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.