First of the summer wardrobe

 

As promised, I thought I'd show you my gorgeous new buys that signal the start of my holiday clothes (I've got to start early as I've got nearly 4 weeks worth of holidays booked for July and August). When I was shopping on Saturday, I was aiming to get a few expensive pieces and some cheaper things because I think it's important to have a mix; if you buy all expensive then you never have any money and if you buy all cheap then you end looking cheap (sorry not sorry). You'll be pleased to see that I've finally got round to sorting my hair out, so I no longer have any unsightly roots. Although excuse my hair/face in the photos, I was having a battle with the wind and losing by a mile.

The new items in this outfit are the shoes (which I'm in love with) and the kimono. I was looking for a kimono that I could wear over bikini's on holiday and found this one in Primark for £15 and thought it would be perfect. The sheer fabric means it won't make me too hot when it's 30 degrees or more, and all the gold beads add some bling without the need for jewellery. Plus with it being black, it'll go with everything; very important when you're trying to work around baggage allowance. I did consider showing the kimono how I plan to wear it (over a bikini), but when I went outside it wasn't actually that warm and I didn't want the neighbours thinking I was completely weird. Instead, I've styled it with this burgundy skirt that I got from H&M for only £3.99 (I've featured the black version before) and black cami that was £9.99 from new look. I love burgundy because it works perfectly in winter and summer. In winter it's all about burgundy knit jumpers and burgundy shoes, and in summer it's all about burgundy shorts and burgundy bikinis; it just works for everything! I've been after these shoes for ages and I managed to time it so that I got 20% student discount at new look, although they were only £24.99 to begin with so not exactly a bank-breaker even without the discount. I'm seriously crushing on all things gladiator for this summer, and I wanted a black pair as a different option from my white Primark pair. I tend to find I'm only a size 6 in new look instead of a 7 so I'd suggest sizing down to anyone who's considering ordering them online. The only annoying thing about them is that they squeak as you walk, but I'm hoping that sorts itself out once I've worn them once or twice. That, and the fact I'm going to get some very interesting tan lines when I wear them in summer...

A lot of my blogposts are me trying to show how versatile clothes can be, and I didn't see why this one should be the exception. So I kept the top and shoes the same as in my previous outfit and just swapped the skirt and ditched the kimono and the whole outfit looks completely different! I really don't wear my hair up but I actually got a lot of positive comments after I wore it up in my 'Day to night' blogpost and so I thought I'd try it more often. Plus, changing your hair can completely change the look of an outfit. I love this skirt; it was £34, making it one of the expensive pieces that I chose. The print is perfect for summer and the fabric is really thick so the skirt keeps its shape. It's also available in the tall range for if you're over 5'7" or even if you just want it to be a bit longer. I added a coral lipstick (Rimmel Color rush in 700 Not an illusion) because it went nicely with the lime green in the skirt, and a necklace that was from accessorize, although I'm not sure how much it was because it was a birthday present.

I'm so obsessed with tropical print right now; it think it is to summer what dogtooth was to winter. Just watch, soon I'll have a wardrobe full of tropical print. This dress was £32 from Topshop (another of the more expensive things I bought) but it's definitely worth it. It's really thick bodycon material so it's really flattering but still comfortable and the striped collar just adds a little extra something. Also the style of it means its easy to dress up or down, so I'll be getting my wear out of it for both day and night. Because of the bold print, I didn't think it needed jewellery but you can always add it if you wanted to. I kept it simple and just paired it with my favourite new look heels (£35ish) and left my hair loose (although the wind had other ideas and thought my hair would look better flying all around my face).

This is one of the really cheap things I bought but I don't think you can tell at all. The jacket was £19 and the shorts were £12, both from Primark but the fabric is really soft and such a gorgeous colour that it doesn't look cheap. The photos don't really do it justice; it's pale pink and white pinstripe. I kept with the candyfloss Barbie theme and added only white (I didn't want to spoil the effect with dark colours). I put it with a white cami; this one was about £16 from Topshop but you can get them cheaper from other places such as new look and Missguided, and my new favourite white heels from new look (£39.99). Just incase anyone doesn't like two-pieces (I'm yet to meet anyone who doesn't but just incase), I showed the outfit without the jacket.

Now it's just a case of building my summer wardrobe until it weighs 22kg and I can jet off on holiday. How I'm going to take all my favourite shoes and stay within the baggage allowance is beyond me.