BRIGHTS: DAY TWENTY ONE

DAY TWENTY ONE: Neon pink and diamanté necklaces, H&M

Remember the lime green neon and diamanté necklaces that kicked off my Brights series oh so long ago [here]? The £9.99 necklaces went on to sell out and some were selling on eBay for silly money - I mean, come on, for £80? For an H&M necklace? Really?

So, the other night, I had some time to kill between appointments and dying in the sweater that I was wearing during the mini heatwave (genius, I know), I fell into H&M on Regent Street to buy a t-shirt to change into. There's actually another necklace of theirs that I've been stalking since I saw it at the press day so I figured I would have a browse through the jewellery section and see what popped up. So, imagine my surprise when I saw this new version of my other necklaces. They've inverted the colourways and turned the teardrops upside down, as you can see if you compare it to the originals, below:

Straight off, I grabbed two - these definitely either need to be worn together or layered over something else, as I've been doing with my Nocturne necklace - eagle eyed readers will have noticed this in my previous posts.

(Apologies for the poor quality of the photo, I was in a rush - I'll replace it with a better quality one later.)

Worn with: navy dress, Topshop; biker jacket, Topshop; neon nails, American Apparel.

BRIGHTS: DAY TWENTY

DAY TWENTY: Neon skirt, New Look

So, I figured with it being September and all, it was time to pack up the majority of my woefully under-worn summer wardrobe and start the process of moving warmer clothes to the front. Cue a massive wardrobe reshuffle yesterday, only to wake up to bright blue skies and a forecast of 23C today.

Luckily, I'm yet to start the seasonal shift in my hanging wardrobe so I grabbed this neon number that I bought months ago in the New Look sale and threw it on with a trusty grey t-shirt. This skirt is long gone in New Look (weirdly, I never saw it before it went into the sale) but when I went exploring in Topshop on Friday night, I came across this similar peplum version for £40:

[here]

Knowing my luck it'll now be absolutely scorching the rest of the week and I'll have to switch back again. Joy.

Worn with: Ombre Wayfarers, Ray-Ban; studded peep-toes, Office; grey tee, Topshop; watch, Michael Kors

BRIGHTS: NINETEEN

DAY NINETEEN: Multicolour woven marble jumper, Warehouse

First off, apologies for the heinous photo today. It was taken after work, when I was knackered and had managed to rub most of my face off. Well done me.

I bought this 'marble' jumper in the Warehouse sale the same day I bought the yellow desert trek trousers and again, I have worn it to death in a few short weeks, quite literally. I keep on catching it on all manner of things - jewellery, belt buckles, even door handles - much to the amusement to all of those around me.

As you can see, I'm still big on the whole layering thing. And apparently the primary colours thing. Not one to usually wear dresses (too girly), I've recently been revisiting my collection and exploring new ways to wear them - often with oversized jumpers or checked shirts thrown over for a more grungy take as demonstrated here with a lovely silk dress I bought from Topshop Boutique a year ago that has hung in my wardrobe, unworn, since.

Since the photo above doesn't do it justice, here's a close up of the pink, white and pale blue threads that are woven together to create the marble effect:

Pretty, no? And good news! The jumper is still available online [here] in most sizes for a bargain price of £25. Run, don't walk.

Worn with: yellow stripe bag, Marks & Spencer; plimsolls, Converse Limited Edition; Navy silk dress, Topshop Boutique.

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.

A LITTLE BIT BRIGHT

DAY FIFTEEN: Yellow paisley trousers, Warehouse

So, as long as the sun is shining and it's technically still summer, I thought I might return to brights. I picked these trousers up in the Warehouse sale when I first came back from Turkey. Suffering the worst case of heat rash that I'd ever experienced (bet you wanted to know that) I couldn't wear anything with even a hint of polyester or that touched my skin, lest I wished to experience the feeling of a cheese grater on the back of my knees.

I'd seen these trousers in the Warehouse sale before I'd left and had regretted not picking them up as they're super soft and just the thing that I wanted to bum around in. I call them my pyjama trousers because that's pretty much what they look like and I wear them whenever I'm having one of those days where I just want to feel like any second I could still go back to bed. Of course, I can't because I'm usually sitting at my desk in the office but y'know, a girl can pretend, right?

Annoyingly, they appear to have disappeared off the Warehouse website where they were only £10 yesterday, marked down from £45 but you may still be able to hunt down a pair in the remains of the sales in your local branch. If you do, I'd fully recommend the purchase.

Quite why they're called Desert Trek trousers is beyond me - I know noone who'd go trekking in the desert in yellow paisley. But then, maybe I haven't lived.

Worn with: Grey tee, H&M; necklaces, Nocturne & H&M; aviators, Ray-Ban; sandals, Topshop.

BRIGHTS: DAY FOURTEEN

DAY FOURTEEN: Studded sandals, River Island

With the brief window of a whole day of sunshine that yesterday afforded me (thank god as I was shooting outside), I took the opportunity to finally wear my mental new sandals from River Island that I bought over Jubilee weekend.

I'd been lusting after these for a while but I didn't know if they were a step too far until my lovely friend Holly convinced me that yes, we both needed them in our lives. Matchy matchy.

Anyway, I digress. I don't usually go for sandal styles with an ankle strap as God has cursed me with dreaded cankles but I think that frankly anyone looking at these is so distracted by the colourful spikes that they fail to notice my fat ankles.

Unfortunately, I was running around like a loon yesterday thanks to the weather and a brief hour of cloud-related panic that I only managed to snap this quick photo of my sandal-clad feet on the tube. Must do better next time. Apologies.

In the meantime, if you fancy your own pair of mental sandals, they're available [here] for a very reasonable £35.

Worn with: Khaki jeans, Topshop; neon varnish, American Apparel.

BRIGHTS: DAY THIRTEEN

DAY THIRTEEN: Neon yellow varnish, American Apparel

As you can see from the photo above, I love nail varnish. I shudder to think how much I've spent over the years - this isn't even the whole collection, just what was on my shelf and in one of my cosmetic bags, there's more in random drawers, different rooms and handbags. I'm forever finding bottles that I'm convinced I've lost months before in various nooks and crannies of handbags that I've tossed back in my wardrobe without emptying properly.

A while back, I posted about the American Apparel Neon Red that I'd acquired [here] and how much I really, really wanted the neon yellow. Well, the other day when I was on appointments in town, my last stop of the day was American Apparel. Dawdling at the counter afterwards, my eyes were once again drawn to the glowing yellow and this time, I had to get it.

So now, I have blinding fingers and toes. The yellow seems to be a thinner consistency and more runny than the neon red but then this could be that since its a lighter shade the streaks are were noticeable when I was putting it on. It's a bit more high maintenance than the red as any dirt whatsoever shows up on the tips and in any small chips.

BRIGHTS: DAY TWELVE

DAY TWELVE: Green box pleat skirt, JAM by Jameela Jamil

As part of the day job, I go to a lot of launches and press days to see new products, as you'll no doubt know if you follow me on twitter [@adulescent] or on Instagram [antoniaesque]. The other night, I popped down to Sketch to view the newest's collaboration for Very.co.uk from Jameela Jamil, called JAM.

This skirt is from that collection - what you can't see because of my t-shirt is the scalloped waistband on it, which gives a funny effect when my tee pushes through between the scallops. I probably shouldn't have worn it on such a windy day to be honest - I've been having plenty of near-misses all day. All I can say is THANK GOD I'm wearing opaque tights. Never thought I'd be saying that in mid-June and being happy about it. I was meant to head to the Menswear London Collection shows today but I've been bogged down by work so at least I don't have to run the windy gauntlet of skirt peril in front of people far cooler than me.

JAM by Jameela Jamil launches at Very.co.uk on June 21st

Worn with: grey tee, H&M; Necklaces, H&M; leather jacket, Topshop; Creepers, Underground; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.

BRIGHTS: DAY ELEVEN

DAY ELEVEN: Flatforms, House of Holland x Superga

At last, a brief respite from the pissing rain that has plagued London for the last week. I'm pretty sure that my calendar and everyone around me are lying when they say it's June, it feels more like October at the moment. 

Thanks to the aforementioned rain, my brand new flatforms have been hiding in the wardrobe in their box until now. I love a good flatform - ever since my Underground creepers came in to my life, it has been transformed. Unable to wear heels (thanks, kneecap), these are the one way that I can properly add some height without falling over or dislocating something.

I spotted these House of Holland limited edition Supergas at the Schuh press day and I essentially made a beeline for them so I was very excited when they dropped in soon after and the lovely Dom from Schuh gifted me a pair.

Now, you're probably wondering what exactly is bright about them, right? Well, you can't see from the photo above but check out the foxy foxing on these babies:

Its like a rainbow on my feet! Or as one of my male friends pointed out, they look remarkably like a shoe version of Refreshers. You can pick up a pair at Schuh [here], I'm eagerly anticipating the polka dot versions that are dropping in a few weeks.

Worn with: floral tee, New Look; necklaces, H&M; leather jacket, Topshop; Khaki skinnies, Topshop.

BRIGHTS: DAY TEN

DAY TEN: Green spotty silk scarf, Marni at H&M

I'm getting really, really bored of the rain. And the cold. And the wind. Not only is it messing with my hair, it is seriously starting to mess with my best laid wardrobe plans. I should be frolicking somewhere in technicolour, instead I'm drawn back to the monochrome ways of winter. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was October.

Everything that I've bought for the season has so far had one or maybe two outings if it's been lucky. There are sandals sitting in boxes in my wardrobe, untouched. This makes me monumentally sad.

I'm doing my utmost to cheer myself up with clashing patterns and colours but I'm not sure if it's working. This scarf is from the Marni at H&M collection from a while ago - this particular one was a gift from the PR team at the press viewing of the collection, I never saw the green one in-store on my morning of shopping madness but then again, I had my eyes firmly on the prize. Or rather, my shopping list.

Worn with: Neon stripe tee, Giles at New Look (menswear); sad face.

BRIGHTS: DAY NINE

DAY NINE: Spray-paint cable knit sweater, H&M

I have come to the conclusion that I have an addiction. An addiction to Swedish fast fashion. Recently there have been several additions to my wardrobe from H&M, one of the most worn has got to be this highlighter coral spray-painted sweater. 

It feels wrong to be talking about knitwear in June but I have become oddly addicted to wearing this particular piece in this cold weather - it seems to cheer me up in this never-ending grey weather. The first time I wore it, some kids from the local stage school actually pointed and laughed but then, they think Uggs are the height of fashion so I'll let it go. There's still quite a few of these neon wonders hanging around in the Regent' Street store but I can't imagine they'll be there much longer. I'm already planning my own DIY neon orange or yellow version with an old jumper and some spray paint in the near future.

Worn with: grey skinnies, Topshop; white canvas plimsolls, Converse; studded sunglasses, Valentino.

BRIGHTS: DAY EIGHT

DAY EIGHT: Navy and red striped jumper, Boutique by Jaeger

Happy Jubilee! Sorry for my absence for the last few days, apart from shooting on Thursday, I was at Epsom on Friday helping to pick contestants for the style competition with WhatBestToWear.com which was great fun - I'd never been to the races before so it was a really fun experience.

So, technically, this jumper may not be classified as bright seeing as the base colour is navy but let's just play along and go with the red stripes as a bright today in honour of the Queen's Jubilee yes? I picked up this jumper a few weeks ago in the Jaeger flagship - while the sale has yet to kick in fully, they had a few items already on sale, including this jumper, down from £99 to £75, you can still get it online [here].

While we haven't been anywhere near the Thames today, we have been toasting the Queen (repeatedly) in the pub. Even Holly the sausage has got in on the act, wearing her Union Jack jumper.

Worn with: khaki skinny jeans, Topshop; Union Jack socks, Marks & Spencer; Black canvas high-tops, Converse.

Holly wears: Union Jack LOVE jumper, Monsoon.

BRIGHTS: DAY SEVEN

DAY SEVEN: Neon yellow beaded necklace, H&M

Apologies for the lack of posting yesterday, I was manically prepping a shoot that's required quite a bit of production that I'm shooting today. By the time you read this, I will be winging my way to Windsor for a day of fringing, tie dye and far too many tents for my liking.

Back to the matter at hand though, it seems you all like my necklace. A lot. And would you believe it, its another £9.99 jobby from H&M. They are seriously hitting the nail on the sartorial head at the moment. I was out shooting some street style the other night and one of my subjects was wearing it. I didn't want to come over all fan girl on her so I didn't dare ask where it was from - after I'd finished, I thought I'd pop in to H&M for a quick evening browse to see what there was and lo, there was the necklace!

I'll be honest, its fairly distracting. Not only because of the colour but also the sheer size and swingy-ness of it. When I have to semi-run for a bus or walk quickly, it swings around quite a lot - there have been several incidents where I've come very close to smacking myself in the face with the Mardi Gras style beads. At least when I do, I can add it to my list of fashion-related injuries. Good times

Worn with: Tee, Matches 4 LFW; sunglasses, Valentino.

BRIGHTS: DAY SIX

DAY SIX: Tropical print trousers, George at Asda

We all know how much I love a statement trouser, so when I clapped eyes on these a few months ago at the George press day, I made it my mission to get my hands on a pair for the summer. Much like my River Island pair, they're lightweight, super comfortable and about as close as wearing my PJs to the office as I can get. They're also great in this heat and the best bit? They're only £14. You can pick up a pair online [here].

Worn with: grey tee and neon necklace, both H&M; leopard print sandals, Birkenstocks; sunglasses, Valentino.

BRIGHTS: DAY FIVE

DAY FIVE: Green chino shorts, Dorothy Perkins

On Friday, I popped to town super early to hit up the Links of London clearance sale and on my way back to the station, with a few minutes spare I thought I would pop into good old DP for a quick nosy as I was having one of those outfit fail days. I'd been thinking about brightly coloured shorts as a summer staple for a while so when I clapped eyes on these bright green numbers, I knew I was onto a winner.

I'm much more of a shorts than skirt kinda girl as I like to be able to roll around (sometimes literally) on the floor of the fashion cupboard without feeling like I'm going to traumatise the work experience girls by flashing things that I shouldn't, ditto for riding on the tube in the ridiculous heat, so shorts are my go-to item each and every time it gets hot.

The bonus of these is that they're also not bum skimmers. There is no way I could walk through the newsroom unscathed if I had a buttcheek or two hanging out - the slightly longer style means that when paired with the right kind of top like this shirt, I can just about get away with these in a work environment.

Saying that, I've been sitting at my desk all day so deepest apologies for my rumpled state in this photo. Must steam myself next time before I get my photo taken! Must also lose at least a stone if my knees are going to carry on insisting that they're made of dough.

You can buy these green wonders [here] for a very reasonable £18, I've also got my eyes on the multitude of other colours that they come in - peach, lemon, navy and purple. Summer staple number one, officially in the bag!

Worn with: skull button shirt, Zara; belt, Gap; studded sunglasses, Valentino.

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.

BRIGHTS: DAY THREE

DAY THREE: Neon pink tee, H&M

I have become somewhat obsessed with H&M recently, I blame the necklaces from day one. I keep on trolling every time I'm in town, hoping for a new colour combination to drop in. Of course, while I'm in there I have to have a little look around (it'd be rude not to) and inevitably, I end up buying something.

About six years ago, I purchased the perfect soft dark grey marl tee from H&M. Years later, it's still going strong but despite hanging out in the basics section, I have never seen its soft, perfect cut replicated. Until recently. On another failed necklace troll, I casually sauntered over to the basics section, expecting to be disappointed once more in my search for another perfect grey tee.

Oh, how wrong I was. Not only did I find a round neck slightly lighter shade of grey version of the perfect tee but I also found this blinding neon version. It is so blinding that I daren't post it on here in all of its brightness for fear of damaging your retinas. The boyfriend says that when I wear it, I'm like the sun - you can't look directly at me.  All for £4.99. Excellent, I might need to buy a second, just in case.

Worn with: grey skinnies, Topshop; studded biker, Versace x H&M; sunglasses, Valentino.

BRIGHTS: DAY TWO

DAY TWO: Mesh ballet pumps, Nelly

Heatwave - YEAY! New shoes - DOUBLE YEAY! First up, apologies for the lack of posts over the weekend, our ever delightful internet connection decided to up sticks and piss off on holiday, meaning that I was at the mercy of my 3G connection which does nothing for my laptop. I spent the whole weekend trying to do things on the rest of my Mac stack to no avail. Coupled with a ridiculous workload, I have been incommunicado from most of the internet world. And the real world for that matter.

But let's talk about shoes, yes? I love shoes. Behold the newest addition to a shoe collection that means that I will very soon need an extra room just for footwear. They are from Nelly.com, which is kind of like a Swedish ASOS and has just launched in the UK to massive fanfare and an awesome party not long ago at one of my favourite venues, Aqua London.

I picked up these particular shoes for three very specific reasons:

1) I have had orange ballet pumps on my mind for quite some time now. They have seeped into my consciousness like a bad smell and I could not get rid of the thought. I think this is a run-on from my obsession with orange at the beginning of the year, but on a more manageable and less look-like-a-plague-victim level.

2) The mesh. Thanks to my dodgy grandma knees, I have to wear insoles in my shoes at all times or risk the wrath of my joints. This means that most styles of sandals are out of the question when this plus my freaky toe-post hating toes factor into the equation, meaning I spend most of summer in ballet pumps and with stinking feet. I bet you wanted to know that, right? Well, the mesh on these means that my feet can breeeathe this summer. Hurrah!

3) They are only £14.95. Amazing.

They are so amazing in fact, that I am giving serious thought to buying them in every colour combination that they come in. You can buy this particular fetching orange and blue combination [here], blue and pink [here] and my next purchase, neon yellow and green [here].

Worn with: grey skinnies, Topshop

BRIGHTS: DAY ONE

DAY ONE: Neon and diamanté necklaces, H&M


I seem to spend 90 per cent of my time on this blog apologising for the lack of blogging, so let me do it again: SORRY. The day job has been pretty hectic with millions of press days and plenty to shoot, as you'll know if you read my inane ramblings on twitter [@adulescent].


During my Transition stint, I found myself wearing a lot more colour than I had previously and after a couple of requests on twitter, I thought it might be fun to do brights this time. I know it's kind of cheating after I did colour last summer and I did debate doing neon but I wasn't sure if my colleagues were ready to be blinded on a daily basis, especially my editor who I sit opposite to. If I'm honest, I think they still find it strange when I wear anything other than black or grey.


But I digress. Brights. Where/wear to start? I bought these necklaces in H&M about a fortnight ago. Well, actually I bought one and then went back the following day to buy a second after deciding that one was not enough and WOAH were they selling fast - the  first day I went in, there were four or five racks of them, each holding about 15-20, the following day I got two of the last five necklaces. Mental. But then, they were a rather bargainous £10 each and at the H&M press day today I was informed that they sold out ridiculously quickly and are now selling on eBay for a small fortune. Sure enough, I checked when I got home and they're selling like hot cakes for anywhere between £30 and £70. Say what?


I picked these up as I love the combination of giant diamanté stones and neon, a la Tom Binns. Unfortunately, my salary won't stretch to anything remotely near Tom Binns but H&M, that I can do. Except, apparently, at eBay prices, you crazy people.


Every time I wear one or both of these necklaces, I get stopped all day. It's ridiculous but I love watching peoples' faces when they ask where they're from and I say H&M. Total Kodak moment.


Worn with: striped top, Day Birger et Mikkelson; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.