Fantasy Summer outfit alert: And why there isn’t a floral maxi in sight

Ahhh Summer. You bring with you an array of mood-elevating advantages. But, you have also stricken an unhealthy fear in to my heart ever since I was a teenager and believed, thanks to the likes of ~~the devil~~ Cosmo magazine and chums, that I needed to be ‘Summer ready’, and that process would involve waxing, shaving, scrubbing, rubbing, shaping and polishing myself to oblivion…who has the time? That’s why when I saw this quote (coupled with reading Caitlin Moran’s How to Be A Woman) last year it changed my outlook on the whole damn thing and I stopped worrying so much:

That’s why I thought I would outline what my ideal Summer outfit would be, and why, because I am sure as hell I’m not the only person out there who’s trachea closes up at the mere thought of donning a floral maxi dress:

FANTASY SUMMER OUTFIT ALERT

Ripped jeans:

Seeing as we get about three weeks in total of glorious weather, and seeing as I spend the majority of this time suited and booted in an air-conditioned office, my peak sun-exposure seems to happen AFTER 6pm bar from the odd rare weekend. Therefore I want, and do, spend many of my London summer evenings either in various beer gardens or up roof-top bars, where eventually it gets dark and cools off and I’m left laughing at all the girls shivering in hot pants while the strategically placed rips in my jeans keep my knees suitably ventilated. 1-0 to moi. WARNING: yes, your gran may offer to sew them up a thousand times and chuckle every time she cracks this joke. Just rise above it.

Birkenstocks:

As outlined by Style & The Some already, this season the orthopaedic sandal has made an unrelenting comeback. Whether you plump for the original (£49.99), or grab your knock-off pair for a fiver at Primark, there is no escaping just how fashionable/hipster Birkenstocks are right now. Yes, they may be ridiculously un-comfy and feel like something your doctor recommended, but there’s still that slight chance you may transform in to Mary-Kate Olsen if you click the heels together three times.

White matte manicure:

Still one of my favourite manicures of all time (having outlined my allegiance two years ago on this here blog) the classic all white manicure screams summer and with an on trend matte top coat (they even do this for gel nails now) it’s a practical yet fresh update for any outfit. And trust me, people will either love it or ask if you got high off the tippex-fumes har har har.

Beat up leather jacket:

I read something once that said ‘I thought buying a leather jacket would instantly make my life better…and it has’. I am a firm believer in this. Out of my entire wardrobe my broken in leather jacket is my instant outfit lifter. It just goes, you know? And who does leather jackets like it’s no one else’s business? Burberry, that’s who. If you have ever got close enough to just FEEL one, you’ll never accept anyone saying pleather is the same thing again. Butter. That leather feels like butter.

Breton Stripes:

Like the Holy Grail of fashion, the perfect Breton striped top would be worth more than my entire wardrobe combined. An instant game changer, it summons up images of Bardot (who is funnily enough, massively trending ATM), chic Parisian days and nights, and has the ability to be, dare I say it, TRANS-SEASONAL.

So there you have it. A very indulgent piece about my love of wearing whatever I want in Summer (or what I would, if Christopher Bailey took pity on me) and not a floral pattern in sight. I think Miranda Priestly would approve.