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In an attempt to move away from my default setting of moaning about the heat and thinking of all the lovely autumn/winter clothes I'd rather be wearing, I thought I'd share a few of the things I've bought in the past couple of months which I'm rather excited about.  I'll admit the boots and the long sleeved black dress aren't especially summery, but I have managed to actually wear them during a brief drop in temperature, so I'm including them, even though it'll probably be October before I can actually wear them again...

Nothing to Wear?

This post by Garance Dore sums up how I've been feeling about my wardrobe at the moment.  All of the things I've been excited about this season (chunky knits, angora jumpers, oversized coats, pvc midi-skirts) look absolutely awful on me.  Case in point the H&M coat of my dreams, a love affair which is very much one-sided:

This is me trying to make the coat look as flattering as possible

This is what it actually looked like.  In the perfect candy-floss pink to boot. *sob*

Now I love this coat.  I nearly hyperventilated when I first saw it, as it was exactly what I had wanted, but didn't think I'd find, and certainly not for under £100.  I first tried it on a few weeks back, after I had grabbed my size and raced to the nearest mirror, certain I'd be taking it home.  I was quickly disabused of that idea when I saw my reflection, wearing what appeared to be a giant's dressing gown, and I slunk home, coatless.  Since then, I've tried on every single coat I've even remotely liked in every shop possible, and not had any luck.  I then went and tried on the H&M coat, in both colours, three(!) more times.  You know, in case it miraculously decided to look good on me (third time was definitely not the charm).  I'll spare you the nearly identical stories involving angora and oversized jumpers, but suffice it to say, this is not my season, fashion-wise.  I'm not especially tall, a size 6-8, and I've got broad shoulders, upon which anything bulky hangs and creates the illusion of squat square-ness.  Oversized anything is not a look I should ever attempt.  So I've reverted to wearing the same things I always wear, and looking like I always look, despite actually being thoroughly sick of navy jumpers and black skirts.  So I'm left feeling as if I've got nothing to wear, simply because everything I wear is essentially a variation of the same thing, and it all blends into one after a while.  So my (admittedly quite shallow, but hey, this is a fashion blog, so whatevs) dilemma is do I stick to what suits me, and dress in a way that accents the positive, glosses over the negative, and would generally be approved by French fashion editors, or give in to my fashion victim cravings, buy lots of pink fluffy things and give up on anyone ever approving of what I wear?  Answers on a postcard please...

Wearing Lately

My inability to pass shops without ducking in to have a quick browse, even if it's the third branch of H&M that day and I'm quite certain I won't find anything I like, means there's been no shortage of opportunities for changing room selfies since I've been back in London.  So I present every single thing (more or less) that I've worn over the past 2.5 weeks...

Clockwise from top left- top and skirt, Zara, boots- Massimo Dutti; top- Topshop, shorts- Oysho, boots- Beau Coops; lace top- Oysho, shorts- Whistles, shoes- Kurt Geiger; jumper- Primark, skirt- Topshop, plimsolls- H&M; jumper- French Connection, skirt- Zara, shoes- Kurt Geiger; jacket- H&M, t-shirt- Gap, skirt- JW Anderson x Topshop, boots- Massimo Dutti

shirt- Asos, shorts- Whistles, boots- Massimo Dutti; jumper- H&M, shorts- Vero Moda, shoes- Kurt Geiger; dress- Cos, shoes- & Other Stories

 

 

top- Cos, skirt- vintage, boots- Massimo Dutti; jacket- Gap, trousers- River Island, boots- Beau Coops

I'm slightly freaked out by how identical my stance is in every single one of these, down to the placement of my fingers as I'm holding my phone.  I am however, quite pleased with the variety of my outfits considering they're comprised entirely of the contents of my 20 kilo suitcase and a handful of new purchases.  Perhaps I've succeeded in building a capsule wardrobe without actually trying?  I definitely need a new pair of ankle boots though- both the pairs I've brought with me probably photograph better than they've actually been holding up...

Lusting After...

I know that I've literally just been moaning about how uninspiring the high street is, but I think I've just come across the most perfect summer outfit ever, which I would wear exactly the way it's been styled- black skirt that I've been searching for forever, sleeveless top that is not the dreaded basic cotton vest, earrings for a bit of colour (when it's 40 degrees, necklaces, rings, basically anything at all touching your skin, is out of the question).  It's all from H&M's trend collection, and you can get it here.

 

 I also wouldn't mind this take on the infamous Kenzo lion jumper: