It’s difficult to define a summer wardrobe in Britain when most of the season is as gloomy as our winter. Rather than planning an outfit, we pretty much have to wing it depending on the weather – meaning ‘summer dressing’ has been replaced by wearing whatever we want in spite of the climes. The unpredictability of rain and unreliable weather forecasts mean we have to stay spontaneous and play up our free-spirited, ‘oh this? I just threw this on’ (literally) because there’s a good chance your new purchases will be unwearable due to torrential downpours – either that or you think ‘what the heck’ and wear it anyway.
Back to Black
I used to be a self-confessed black clothing addict. I’d wear it religiously, head-to-toe and if I did incorporate any colour, it would be minimal and subtle. I’ve long since found my inner rainbow and love embracing bright shades that suit me – orange and red are among my faves, and I’ll usually have a splash of colour in all of my ensembles. However, black is a trusty friend that I’ll return to time after time if I’m feeling stuck; especially if I’m going out or I’m having one of those days where nothing looks right. Everyone knows black is slimming and super flattering (great when I’m bloated) and with the right textures and materials, can seriously boost my confidence. So it was a no-brainer that this Boohoo co-ord set was the one for my birthday party!
Lust List: August
It’s my bday month (!!!) so I’m on the lookout for the goodies I’m going to treat myself to – because if you can’t do it on your birthday, when can you?! I love being a summer baby, partly because I’m one of the youngest in my friendship / year group, so while for every previous coming of age milestone I’ve been irritated to have to wait my turn (drinking, driving…) now it’s kind of a blessing because I’m still 19. Although not for long. And while it’d be dreamy to stay a teenager forever (please, let me) I’m super excited to be celebrating with some of my closest friends in my fave way: a garden party. That’s the other thing I love about having a birthday slap bang in the middle of summer – it’s a smashing excuse to have a barbie, crack out the Pimms and get your boogie on in the garden, come rain or shine (most probably rain, this is Wales after all). So, here’s whats on the top of my list this year (hint hint).
Check Mate
Gingham is without a doubt this year’s most dreamy summer pattern. Picnic perfect, beach-ready and city break chic, it can literally be worn everywhere and is super easy to pull off. It’s one of those recurring trends that never seems to properly go out of fashion, and every so often gets taken off the back burner and recycled with new styles and tweaks. This season you can get any kind of garment in any colour gingham – it’s everywhere in every style! I’m especially loving ruffled midi gingham skirts and am on the lookout for the perfect one…
Parisian Vibes
Stripes and denim are two of my all-time favourite fashion themes, and combined they look even better. If I’m stuck, they’re my go-to styles; both timeless and easy to wear. When I feel too girly (that’s not really my thing), denim is the best way to add a bit of that boyish edge that I love to any outfit. You can never go wrong with a striped dress and trainers to caj it down or a striped tee, teamed under dungarees or a denim pinafore for maximum cool points. A Breton top tucked into blue, cropped jeans is always a fail-safe ensemble for me if I can’t find anything else to wear.
Lust List: July
Summer’s in full swing, and so is festival season. I’m all festival’d out this year after Bilbao BBK (see my recent posts if you wanna read allll about it) but I’ve got a serious case of the blues and I wish I could go to more! Unfortunately for me it’s time to work the rest of the holidays after having my fair share of fun, although that hasn’t stopped me stalking the shops for my festi fashion favourites and lusting over what I’d bring with me if I was off to another one.
Starman
Bilbao is unlike any city I’ve been to, and the Bilbao BBK unlike any festival I’ve experienced. I was amazed at the enormity of it (typical me not doing my research) as I expected it to be a small, traditional town. On the contrary, Bilbao is a bustling hive of activity, with both modern infrastructure and rich cultural heritage to explore. In the days after the festival we stayed in a hostel in the centre of town and tried to cover as much ground as possible to see everything we wanted to.
