TRANSITION: DAY THIRTY

DAY THIRTY: Snake print slippers, Jones Bootmaker

At long last, the final installment of Transition. Apologies for the delay but what with the monsoon-like rain, winds and generally grey skies, I've been stuck back in my winter clothes and Converse for the last few days and I don't like lying to you all or being totally ridiculous like 'oh yeah, its pissing rain but here I am in some silky trousers and some sunglasses!'

I've been hoarding several new pairs of shoes for a few weeks now, just waiting for the weather to get better so that I could finally start wearing them. Waking up to some sunshine today but still not feeling confident enough for mesh or open toes, these slippers from Jones Bootmaker felt like the perfect compromise.

The other week, I went along to ogle their Autumn/Winter wares (and oh, how lovely they are) and while I was there, I got to pick a pair from their current collection. I've been avoiding slipper-type shoes all season on the belief that they made my cankles look worse but these don't seem to do that as they're cut a little higher on the top of the foot so they don't look as flat and non-existent as a lot of other styles.

You can get them [here] in the snake/taupe colour or in black suede [here].

Worn with: Grey skinnies, Topshop

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY NINE

DAY TWENTY NINE: Neon friendship bracelet, Daniela Sigurd 


My new obsession with neon has been well documented over the last thirty days but I thought as I'm coming to the end of this edition, it would only be right to try and squeeze in one more little bit in the form of this bracelet. 


As you might've noticed from the daily photos, I wear a stack of bracelets on my right wrist every day. I never take them off until generally they fall off, just adding and adding. It got to a point last summer where I was wearing about 30, many of them random bits of string and I had to edit down, so I chose to go for a monochrome look with just one green Daisy Knights skull. 


However, now that summer is around the corner, I've decided that maybe it's time to add some colour, starting with this neon pink feather friendship bracelet from Daniela Sigurd. The second I saw her collection, it was pure and utter lust. The simple gold and silver charms are all threaded on colourful adjustable strings and at only £10, I've had to restrain myself from snapping up every combination going.


You can pick up one from Fashionbloodhound.com. 
 

Worn with [left to right]: Skull bracelet, Links of London; Silver buddha bauble, ChloBo; Woven diamente, Urban Outfitters; Black crystal, Olivia Rubin for ChloBo; Skull on green cord, Daisy Knights; Silver bead bracelets, ChloBo; Black braid with gold A, Urban Outfitters; Black woven crystals, H Samuel.

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY EIGHT

DAY TWENTY EIGHT: Oversized shirt, Asos

Apologies for the lack of post the last few days, I have been somewhat overwhelmed with my regular work life (it's press day season) which means that rather than sitting at my desk, I have been running around town looking at what brands have to offer for next season. If you follow me on twitter [@adulescent], you'll have seen my favourite pieces from my rounds.

Yesterday was another one of those days of appointments, not helped by the fact that the rain was absolutely hammering down and there were gale force winds battering us from every angle.  I've taken to the belief that the wetter it is, the more important it is to wear as little as possible on your bottom half (avoiding backsplash and puddles) and as many thin layers as possible on the top half - there is nothing worse than overheating in a chunky jumper that you can't take off.

I've had this oversized white shirt from Asos kicking around in my wardrobe for a while but somehow, I couldn't find the right way to wear it until I came across my Versace for H&M palm print jumper and suddenly, inspiration struck. Two thin layers would fit under my coat, keep me warm against the wintery conditions and stop me from sweating the second I dived in to various venues across town on my missions.

The shirt in all it's oversized glory is still available on Asos for a very reasonable £25 [here].

Worn with: Palm print men's sweater, Versace for H&M; Leather shorts, H! by Henry Holland; Creepers, Underground London; Trench, The Kooples; Aviators, Ray-Ban.

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY SEVEN

DAY TWENTY SEVEN: Mint green skinnies, Peacocks


With my irrational hatred of pastels, I never thought the day would come that I would find myself in a pair of mint green skinnies but this pair from Peacocks entered my wardrobe very sneakily. The lovely girls at ZPR sent me a pair just before Christmas and they hung out (literally) on my rail for months until Friday when I was having a bit of a tidy as new batches of samples came in and found them. Suddenly, the thought of wearing mint green had an inexplicable appeal for me, maybe it's the fact that I've done so many pastel themed things this year that they have entered my fashion radar simply by osmosis. Or maybe not. Of course, I'm still wearing them with a palette of monochrome but it's all about baby steps. Maybe by the end of the year I'll be colour blocking head-to-toe in fondants. And maybe pigs might fly.


Sadly, the Peacocks website is currently down so I can't link to a purchase but you should still be able to pick up a pair in your local store for only £16. I liked the cut of these so much I bought a pair in cobalt blue too. 


Worn with: waffle sweater, Gap; Breton tee & necklace, H&M; grey bag, Jaeger; slip-ons, Converse; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY SIX

DAY TWENTY SIX: Perspex necklace, H&M


This week has been a tricky one for transition dressing. With the UK being hammered from all sides by torrential rain with the odd burst of sun, my wardrobe has gone into total meltdown and I've retreated to a monochromatic safe haven in my winter wardrobe. However, today I finally woke up to a brief stint of sunshine rather than the all too familiar sound of the rain hitting the window panes and decided that this must be celebrated one way or another, so on went the River Island spring knit from my post a few weeks ago [here].


To cap it off, I decided to throw on my favourite necklace from H&M that I've been wearing all week on top of black and grey jumpers. I bought it a few weeks ago in the flagship Regent Street store, drawn to it by the absurdly large perspex tablets and of course, the neon ribbon. I'm a sucker from any bright accessories these days.


Whenever I wear this necklace, people are drawn to touch it and noone ever believes me when I say it's from H&M, most people think it's Marni. When I tell them it's from H&M, the usual comment after the raised eyebrows is 'Marni at H&M?' and then their eyebrows practically fall off their faces when I say it's regular H&M.


I wish I'd had the forethought to buy two as the ribbon on this one is going a little grey at the edges from constant wear but I figure that maybe if I wash it gently, I can bring it back to it's former eyepopping glory.


Not bad for £14.99.


Worn with: blue and white spring knit, River Island.

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY FIVE

DAY TWENTY FIVE: Neon orange nail varnish, Orly

In a week of rain, hail and god only knows what other surprises, I've found myself digging out the heavy winter items that only a fortnight ago I was contemplating packing up for the season. Unable to wear any of my more colourful lightweight pieces, I'm back in my favourite waffle jumper today, worn over my Marni at H&M silk shorts for one tiny stab at spring.

I'm perking up my overly dark outfit with zingy nails though. My sudden love of neon has been well documented during Transition and one of the easiest ways to accommodate it is without a doubt nail colour. I've already mentioned American Apparel's awesome Neon nail colours but I feel Orly are worth a mention too as this orange from their new summer collection is bin-man-jacket bright. Seriously, every time I look down at my keyboard I have a brief moment where I go YOW!

When I first tried it a few weeks ago during that brief spell of sandal weather, I initially put it on my toenails and I got compliments on it left, right and centre. Also, if like two of the members of our fashion desk, you're pregnant, Orly is great as all of their nail polishes are DPB, Toluene and Formaldehyde free.

This particular shade is called Orange Punch and it's available [here] for £9.25.

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY FOUR

DAY TWENTY FOUR: Tortoiseshell sunglasses, Polaroid


I spent most of this weekend wishing I was waking up in Palm Springs at Coachella and the rest shaking my fist at the sky over the fact that I wasn't there. However, the sunny skies in London meant that I could at least pretend that I was there with the hipster masses by swanning around my garden in these awesome oversized sunnies from Polaroid.


They're part of the Heritage range that has seen the company dig out their archive of styles and recreate designs from every decade, starting from the 1930s. There's some lovely cats eye styles from the 1950s that I also want to get my hands on for a touch of retro glamour. They're also great as all of the styles are polarised, meaning that they block out a lot of the glare that other sunnies don't and they turn my iPhone screen green which is always weird but fun.


You can see the full range of styles on the Polaroid website [here]

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY THREE

DAY TWENTY THREE: Black studded collar top, Zara


There are some days when a regular t-shirt won't cut it. Today I have precisely one of those busy days - appointments in town, then back to the office before heading out to dinner with one of my favourite PRs so I needed something that would work for all three.


I have become obsessed with Zara. Ob-sessed. Whereas once my heart (and wallet) lay with Topshop, my allegiance has shifted in the last year or so. With prices creeping up in Topshop and the average age of shoppers in there making me feel a bit mutton-dressed-as-lamb (I'm only 28) plus the alarming love for bum cutting hot pants, I suddenly found myself stroking things in Zara where the prices seem to have come down and the quality has gone up.


I bought this top a few weeks ago and I love it because while it has a tee feel, it's definitely smarter. Plus, who doesn't love a stud detail?

Oh and also, check out the back, love this pleating detail:

I would however suggest going up a size in this style - I usually wear a small but something told me to buy it in a medium when I didn't have time to try it on. Whatever this something was, it was pretty smart as even a medium is snug on my chest. Like it? Run on over and buy it [here] before it disappears into the Zara ether.

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

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.

TRANSITION: DAY TWENTY

DAY TWENTY: Smile sequin sweatshirt, Love Label at Very

Apologies for the lack of posts this week, it has been one of those weeks. Apart from the awful weather, I spent most of the week knee deep in press days, shoot prep, shooting and then shooting some more, all the while doing my juice diet. More about the latter in a separate post, needless to say even though it was only a four day working week I felt like I'd done way more than that.

But anyway, it's a four day weekend! (Well, not for me - I'm in on Monday, BOO) So in honour of today and the sunshine, I thought it was appropriate to wear this very cheery sweatshirt from Love Label. Grey marl plus neon plus sequins meant that I couldn't resist it. Isn't it just super happy?

So, this weekend make like my top and SMILE!

Available at very.co.uk [here] for only £20. Might need to get the gold version too. Hmm.

Worn with: Tortoiseshell wayfarers, Ray-Ban; lots of bracelets; big grin.

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 EIGHTEEN

DAY EIGHTEEN: Grey chinos, Banana Republic

Just when I was getting into the swing of spring things, y'know, breaking down my preconceptions of pastels, florals and the such, nature has a way of throwing you a curve ball. It's like someone somewhere decided that you can have too much of a good thing and it was time to reign in the sunshine. Whoever that person was, I'd like to take a moment to say YOU BASTARD.

When I woke up this morning to grey skies, an icy wind whipping through the open windows and an insanely sore throat building, it was like the light had just gone out of everything - even my previously jolly neon orange toenails looked a little sad in the lacklustre light. However, I'm a firm believer in silver linings - finally a chance to wear my favourite black waffle jumper again without looking like a tool and the opportunity to wear my new grey chinos from Banana Republic which arrived at the office yesterday.

When we were offered the choice of either pink or grey at the press day, I went for grey simply because I already owned a pink pair - my bright pink pair of chinos from Zara that I bought last summer. I then spent the next few weeks regretting my choice, thinking that actually the dusky deep raspberry would've been great but when they arrived, I knew I'd made the right decision - I need some smarter, preppier trousers in my wardrobe for when jeans, pajama pants or bright colours aren't appropriate. I get the feeling that I'll get a lot of wear out of these.

Worn with: black waffle jumper, Topshop; Black high tops, Converse.

TRANSITION: DAY SEVENTEEN

DAY SEVENTEEN: Pastel floral tuxedo trousers, River Island

While I would never advocate being drunk in public, sometimes a little bit of, ahem, influenced shopping can lead to very interesting purchases finding their way into my wardrobe. A prime examples is the really rather extraordinary sunglasses that I bought on the last day of term at Uni after a celebratory lunch with one of my flatmates that I most definitely not even looked at otherwise.

Last night, after the whirlwind of press days and launches that had been my afternoon, I found myself in River Island on Oxford Street standing in front of these trousers and thinking 'oh yep, totally'. When I'd been in there the other day with a friend, I'd checked them out but as I pointed out to my friend, they broke the two biggest rules in my book:

1. They are a proper floral. Not some weird abstract/neon/watercolour floral but an actual proper 'oh look, petals' kind of floral. Look!:

2. They are pastel. As many of my regular readers will now probably know, I have a weird thing against pastels. Having been brought up on a diet of monochrome and never allowed to wear sugary colours as a child, I developed an allergy to any pale candy colours that has lasted into adulthood.

So not only do these trousers have pastel coloured flowers all over them, they also have a lavender tuxedo-style stripe down the sides. Now, tuxedo stripes are very flattering to the leg, so this time I'll allow the lavender even if it is a colour that I absolutely detest normally simply because it works here.

To end this story, imagine my surprise when all sensibility went flying out of the window and I found myself at the till, ready to spend what little money I have on PASTEL FLORAL TROUSERS.

The mind boggles. But the legs like.

Worn with: grey tee, H&M; necklace, Nocturne; Satchel, Marks & Spencer; Nude pumps, Office. Tortoiseshell Wayfarers, Ray-Ban; jacket, unknown.

TRANSITION: DAY SIXTEEN

DAY SIXTEEN: Neon stripe tee, Giles by Giles Deacon for New Look


More sunshine! Hurrah! With a morning full of appointments in town, I figured it was only fair to play another round of blind-the-commuter with this striped neon tee from Giles Deacon's range for New Look. This is from the debut menswear collection from a few years ago - I just cut out the neck to make it fit better, although it's doing something funny in this photo, as is my mouth.


You know, for someone who wears a lot of black and grey, this whole new found love of neon is a little disconcerting...


Worn with: grey skinny jeans, Topshop; black pumps, Office; studded blazer, Zara; metallic leather bag, Topshop; degradé wayfarers, Ray-Ban

TRANSITION: DAY FIFTEEN

DAY FIFTEEN: Diamante necklace, Nocturne

So, I'm cheating a little bit today. As you might be aware, that's not me in the photo above but a rather glamourous looking dachshund. Holly decided that it was time to make her contribution to this run of thirty days and what better way than to model this lovely sparkly necklace from Nocturne?

I'm a big fan of statement jewellery, particularly necklaces. As much as I love big bracelets and rings, I have to take them off the second I get to the office so that they don't impede on my typing skills or get in the way of editing through piles of samples. However, a necklace is great as it stays put and doesn't infringe on everything else I do and it glams up the most basic of outfits. 

You might've noticed this necklace popping up in lots of recent posts so I thought it was time to dedicate a post to it. This necklace is from Nocturne AW collection and is now sold out but you can still pick up a glittery bargain in their discounted section on the website [here] or peruse their SS12 collection of magpie delights [here].

Worn with: everything lately

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.

TRANSITION: DAY TWELVE

DAY TWELVE: Floral top, New Look


Two days on the trot of sunshine so I figured it was time to celebrate with a somewhat more blinding outfit. I bought this Mary Katrantzou-inspired tee from New Look back in February with the ambition of wearing it to LFW but of course with the weather being as it was, it stayed buried under various layers throughout. I never thought I would wear as loud a pattern at this but the geometric style makes it less fussy floral and more fashion forward, especially when you throw a bit of neon into the mix. 


Yes, the neon obsession continues - I dug this skirt from last spring/summer's Boutique by Jaeger out of the back of my wardrobe for the express purpose of wearing it with this top and burning the retinas of my fellow commuters. Fun, sunny times.


Worn with: neon scalloped skirt, Boutique by Jaeger; black opaques, Wolford; Creepers, Underground.

TRANSITION: DAY ELEVEN

DAY ELEVEN: Silk pajama style top, Marni at H&M


Sorry for the absence, I had some very sad news on Friday and didn't really feel like blogging, plus what I was wearing was heavily wintery, somewhat matching my mood to the grey skies.


Come Saturday, I was feeling a bit chipper, what with the little bit of sunshine before the pissing rain took hold I decided it was time to try out another piece from my Marni at H&M haul. On a side note, after several fittings of the lilac and gold brocade trousers, I made my peace with them and decided that unless I was willing to drop the money (that I don't have) to get them altered, they would end up consigned to the back of the wardrobe and thus it was time for them to go back to the store, which they duly did.


So instead, I figured it was time to wear my silk patterned pajama top. I was a bit apprehensive as I thought it might look like I'd literally rolled out of bed but I threw caution to the wind and I have to say, this is officially now one of my comfiest pieces and as soon as the weather improves, it'll be coming out to play again.


Worn with: denim shorts, Zara; Black opaques, Wolford; Biker boots, New Look.