Thrifted shirt, Zara trousers, Topshop pumps, Urban Outfitters trilby, Me & Zena necklace

Client meetings are new territory for me. As a mid-level creative in a large advertising agency, I very rarely left my desk (which wasn’t always a bad thing… my shiny iMac sat on my desk. Oh I miss it so!). I never had to think about dressing smartly – I think I could’ve rocked up in my PJs and I’d have fitted right in amongst baggy jeans, flat caps and ironic t-shirts. Yes, the wardrobe of an Ad (wo)Man rarely calls for a suit and tie.

In my new capacity as Online Community Manager, I get to go out in the big, wide world. Last week I was in London to meet a client (in some very cool offices in Brixton, complete with office pug who was missing an eye. Only in advertising…). I stood in front of my wardrobe the night before and looked at my floral dresses, skinny jeans and cosy cardigans in despair. I wanted to look smart but cool. Laidback but edgy. Creative but professional, and even more pairs of adjectives.

I eventually plumped for casual chinos and pumps, dressed up with a crisp white shirt and made ‘London’ with a trilby and quirky jewellery. And I felt right at home storming through Brixton tube station, Macbook under one arm and iPod headphones firmly in my ears.*

*Disclaimer – I promise I’m not a fucking hipster or one of these dickheads.

A new regular (ish) feature on A Little Bird! As Wardrobe Wonderings is on a hiatus (back soon, folks) I thought I’d delve into those hard-to-dress-for occasions I seem to attend on a regular basis (weddings, festivals, job interviews, client meetings, smart-casual nights out, blogger events…), and first up is the wedding.

The Mr and I were invited along to a lovely night do for an old colleague’s wedding. I wanted to buy a new dress, but not a whole new outfit. I wanted something simple and chic I could dress up with accessories. And I had 10 minutes with a grumpy Mr in tow to find it. Hardly retail therapy.

H&M dress, Oasis wedges, Accessorize ring and clutch

This dress reminds me of Carrie’s naked dress and was £24.99 from H&M, while the ring and clutch are sneak peeks from Accessorize‘s AW10 collection – more on that later this week.

I wanted to do something different with my hair – have you noticed I never, EVER do anything with my hair other than what it does naturally? I’m a total hair bore. But I felt inspired by my lovely friend Kel’s blog, Hair Advice and All Things Nice, and decided to try an up-do. I finished the look with a slick of Prestige liquid liner in black and Barry M’s Grey on my nails.

Have you been to any weddings or formal events this summer? What did you wear?