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 TWENTY ONE

DAY TWENTY ONE: Zebra nail wraps, nailease


I love crazy nails but I rarely have the patience anymore to spend a whole night giving myself a complicated manicure and I have a weird phobia of anyone else touching my nails after a few dodgy adventures in nail bars so most of the time I just end up painting my nails block colours these days.


The other day I randomly got given some nail wraps and in a fit of boredom, decided to test them out. Usually I find them too fiddly what with having to heat them up, smooth out air bubbles and so on but these won me over as they didn't involve a hairdryer and an army of other tools.


After a tricky first hand, I got into the swing of things - match your nail, peel off the wrap and gently press it on, then file off the excess. Admittedly, I had to redo one of my index fingers as the curve of the nail isn't really accounted for in a flat transfer but I'm impressed with how well these have lasted. I applied them on Thursday afternoon, fully expecting to be peeling them off by Friday morning at the latest as has always been my previous experience, even when they've been applied by a professional but these don't look like they're going anywhere.


The wraps have gone a little crinkly (I think this is moisture getting underneath) but with a quick coat of my Ciaté topcoat every day, they've stayed in place remarkably well considering everything that I've put them through over the long Easter weekend. The edges are starting to wear down like any manicure would but there's no chipping as of yet so they might stay in place for a few days still.


UPDATE: So it turns out that these particular nail wraps are by a brand called nailease, as sold at Miss Selfridge [here] for the rather bargain price £6 for a pack of 20 wraps. I actually cut some of mine down before applying them and minus one or two replacements, you could probably get two sets out of one pack. I couldn't help myself and picked up another set on my way home, definitely addicted.

DAY THREE: TRANSITION

DAY THREE: Monochrome and neon sweater, Miss Selfridge

I will be honest, even after my attempts at colour last year for Thirty Days, I'm still very much a lover of monochrome but recently, I've been getting very strong urges (for want of a better) for neon. While I'm still too pale and pasty for full blown brights, this jumper from Miss Selfridge quenches my need for neon for now. Being the lucky thing that I am, I was invited down to Miss Selfridge by their lovely PR team to pick a few items as part of my LFW wardrobe - I ended up wearing this jumper so much as it kept me warm but fitted under my favourite cropped-sleeved coat. It's still available [here].

Worn with: snake print jeans, Dorothy Perkins

AUTUMN: DAY THIRTY

DAY THIRTY: Sheer drop-back skirt, Miss Selfridge

Throughout the season, the idea of a drop-back skirt had been building in my head but I wasn't entirely sure how it would work with my stumpy cankles but then browsing the rails one day in Miss Selfridge I came across this sheer black number and I knew that I'd met my match right there and then. Above the knee at the front and with a little mini skirt underneath, it works pretty well. I don't like to go too pretty with it so I usually wear it with something like the Marc Jacobs latin tee or a big jumper to grunge it up a little. And of course, my new and much cherished Creepers. The skirt is still available on the Miss Selfridge website [here]

Worn with: bronze and faux fur jumper, Next; Brother creepers, Underground London

AUTUMN: DAY TWELVE

DAY TWELVE: Navy beaded dress, Miss Selfridge

Smack bang during LFW this year, one of my lovely friends got married. It meant running straight from a day of shows home to quickly change before driving out to Surrey to join the evening party so I needed something that was suitable but that also required no ironing as I would literally have about 15 minutes to turn around my look. As you can see from my daytime look from Day Seven, I didn't even have time to change my hair or makeup!

I bought this dress from Miss Selfridge last year after I fell in love with the vintage style of it and the fact that although it's pretty much completely covered up at the front, it is also virtually backless which definitely adds the sex factor - I'm not sure I could wear it during the day part of the wedding but for the evening party it definitely ticked all of the boxes!

Worn with: 2.55 leather bag, Chanel; Tights, Wolford; Black quilted leather pumps, Office.

AUTUMN: DAY THREE

DAY THREE: Grey skinny jeans, Miss Selfridge

A very grey look, I know but let me explain - it feels like I have been on a perennial hunt for a new pair of grey jeans for the past two years, since my favourite pair of Topshop Baxters finally gave up the ghost and split horrendously. Since then, I have tried on and bought endless pairs but nothing has quite matched my strict criteria in the grey jeans category. Then, last week during Fashion’s Night Out I stumbled into Miss Selfridge to investigate a jacket that I’d seen earlier in the day and happened across this pair. 

And oh, it’s a match made in heaven - they have the slightly stretchy fit that old Baxters used to have (before someone in their design team decided to screw me) and they just fit perfectly. I can forgive the pre-distressed scratches as they have an awesome colour and cut. I’m tempted to buy a second pair off the bat in case Miss S decides to get rid of their stretch too. Perish the thought.

If you want to experience the wonder of Miss Selfridge’s jeans, click [here] for this pair.

Worn with: leopard coat, Reiss; Sunglasses brooch, Vintage; Horse tee, Topshop; Black plimsolls, Converse; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.