Give Me Sunshine: £10 Sundress + '90s Mules

Yes, I am a sucker for all things labelled "must-haves" of the season, so I'd been keeping an eye out for a dress in "colour-of-the-season" yellow, and the "shoe-of-the-season" '90s mule (even if, a year or two ago, I would have looked back on my near-identical actual '90s versions in scorn and horror - is it just me, or is there something deliciously perverse about re-embracing this decade?!) for some time, and had to snap up this £10 layered lemon number from Primark, along with these fresh white New Look peep-toes. Perfect throw-on-and-go sunny-day-to-balmy-night outfit sorted, whilst the sun deigns to shine on our shores!

Dress: Primark, Shoes: New Look

Anyone else mellow in yellow or mooching in mules this summer?

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Nicole x Missguided: The Faux Leather Biker Leggings

As much as I adore my faux leather crop top and fishnet bodysuit, my final pick from the Nicole x Missguided collection was the one I was most excited about... It's no secret that I love (faux) leather, but I'd been struggling to find a pair of well-fitting high-waisted skinnies for aeons, until I came across these! And they're pretty much perfect - a generous enough fit to allow for easy and comfortable bending of limbs/tucking in of tops, but not so generous that they slip and bag around hips/knees/ankles, and with a certain je ne sais quois courtesy of their biker-style detailing. My only slight bugbear is the fact that the ankle zips can dig in slightly if you tuck them into boots, but, at £35, I'm still more than happy to recommend them - I think these are going to be a staple of mine for quite some time to come!

Trousers: Nicole x Missguided (Available Here), Top: Boy London, Shoes: Primark 

Trousers: As Above, Top: Forever 21, Boots: Primark

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How to Wear a Thigh-Split Maxi (Off the Red Carpet)

The scorching weather of the last few weeks has prompted a few much-needed buy-or-die-of-heatstroke purchases, of which this jersey front split maxi from Boohoo is one. Although maxi skirts and dresses have formed an integral part of my wardrobe, for both summer and winter, daytime and evening wear over the past few years, I've largely steered clear of slit-to-heaven versions - I mean, fine for the Oscars, but not so much for Croydon high street, right? Well, actually, wrong (and yes, I have road-tested this hypothesis, during weekday daylight hours too).

The jersey fabric gives it a relaxed, sporty feel which reminded me of that Rihanna for River Island number (but at a far more purse-friendly price - I can hardly believe it's only £12), whilst the high waist and gorgeous drapery detailing lend it a night-out-friendly sense of ladylike glam...

Sports Star

I could have put together a hundred crop top + high top combos (thanks for the inspiration Ri), but for the sake of conciseness, I have, for now, restricted myself to two. Neon, neutrals, prints - the great thing about grey is that it works with, yep, pretty much everything... and of course, if you're not tummy confident, you can just as easily tuck in a loose tee (a la Golden Girl, below). A white tee (cropped or not) plus cheeky neon bra a la the Glo Girl ensemble featured in my How to Wear a Denim Mini post would also work well...

Skirt: Boohoo (Available Here), Top: Primark, Trainers: Skechers

Skirt: As Above, Top and Trainers: Both Primark, Beanie: New Look + DIY

Rock Star

This ensemble came together by happy accident. I picked the leatherette bralet up in Primark's underwear section a couple of weeks ago (whilst wearing outfit 1, above), for £4! I often struggle to find bralets to fit, since manufacturers still insist on sizing cupped versions by dress size rather than bra size - where is the logic?! With only S, M or L to choose from, this was a bit of a gamble, but M turned out to be a perfect fit (despite the fact that it is also marked 14-16, when 10s often gape around my ribcage!!), and its adjustable straps are a godsend! 

So, no more stress about whether I'll fit into the cupped version hitting stores later on in AW13 - I am ready and waiting for those gorgeous pleather midis to drop - especially since, on the same trip, I bagged these to-die-for shoe boots. Meanwhile, both happened to look pretty damn ace with the skirt I was already wearing!

Skirt: As Above, Top and Shoes: Both Primark

Golden Girl

Coupling luxe metallic finishes with a relaxed silhouette for a bit of laid back evening-out glamour...

Skirt: As Above, Top: Forever 21 (Past Season), Necklace and Shoes: Primark (Past Season)

Globetrotter

Aztec princess meets Roman goddess - the skirt provides the perfect showcase for my gorgeous new Chanel-dupe knee high glads (introduced in this post), as well as the ideal complement to my hectically detailed cold-shoulder crop (introduced in this post).

Skirt: As Above, Shoes: eBay, Top: Primark, Hair Band: Boohoo

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How to Wear Neon - the 2013 Update!

Last year, I took my first tentative steps into the world of fluorescence, publishing my original How to Wear Neon post (complete with "experimental" poses!). This summer, thanks to some actual sunshine, brights have tightened their grip on my wardrobe even further, with zingy new finds jostling against old favourites for precedence... Neon may even be giving monochrome a run for its money!

The Tops

Oranges and Lemons

Top and Necklace: Both Primark, Earrings: New Look, Skirt: River Island (Past Season), Shoes: Peacocks (Past Season)

Brights on brights... on brights! Summer is the perfect time to go wild with colour, but a common tonal theme running through the accessories pulls this look together for an off-beat ladylike feel (and trust me, if you buy one thing this summer, a multi-tonal neon necklace will be your hardest working piece for pulling together, polishing, or just adding a zest injection to more subdued ensembles).

Denim Dabble

Top, Skirt and Necklace: As Above, Beanie c/o New Look, Boots: Primark (Past Season), Shirt: Tammy (Past Season)

Swapping belt for beanie, wedges for ankle boots and bare shoulders for denim to toughen up the look with a '90s grunge twist.

Pastel Power

Top and Trainers: Both Primark, Pinafore: Tokyo Doll at New Look, Clutch: DIY (See This Post)

No need to stick to all-bright combos... try adding some lime zest to sweet-as-candy pastels...

Caught Up

Whole Outfit: Primark

A single neon piece also makes a stunning accent to an otherwise all-black (or white/grey) ensemble, and the perfect base for a statement sheer look. This is one of my favourite summer outfits so far this year, giving the classic maxi a sports luxe-meets-nu rave spin...

The Dresses

Natty Neutrals

Dress: Tammy, Blazer and Shoes: Both Primark, Belt: River Island (from skirt, past season)

Why stop at one neutral? If you can't decide whether to go mono or fluoro, do both! And no need to stick to accessories if you're feeling brave - try teaming a neon top with a printed pinafore or shorts/skirt/trousers...

Glo With It

Dress: As Above, Top: Primark, Trainers: River Island

Yup, the old "turning a dress into a skirt" trick - made even more exciting by neon's "glo-thru" effect... 

P.S. You may have already seen the layer-tastic 1-for-2 dress trick featured in the introductory montage in my How to Wear a Sheer Lace Dress post, but I was so proud of it I decided it bore repeating!

And don't forget, a neon bra is also your secret weapon for turning a plain white tee into a nu-rave statement (as in this post).

Instructions for a Heatwave

Dress: Boohoo, Necklace: Primark, Shoes: Peacocks (Past Season)

Dress: Missguided (Past Season), Shoes: Freemans (Past Season), Necklace: Primark

When it's too hot for structured waist-cinching frocks, coloured maxis remain the quintessence of summer... the perfect no-thought-required ready-made outfit (accompanied by sandals and trusty neon necklace, obvs).

Are you embracing brights?

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