfect dress was hanging in my wardrobe.

This navy structured skater dress with lace overlay and little grosgrain cap sleeves from Warehouse fitted the bill perfectly, matched my navy and black hat and was comfortable to boot. It had been languishing in my wardrobe since Christmas and I figured it that if ever there was an occasion for it to make its debut, Ladies Day was the one.

Unfortunately, the navy version is long gone but a very summery cream version is still available [here]. The best part? It's now on sale, from £80 to £60. I may very well need to get it to wear to Ascot.

Worn with: Cream and navy stripe jacket, Primark; cream and gold pumps, Office; hat, Marks & Spencer; bag, Marni; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.

BRIGHTS: DAY FOUR

DAY FOUR: Neon striped tote, Marks & Spencer

Another hot, hot day in London and I figured it was finally time to bust out my Marni at H&M dress I bought a few months ago [here]. About bloody time too. With all of the heat and colour, I figured it was time to finally change bags from my little black satchel to something that allows me to carry a big bottle of water in it on my commute plus was a little more summery, so I grabbed this tote from good old M&S that's been hanging around on my bag rack for a while. It's a great size for everyday lugging and the bag itself is very light, although it does mean that it's tempting to fill it to the brim with stuff that I really don't need to carry.

Another plus is that I like the way that the stripes clash with the spots of my dress for a bit of a print mashup. You can pick up this bag for a very reasonable £22.50 [here] or a slightly more subdued pink version [here].

Worn with: Silk spotty dress, Marni at H&M.

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY EIGHT

DAY TWENTY EIGHT: Leather and faux-pony skin satchel, Marks & Spencer


Those who follow me on twitter (@adulescent) will know that recently I've been tweeting up a storm about the spring/summer press days that are happening at the moment. Well, sometimes, filling up peoples' feeds pays off - at the Marks & Spencer press day, they ran a little twitter competition inviting visitors to tweet their thoughts on the collection and the best tweeter would win a satchel. I love a good twitter challenge and jumped on the bandwagon. As you've probably guessed by now, I won!


And I've been wearing my winnings ever since - its a great day bag as its got two large compartments, plus a zipper section in the middle and lots of little pockets that I've been filling with all of my usual handbag detritus. I've been getting lots of people stroking it lovingly and their surprise when I tell them it is in fact M&S has been great - it has a flavour of the Proenza Schueler PS11 which I have been eyeing on net-a-porter for quite some time but at a fraction of the price. Win.


The plain black version has already sold out online but you can get the equally lovely leopard print version [here].


Worn with: leather sleeve coat, Topshop

SUNGLASSES: DAY TWO

DAY TWO: Grey and pink retro sunglasses, Marks & Spencer

The sunny weather’s holding out a little longer so today’s snap comes from the little patch of grass by my office. Everyone always jokes that my sunglasses are permanently attached to my head when they’re not on my face so I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to let you see them in their natural habitat.

Worn with: Denim jacket, Abercrombie & Fitch; White tee, Topshop; Spotty culottes, Miss Selfridge; Yellow satchel, Asos; Nude pumps, Topshop.

Special thanks goes to Simona from The Assistants Wear Primark for taking today and yesterday’s photos.