EVERYTHING UNDER £50: YOUR BUDGET SUMMER WARDROBE SORTED

With a jolly booked to Barcelona next week, my summer wardrobe is in need of an update. Unfortunately EasyJet has pretty much cleaned out my bank account (I don't want to talk about it, I'm useless at booking flights and left it far too late...), so I'm on a serious shoestring. As I'm sure I'm not the only moron with a ineptitude for budgeting, I thought I'd put together a thrifty holiday wardrobe edit. Even if you do have cash to flash, I wouldn't recommend blowing the budget on your s/s looks. Why? Well it goes without saying that the British weather presents little opportunity to wear anything vaguely suited the tropics (hello stratospheric cost per wear!) Summer's key fabrics - cotton, linen, chambray are also cheap to produce and easily found on the high street. The moral of this story; your summer clothes really don't have to break the bank, even if your EasyJet flights do .... 

PS. I've embraced technology - everything in the post below is 'clickable'. Just click on the plus sign to be linked directly to the page to purchase, simple!  

ALSO UNDER £50: 

BORN TO BE WIDE?

I don’t wear wide leg trousers - in fact, they scare me. There’s something about all that surplus fabric swishing around the ankles that feels like a death trap (they’re just asking to be chewed up by the tube escalator, surely?) However, after years of the wide-leg fear, something funny has happened. I’ve seen the light and my eye has been turned by a slouchier silhouette.

I blame ME & EM – if you’re unfamiliar with the brand, ME & EM are a cool womenswear label with a focus on modern, simple dressing. Their catalogue is beautifully styled – think wide leg pants paired with box-fresh Stan Smiths for a look that’s as effortless and cool as they come. 

In what can only be described as fashion fate, a few weeks ago, following a press sample clear-out at work (perks of the job) I found myself in possession of a lonely pair of white wide-leg trousers (yup, as impractical as they come) in need of a home. So it only seemed right to style then up on here and see how the whole look worked out…

MY SPRING WISHLIST

You have probably realised by now that I don't really 'do' fast fashion. Of course sometimes I'm tempted - this season I've been hankering after a Miu-Miu-esque ruffled blouse (M&S did an excellent interpretation) - but I am doing everything in my power not to buy one, as it definitely feels like a passing trend. Then there's the Topshop block-heeled court shoes that just about every blogger owns right now - resistance is [almost] futile. That's not to say I'm not buying more clothes than ever of course - I'm just carefully considering each purchase and trying to buy styles with longevity. For spring, I'm updating my wardrobe with classic staples (see the Esprit blue shirt, Boden breton top and A.P.C wear-forever trench below) and dressing them up with fun and playful accessories (ticking this box - Tessa Packard's mother of pearl Thundercloud earrings, J.Crew's leopard cross body and Stella Sport's glitter encrusted trainers). It's a formula I'm trying to apply to my everyday outfits with varying degrees of success (I definitely need more crazy shoes in my life) Here's the pieces on my wishlist right now: 

Left column from top to bottom: Navy check Brummell jacket, The Fold. A.P.C Barbara trench coat, Net-a-porter.com. Bionda Castana x L K Bennett Alexa courts, L K Bennett. Middle column from top to bottom: Cotton stretch blouse, Esprit. Yellow turtleneck, Esprit. Marlo leopard crossbody, J.Crew. Thundercloud earrings, Tessa Packard.  Right column from top to bottom: Stella Sport navy Yori trainers, Next. Glitter spot Breton, Boden. Raey flood-flare jeans, Matchesfashion. 

THE EASY WAY TO SHOP THE SALES

With sales happening all-year round in the modern world of retail, I find myself missing out on great bargains all the time. I don’t have a great deal of time to shop – so any website that curates the good stuff is a real winner for me. I have just discovered one such website, where I found this Reiss jumper for £30, reduced from over £100. Warning: it's going to be responsible for damage to your bank balance! 

Shop the look: 

HOW TO STYLE LEATHER TROUSERS

So I've just bought my first pair of real leather trousers from H&M, with the help of a serious discount code may I add. After years of wearing PU leather leggings, I thought it was time for an upgrade. Whether they prove to be a sartorial faux-pas remains to be seen - in my head I'm going to look like Emmanuelle Alt - the reality could be something closer to Kat Slater [I'll report back]. I plan to wear them ALL THE TIME to dramatically decrease the cost per wear and the lessen the guilt-factor; so to inspire you and me, here's 3 styling ideas: 

Leather trousers throughout: H&M. 

Weekend from top to bottom: Cashmere knit, Issa at The Outnet. Metal mirrored sunglasses, Le Specs. Ayda white leather trainers, Jigsaw. Work from top to bottom: Baby camel wool Brummell jacket, The Fold. Cynnie red leather bucket bag, Elizabeth and James at Net-a-porter.com. Play from top to bottom: Black lace up shirt, Topshop. Lipstick in Falling Fast, Topshop. Pebble block heel leopard print boots, Dune. 

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Here's a trend I've been been pinning and loving for a while: the colours of the rainbow. Because why pick one colour, when you can wear them all simultaneously? Starting life on  the catwalks of brands including Marco de Vincenzo, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, the hero piece of this fashion story is Gucci's striped jumper which sold out  everywhere, despite the eye-watering £600 price tag. British designer Anya Hindmarch was also at the forefront of this trend; spring/summer 16 sees her iconic accessories decorated with kitsch  rainbow motifs. The good news for those of us on shoestring budget is that the high street has finally cottoned on to this trend - and Boden are owning it - just look at this fabulous pencil skirt (drawn to my attention by the queen of colour herself - Shiny Thoughts!). Here's three ways I'd wear the rainbow for weekend, work and play:

WEEKEND: Rainbow cashmere jumper, Wyse London. Lucas slim boyfriend jeans, Topshop. Major multi strap gold points, Office. Sophie Hulme blue leather shoulder bag, The Outnet. WORK: Cashmere v-neck, Next. Felicity skirt, Boden. Marc by Marc Jacobs leather shopper, mytheresa.com. Lips in hazard, Topshop. PLAY: Striped terry Sonia Rykiel dress, Net-a-porter. Dark denim jacket, Mango. Sophia Webster Daria pumps, The Outnet. 

LFF OUTFITS: THE RIGHT STRIPES

My first post of the year and my pledge as a blogger - in 2016 I promise to publish content that's useful. 

You're busy, I'm busy, modern life is busy, so I want to cut the crap and share something useful in as a fewer words as possible. To begin as I mean to go on - I've got two discoveries to share with you today: that perfect stripe t-shirt and an upcoming British accessories brand.