I wouldn’t usually describe my wardrobe as ‘nostalgic’. I do like vintage clothing but I stick to modern silhouettes and have a bit of a thing for trends. Plus, I grew up in the late 80s/90s – a time when fashion is definitely better best forgotten (if you can locate the Steps lyric in that sentence, award yourself 10 child-of-the-90s points).

But when I spotted the Primark car print skirt, I was instantly transported back to my childhood. The adorable sketchy print reminded me so much of this classic Milky Way advert, I just couldn’t leave it behind.

Primark skirt, Uniqlo jumper, Topshop tights, vintage lizard skin belt via jumble sale, wooden necklace via charity shop, H&M ring, Emma Fox bag via TK Maxx, Clarks ‘Dollar Craze’ heels c/o Sarenza

I love the retro print and the cute pastel colours on this skirt – it’s feminine without being too girly while the sheer fabric and loose pleats bring it right up to date. And just to up the levels of nostalgia, I’m wearing Clarks shoes – also known as The Most Comfortable Heels In The World (TM). I haven’t bought from Clarks since I had my feet measured on their special machine aged 8 and came home with a pair of those Magic Steps shoes. Sadly I didn’t get to go on the measuring machine this time, but these amazing navy suede heels are impossibly comfortable and not at all old fashioned. Swoon!

I think the key to ‘nostalgic dressing’ (technical term) is to team retro pieces with more modern styles. The print on the skirt is very 60s, but paired with a simple jumper, statement necklace and big leather bag, it’s feels fresh. As long as Slipknot hoodies don’t make a comeback, I think we’ll be okay!

Do you have anything in your wardrobe that reminds you of years gone by?

I bought a neon yellow dress in the Cos sale just after Christmas, then decided to save it ’til Fashion Week where I wore it with black leather, a statement necklace and heeled boots.

Since then, I’ve been itching to wear it again, and now the sun’s shining it seems like the perfect time to pull it on. But, Fashion Week styling doesn’t really work for the everyday. What to do?

Cos dress, vintage belt via jumble sale, wooden necklace via charity shop, Zatchels satchel, Miss Selfridge ring

To give my dress a fashion makeunder, I wore it with dark brown accessories – no bling, no heels, no leather. The belt is probably the flashiest part of this outfit – it’s lizard skin, which creeps me out a little, but was just 50p at a recent jumble sale and is a genuine vintage piece, so that helps. The necklace is another second hand find – delicate jewellery is not really my thing so I love the chunkiness.

It probably wasn’t the best outfit to wear for a meal at Meat Liquor (although much better with the belt loosened a couple of notches), but the pop of colour really cheered up a dull day and paired with neutral accessories, I think this could become my go-to summer dress.

How would you make this dress more ‘real life’ appropriate?

Black is not a colour I wear often. It’s never really featured much in my wardrobe – even when I went through the obligatory teenage goth phase, I mixed my black skater jeans with a purple glitter corset and floral hair corsage (seriously). I’ve always found the shade to be more drab than chic and although some – like the very stylish Jazmine – can pull it off perfectly, it’s just not my thing.

But… there are some days when only black will do. Usually these days involve some sort of wardrobe crisis, a fashion malfunction or a general feeling of enormity. On these days, a black shroud is most welcome.

Skirt c/o Next, Forever 21 jumper, Primark long sleeve tee, ankle boots c/o Sarenza, Emma Fox bag via TK Maxx, Miss Selfridge ring, wooden necklace via charity shop


Okay. So I’m not exactly ‘shrouded’ in black. But this look was the result of a few too many outfit mis-hits – jeans that made sausages out of my legs, a blouse that gaped at the chest, fussy accessories, an indecently short dress… after a lot of fussing and faffing, I pulled on the printed skirt and a black tee, threw a black jumper over the top, whacked on a necklace and called it a day.

Do you ever have days like that? What do you wear when all else fails?

You asked, I posed…

DIY lace collar (tutorial here), American Apparel tee, Uniqlo jeans, Gap blazer, flats c/o Sarenza, H&M ring via charity shop

This is the DIY lace collar I made last week – the step-by-step tutorial is here if you’d like to have a look/attempt one yourself. As soon as I spotted the pale pink striped shirt, I knew it’d make a great collar to wear with my pastel pink jeans and a grey marl tee… et voila! I love it when a plan comes together.

The collar can be a bit awkward to wear – it’s very stiff, so has a tendency to ride up and sit above the neckline (as seen in photo two!). But a bit of repositioning soon sorts that out, and I think it’d be even less of a problem with a higher neckline.

So, easy to make AND easy to wear too! Anyone had a go at creating their own lace collar? Let me know!