Zara dress, Primark belt, Jonak boots c/o Sarenza, Primark bangles, Mango ring

Dressing for a smart/casual office environment is notoriously difficult. I’ve been out of the officewear game for a mere month and I’ve already forgotten the complex and often nonsensical rules that surround it.

After a frustrating 20 minutes throwing clothes around I eventually settled on this staple Zara dress, my love object boots and some clunky accessories, but I fear my flash of leg is a step too far. And I probably should have written this post and realised that before I left for my day in the office, rather than after it…

For I have sinned.

Vintage (and creased) silk skirt, Topshop top, Georgia Rose sandals c/o Sarenza, H&M ring, Primark belt

I cut my hair. Or rather, I was coerced into cutting my hair by the hairdresser who was using me as a model for a class on how to cut short hair. So I suppose it was inevitable, really. As she rightly pointed out, people didn’t want to see the ends of my mullet being tickled by a pair of scissors. They wanted a transformation. I convinced them to colour it for me, to make up for the waste of all those months of growing, and then snip, snip, snip – all gone (practically. My neck is cold).

I must admit though – I look better with short hair. I think after years of close crops and pixie cuts, I’d dreamt up an imaginary long-haired me – long-hair Jen had lustrous, flowing locks that were naturally thick with the perfect bohemian wave. In reality, long-hair Jen has flat, baby fine hair that refuses to do what she asks and hangs limply from her scalp. So short it is!

I’m sad to have lost my only thing in common with Emma Watson (who is also growing out a crop, although doing a much better job of it than I was) but reading this piece on short hair from American Vogue in 1988 (thanks to the glamourai for linking to it) makes me feel much better about life without long locks.

Would you ever go for the crop chop?

Jonak boots c/o Sarenza, Gap tee, Urban Outfitters skirt, leather satchel via car boot sale, H&M ring

I’ve been wearing these boots non-stop since they arrived at my door last week. I’ve always considered boots to be firmly in the autumn/winter footwear category, but these beauties are definitely all-year-round staples. It’s true love and I can’t see us ever being apart!

Boots aside, I’m going for a cheap chic look (or stingy style, whatever) – my skirt was £10 in the UO sale, the tee was £3.99 in the Gap sale and the bag is an old thrifty fave, picked up for £1 at a car boot. Quite appropriate for the last week of the month, non? (Seriously, hurry up payday.)

What are you wearing today?

Vintage dress, Gap cashmere cardigan via charity shop, ASOS belt, Hunter wellies via TK Maxx, Primark bangle and socks, bracelet c/o Elsie Belle

I often approach ‘summer’ with distain. Despite endless reports of the ‘hottest year since time began’, real summer days are few and far between and it’s guaranteed to rain for weeks on end. Maxi dresses hang forlornly in wardrobes across the country as we reach for our jeans and put the factor 30 back in the bathroom cabinet.

But before you give up on your sweet summer dresses altogether, invest in a pair of wellies. I was determined to wear this vintage tea dress today, and a smattering of rain (or rather, a full-on thunder storm) was not going to stop me. I dug out some knee high socks, added a cardigan and slipped on my Hunters to make a 30-degree outfit suitable for, shall we say, cooler climes.

What do you think – can wellies work with everyday outfits, or should they be kept for dog walking, car booting and festivalling?