New Season Edit & What I’ll Be Wearing

With the early onset of spring sun comes those cautious, premature barbecues, the first cold and cool iced lattes of the year, and the blooming bosom (lol) of new season collections. All at once the tired boxy knits of winter give way to skirts, suits and skimpier satins, and we find ourselves desperately digging through the bottom of our floordrobe, looking for those white straight leg jeans we were convinced we’d rewear late last year (we were right - I told you it was worth keeping everything, Ms Kondo). Cue the "I have fuck all to wear so I’m going to continue with my black jumper and black jeans and pretend I’m Victoria Beckham" panic, followed by the bristling urge to rack up an eye-watering credit card bill by bulk-buying everything that looks relatively ‘new’.

My queen, step away from the credit card. You already know you have a student overdraft to clear, and you’ve only just started paying less-than-too-much monthly interest on your last credit card adventure. I know the temptation to go hell-for-leather on the colour of the season is making you want to pull the trigger on those offers of selling your dirty socks to old blokes online, but don’t do it (well, do the sock thing if you want - I’ve always thought it seemed like easy money anyway). I’m not going to patronise you by saying you shouldn’t be buying anything at all, because hello, I too am a 25 year old woman who likes to feel good in what she wears, but I will say that you don’t need to go crazy beyond your means. You can pick up a select few high street pieces to mix and match with the items you already have in your wardrobe, and you can find some absolute corkers on second hand sites which will not only save you a shit tonne of money, but will also give you a boost in the sustainability stakes too.

It’s rare that I pull together shoppable edits, but when a new season rolls around and everybody naturally begins to adjust their wardrobes and sell older items for the acquisition of something different, I’m inclined to have a little browse of the New-In sections for inspiration of my own. Over the past few months I’ve hardly spent any money on clothes (but a lot on food because that’s apparently who I am now: the lazy full queen wearing blue jeans and a neutral knit on repeat) and I’m becoming increasingly selective about what makes it onto my rail (again, because I’m quite lazy, and getting rid of a something which I shouldn’t have bought in the first place feels like a real pain in the arse), but I do afford myself the luxury of doing a little shopping when the sun starts to shine. Nothing crazy - just a new pair of sandals here, a lighter toned blazer there and a shoulder bag which fits more than a tampon and a lip balm (all things I can rewear for as long as they last, and that aren’t trend-led and limited in their desirability).

I’m working towards a retro-businesswoman vibe with my new purchases; think oversized blazer suits, shoulder bags, strappy sandals and mules. A fresh and easy update on my already established style, as it were. I’ve pulled together some of my favourites from the usual high street suspects below, but it goes without saying that I’m not suggesting you buy everything, if anything at all. You don’t need me to spoon-feed you the sustainability aspect of new-in clothing, so of course, just use your common sense. If you can’t get a lot of use out of it, if you already have something fairly similar, or if you can’t ~ really ~ afford to buy it (the big one!!!), then steer clear. Check eBay, Depop, Instagram sales and any decent, local charity shops - there are treasures to be found if you can be arsed to do a little digging. Equally, however, don’t punch yourself in the tits for picking up a few new bits from Mango. Those £5.99 reduced lime green leggings that you’re about to pop in your basket for the sake of free delivery? Yep, you know you don’t need those. But that £59 blazer which you’ll wear until it bursts at the seams? That’s a capsule-wardrobe clever purchase.

Blazer - Mango

Button down knit - ASOS (affiliate link)

Jeans - & Other Stories (gifted)

Shoes - Bershka

Bag - ASOS (affiliate link)

Chain necklace - Astrid & Miyu (gifted - affiliate link)

Pendant necklace - Mikaela Lyons Jewellery (gifted)