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.

TRANSITION: DAY TEN

DAY TEN: Floral trophy trousers, Limited at New Look


To a certain degree, whatever I'm working on at work seems to seep into my personal wardrobe at home. This week, I've been working on a trophy trousers page and already a fan of printed trousers, I couldn't help but add this pair from the Limited range at New Look to my collection. 


If you follow me on twitter (@adulescent), you might have seen that I conducted a quick straw poll on Saturday to gauge reactions - these are a little bit brighter than my normal styles but the flashes of green neon clinched the deal for me and clearly they did for you guys as it was a runaway 11-1 in favour of keeping them.


With the glorious sunshine today, I thought it was the perfect weather to debut them. What do you all think? Would you rock a pair of trophy trousers or are these a trend too far? 

Available at selected stores for £29.99, currently not online.

Worn with: grey cashmere sweater, Gap; Blue necklace, Freedom Premium; Black quilted pumps, Office; Folding Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.

TRANSITION: DAY NINE

DAY NINE: Neon red nail lacquer, American Apparel


Wearing head to toe black today, blargh. Well, except for my nails, as you can see. I first came across this colour in my friend's handbag one sunny Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago and thanks to my burgeoning obsession with all things neon, felt instantly drawn to it.


On my way home that night as I pottered down Portobello, I snuck into American Apparel to pick up a bottle. The shade is called neon red but really it's more of a really, really blindingly bright coral. While I was in there, I also fell in love with the neon yellow and eyed up the green too. I'm kicking myself now as they were £7 each, or there was a deal if you bought 3, I think for £18. Of course, now they've gone up in price too. 


In terms of how good it is, I was honestly surprised by the lack of chipping. I wore this colour all through LFW and it wasn't until the fifth or sixth day that any noticeable chips really appeared. So in conclusion, two very bright thumbs up!


You can buy it online at American Apparel [here] for £9 each or interestingly, Asos sells them for £7 [here]. I will definitely be investing in the yellow very soon.


Worn with: bracelet (just seen), Alexander McQueen.

TRANSITION: DAY EIGHT

DAY EIGHT: Trench coat, The Kooples


I have been itching to wear this coat since I bought it just before christmas when I was out during my annual shopping trip with my favourite credit-card-basher Katrina, who was over from Canada. We were about to leave Westfield when I suddenly noticed The Kooples store had opened and went for a quick nosy. Twenty minutes later and serious credit card bashing later (even with 50% off in the sale), I walked about with this beauty, as did Katrina. I'd been looking for a good trench for a while and I wanted something that was a little bit quirkier than your average beige cotton number so this fitted the bill perfectly with the leather, quilting details and the removable sheepskin collar.


It's quite thin and as I bought it in a size 8, it doesn't really accommodate anything chunkier than a fine knit, as I found out during fashion week when I tried to wear my waffle jumper underneath it - I looked like a rather uncomfortable version of the Michelin man for the day.


But spring looks like it is on the verge of, well, springing so I eagerly threw it on this morning. Might have been a bit premature as there's still definitely a bite in the air so the collar will be staying on for a while.


Here's a better shot of the details:

Worn with: grey cashmere sweater, Gap; Spotted trousers, Topshop; Black quilted pumps, Office; Necklace, Nocturne; Folding Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.

TRANSITION: DAY SEVEN

DAY SEVEN: Khaki parka, Zara 


I bought this coat back in December when I was in need of something warm and practical. I'd been searching for a parka since my trip to Liverpool in September and hadn't found quite what I was looking for. Originally, I thought I wanted a fishtail style but when I laid eyes on this one the day before my birthday, it was love. 


What I particularly love about it is that it's an all-season jacket thanks to a very clever zip out faux fur liner that has kept me toasty all winter. When the weather gets a little warmer, I'll take out the liner and wear it as a light spring coat. 


Worn with: striped sweater, Zara; Grey jeans, Topshop; Boots, New Look; Scarf, Marc by Marc Jacobs; Bag, Alexander Wang; Silk scarf (on bag), Versace at H&M; Sunglasses, Ray-Ban.

TRANSITION: DAY SIX (again)

DAY SIX: Silk shorts, Marni at H&M

So, as I said in my last post, I wanted to wear my Marni at H&M shorts to see how they'd blend into my existing wardrobe. While silk shorts might conjure up images of hot sunny climes, they're totally wearable in colder weather when teamed with the right things. Of course, this weekend was surprisingly warm (not warm enough for bare legs) but warm enough to get away with the shorts.

I'd been planning on wearing them with a white tee and an oversized cardigan but somehow, the look didn't come together. I was having a bit of an off day, so maybe I need to revisit that combination when I'm having a better day. Instead, I paired them with a couple of favourite staples to ease myself in.

Worn with: grey cashmere sweater, Gap; Necklace, Nocturne; Black suede creepers, Underground; Leopard laptop case, Home by Diane Von Furstenberg.

TRANSITION: DAYS FIVE & SIX

I'm sorry to harp on about the beauty that is the Marni at H&M collection but I am really quite besotted so I thought I should dedicate another two days worth, maybe more, to the collection. I found myself staring at the ceiling this morning mixing the pieces, particularly the PJ style top and shorts, imagining what I can style them with. I'm planning on wearing the shorts today so I'll post a photo later of how they're blending into my wardrobe. In the meantime, here's a few photos of some of the pieces I bought. I'm still waiting to draw a conclusion on the brocade trousers, so there's a high chance that there will be a post about these later in the week. ANYWAY.

Hat, £9.99 and spotty dress, £59.99

shorts, £34.99 and top, £69.99 Photos by the lovely Caroline Leeming

TRANSITION: DAY FOUR

I have been obsessed with the Marni at H&M collection since word first hit my inbox and after seeing the collection in the flesh at their press day just after LFW, I decided that I would need to form a plan of action to get my hands on a couple of key pieces. When the #BeatMarniQueue competition appeared on twitter the other week, I quickly entered and as usual, promptly forgot about it. So imagine my delight when I got a tweet back a few days ago to tell me that I'd won a pre-shop slot at the Oxford Street West store. Literally, I almost fell off my chair with excitement as this meant two things:

1. I did not have to get up at 5am and stand in the cold to queue

2. I would have the whole area to myself and none of the stress of having to fight someone over the last necklace/dress/shoes

So, I set about making my list and taking orders from the rest of the fashion team, amassing quite the list in the process.

Here's the Marni section after I'd politely ransacked it and as I waited to reach a final total:

And afterwards, with my purchases:

My favourite piece, the one that I tweeted about and led to me winning the competition, was this necklace:

I'll post more photos of my purchases when I get the chance, I have to leave everything at work tonight as I'm off to see Florence + The Machine tonight.

BEST. DAY. EVER.

Worn with: grey print tee, H&M

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

TRANSITION: DAY TWO

DAY TWO: Double stripes

Okay, so I'm not technically doing anything new here or wearing anything new but one of my fashion resolutions for 2012 was to buy less and buy better, plus to really take stock of my wardrobe. Sometimes, I get a little bored of Breton stripes so I thought a fun way to liven them up a bit would be to layer two of my old stripey tops, in this case my fine knit recycled Zara jumper over my favourite H&M long-sleeved tee. I like the way the white stripey sleeves stick out and mix it up from regular stripes.

This kind of layering is also great for the chilly weather at the moment - it gives a streamlined silhouette while keeping me toasty because as much as I love chunky knits, sometimes you want to wear something with a bit more shape that will fit under a slimline coat. More on that soon...

Worn with: Black Breton stripe jumper, Zara; White Breton stripe tee, H&M; Grey jeans, Miss Selfridge.

TRANSITION: DAY ONE

Day one: Waffle knit jumper, Topshop

So, spring is just round the corner and with it, finally the chance to wear some lighter clothes. Unfortunately, with the weather being as it is, it still seems like a long time off - torrential rain yesterday and now gale force winds are making sartorial choices somewhat difficult. At the weekend, I did a massive clear out of my hanging wardrobe, throwing out about 80% of its contents and re-organising the contents in a way that I could finally see what I actually have. I came across my deer print dress from H&M that I bought at the end of last summer and optimistically thought that I would wear it today. Of course, with the weather being as it is, it couldn't be worn alone so I slung my trusty waffle knit jumper over the top.

I'd been on the hunt for the perfect black chunky waffle jumper for a while when on a rootle in Topshop I came across this one and fell in love. It was a staple piece of my wardrobe during LFW and I've worn it pretty much constantly since. I bought mine from the Petite range and in a larger size so it would be properly slubby because as most of you will know, I love a bit of grunge. At £36, it's been one of my best recent buys. It's still available [here].

Worn with: Deer print dress, H&M; Biker boots, New Look; Cable knit tights, Pretty Polly; Aviators, Ray-Ban.

Oops.

I really am quite awful at blogging lately but with today's sunshine, my vigour for the cybersphere has been renewed and so, with that in mind I've decided it's time to get back on the Thirty Days wagon. This installment's theme will be 'transition'. 'Huh?' I hear you cry. Well, simply put, with the British weather being as mercurial and deceptive as it is (today's sunny skies are marred by the icy winds), this month will be all about moving from Winter to Spring, albeit with one or two pairs of 70 denier tights. Keep an eye out, first post coming later...