Sunday 7 – Springtime Essentials

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Hello!

How are you all?

It’s been aaaages (…well, 2 weeks!) which I must apologise for, but sometimes, real life – aka decorating / mothering-duties of very poorly, croupy kid – kind of take over sometimes.

I reckon there’s at least 15 of you by now, who read my blog regularly… so… hope you can forgive my absence!

Now, back to the business of blogging…

I know that technically, it’s still Winter… but it’s LATE winter, right?

Which is as good as EARLY spring?!

Anyway, it’s around about this time of year, I like to think about the ‘essentials’ needed from my wardrobe to get me through Spring.

I even blogged, a similar Spring Time blogpost a couple of years ago.

I’ll try not to repeat *all* of that old post, though in essence, it all still rings true now, a couple of years down the line!

Please bear in mind: LAYERING is still the *key* to early spring time dressing…

…think chilly mornings, milder early afternoons and dramatic temperature drops by school pick-up, or when you’re on your way home from work.

With that in mind… let’s get stuck in:

7. Topshop – Raw Hem Straight Leg Jeans £40

Blue jeans are an essential at anytime of year, I guess.

And, as to what shape, cut, colour…?

It’s a very individual thing.

I favour a straight leg jean, in a mid to darker blue, most of the year round: the raw hem looks great when worn straight down, or with a bigger ‘cuff’ of a turn-up if you prefer.

Topshop denim is pretty hard-wearing, and a wide range of both waist and leg-lengths available.

If the 30 leg is too long for any fellow shorties out there, just remember: all you need are some decent, sharp, fabric scissors to trim to desired length.

That’s the beauty of a raw hem!

6. T-shirts

These are brilliant as stand alone tops (obvs!) but equally great for layering under a shirt.

Gap & H&M are my go-to for plain tee’s but if you’re looking for t-shirts with a little interest, then how about these:

Disko Kids – Discothèque Tee (£22)

Or, this fabulous rock-chick, Anine Bing-esque, Hari and the Gang Tiger Tee (£31)

I have both of these t-shirts, both very kindly gifted to me, and though very different in terms of weight of jersey / over all vibe of slogan/print… both look great under a mostly unbuttoned denim shirt.

I say mostly unbuttoned denim shirt, what I mean is, one that only has a couple of lower end buttons done up and tucked in, therefore, showing a peep of your cool tee off.

Or indeed, a knotted front shirt.

There are of course, plenty of high-street tee’s with slogans or rock chick vibes.

And speaking of denim shirts…

5. Gap – Denim Western Shirt (£39.95)

I swear by my denim shirt at this time of year.

It’s a Gap Western Denim Shirt – almost identical to this current one, but for the wash: mine is a darker denim.

I’d say, in terms of quality and longevity, GAP denim shirts are worth their price tag.

However, as we all know… GAP frequently have offers on, so it might be worth waiting for one of the 40% off deals to come up, though you risk your size selling out I suppose.

That said, I bagged mine for less than half price in the sales about 18 months ago.

4. M&S – Cashmere Round Neck Jumper (£75)

Now… it’s rare for me to heap praise on M&S, simply because from my experience of their overly generous, vanity-sizing, and indeed from the plethora of times we hear the bigger bloggers telling us to ‘size down’ however, credit where credit’s due.

This cashmere is a good price and is available in over 20 colours, all available (depending on stock availability) from size 6 – size 22.

Pretty darn incredible really!

And yes, the size 6 would be generous on my extra-petite frame, however… who really wants to wear too-clingy a knit?

I love this ‘tan’ colour… more of a rusty-burnt-orange if you ask me.

I think it would look brilliant with your denim collars peeping over the top.

All whilst layered over your tee, worn with your straight leg jeans….?

And when you get a little toasty, you can whip your knit off, and wear it over your shoulders (‘French style’ as my kids like to call it, given that’s how their French Grandfather wears his jumpers sometimes!) or indeed, go student-style (as I still think of it!) and tie it around your waist.

3.  Hush – Military Jacket (£75 – get a 10% discount on new spring styles using FBR19 –  until midnight tonight)

Any lighter-weight jacket will do at this time of year: shackets, trenches, denim, bikers, blazers…

And indeed, on those very chilly Spring mornings / days, you can double up with say, a denim jacket layered under a blazer/trench?

For me, I have a military jacket shaped hole in my wardrobe.

I’m loving the shape of this Hush one, which would, again, look gorgeous with everything I’ve posted so far.

However, I’m not sure this paler shade of Khaki works with my skin tone.

Plus I need to tighten the purse strings after recent decorating costs, so will no doubt have to seek out similar at the budget end.

There’s something about the cut/shape of this Hush Jacket though.

It’s lovely.

2. New Look – Brown Faux Snake Saddle Bag (£17.99)

You can’t beat a tan bag in spring.

And how about a little time travel, back to the 90s and this Dior-esque saddle bag?

I’m not big on animal print per se, but I rather like this subtle snake print… question is, for £17.99, just how plastic does the pleather look in the flesh?

One to investigate….

The bag is also available in Zebra Print and Black Mock Croc as well.

Aaaaand, if that wasn’t enough, there’s a plain black and plain tan belt-bag versions too!

1. Office – Nike Air Max 1 Trainers Sail Vintage Coral Mars Stone (£100)

Late Winter – which I am calling early spring (!) is not *quite* the time to put your boots away…

And ordinarily, I’d wax lyrical about loafers.

However, you can’t beat a pair of box-fresh sneaks for spring, and these here Nike Air Max 1’s with their stupidly long name, hint of neon pink but mostly just black & white are on my current wish list.

They’d look fab with the Topshop Straight Jeans (with big, giant turn-ups…) wouldn’t they?

#wantwantwant

If you’re not that fussed about colour, there are plenty of good reductions to be had (as low as £45 in some cases…) although it’s a bit of a sizing lottery!

Stinker of the Week: H&M Girlfriend Regular Jeans (£24.99)

At first glance, they’re just jeans, right?

And I like a raw hem, given the flexibility it offers us shorties.

But look more closely at those excessively frayed hems…

Just all sorts of wrong, for me.

We’re all different, and we all like different… these are not for me.

#sorrynotsorry

Wildcard of the Week: Hush Floral Folk Dress (£110 – get a 10% discount on new spring styles using FBR19 –  until midnight tonight)

How pretty…?

Every Spring/Summer, I wanna get my ditsy-floral-print, girlie on.

Every Spring/Summer, I’m on the hunt for “my” red dress…

This beautiful midi from Hush ticks both boxes, so I should be ordering, right?

Wrong.

Unfortunately, the proportions of this dress… more the detailing of it I guess, don’t really lend well to the dress being altered for us shorties.

According to the Hush website, the model is 5’8″ so I’m pretty certain the dress would actually be a ground-sweeping maxi-maxi on me.

#waaaaaah!

However, if you’ve got that couple of inches on me, and are 5’2″ and above then look no further than this dress for your Spring/Summer Maxi/Midi!

Here’s how I’d style the dress, if I weren’t so very vertically challenged:

Look 1 – Little House on the Prairie:

As already mentioned, layering is still a key-element at this time of year, so although not pictured, an extra turtle-neck-layer under the dress would work, especially if like me, you *really* feel the cold.

I’ve gone for an oversized, longer line And/Or Denim Jacket (£85) with these beautiful Jigsaw Heath Cowboy Ankle Boots (£175) – a perfect outfit, in my eyes.

Although, in this instance I would pop a belt over the dress, one with a bit of a cowgirl edge to it, like this Gerald Darel Olga Belt (£115) and what kind of bag do Prairie cowgirls carry? Perhaps something like this And/Or Roma Leather Shoulder Bag (£85)…?

No spring outfit is complete without a pair of sunnies. Go Big, Go Gucci (£165) or Go Home*!

{*kidding! This whole outfit can be bought from John Lewis, but it’s just for styling inspiration, there’s plenty of similar, much more purse friendly from regular high street stores}

Look 2 – Clash of the Titans:

Well, more clash of the prints!

Not for the feint hearted, and as we all know, in reality, I’m a bit print phobic… and yet loved putting this look together: go figure?!

Starting shoes up this time, with these M&S Leather Lace up trainers (£45) affectionately known as ‘fugly’ or dad trainers… they’d look brill with the Hush dress!

I’d definitely wear a a Turtle Neck (£17.50) under the dress with this look, which I’ve gone for in plain grey, but you could go stripes for a full on clash?

Speaking of which, how about wearing this pink Check Trench (£49.50) over the top of it all? I’d wear it open, with the belt tied at the back.

I’m thinking, as well as all the clashing prints, some big, colourful Oval Drop Earrings (£9.50) would finish the look off rather nicely?

Just add some Square Sunnies (£12.50) and a Cross Body Bag (£79) and you’re good to go.

You could even add some Leo-print ankle socks… or is one step too far?!

Look 3 – Colour me happy:

If I’m not clashing prints, I’m clashing colours…

This whole entire look is… well, probably not very age 47…

Not 40-anything to be honest.

After all, the first rule of fashion is that there are no rules, right?!

I’ve opted for a Topshop Stonewash Sweatshirt (£23.20) in mustard to wear over the dress, with these Toppers Justify Slingback Court Heels (£39) in apricot.

Too much?!

Possibly.

But it’s gonna get much more…er… “much-er” with this Long Line Puffer Jacket (by Native Youth at Topshop – £30) and a (worn cross body) Berlin Bum Bag (£18.)

Black Koko Sunglasses (£14) an essential, don’t you think?

Wow.

Those just might be my most colourful looks, to date!

I’ve missed putting Wildcard looks together these past couple of weeks, and appear to have gone a little bananas this week!

And rather out-of-character for me to say, but I actually think I could and probably *would* wear all three looks given half a chance.

And the 7 this week are just the tip of the Spring Time Essentials, but as always, I don’t blog these Sunday 7s in order to make you shop, shop, shop…

… rather, as we go from season to season, these blogposts are designed to show you that there’s very, very little that’s “new” in terms of design or style.

Mostly, it’s just colours, or prints… but I can only imagine that most of us would be able to have a root around our wardrobes and cobble together similar pieces listed in the 7, or style up similar looks to those I’ve offered up for this week’s wildcard.

Be inspired my friends: choose well, buy less.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts so do leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

Thanks for reading.

B x