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The summer has finally arrived and what a glorious summer it is proving to be...so far anyway. As all of us Britons know, British summer consists mainly of rainy days, low temperatures and miserable faces. We get the odd sprout of sunshine and we get all excited and then it rains...all over our parade.
However, this May/ early June 2006 has proved to be a scorcher with temperatures reaching into the 80's, which of course, is fabulous news for all the sun worshippers (myself included).

It is also great for my wardrobe because I had the chance to dust off my treasured summer goodies, oversized sunglasses and my favourite shoes. This to me, is the best part of the summer, aside from the tanning prospects, unashamed ice cream gobbling and seaside ventures.
Here is my week in fashion and the fabulous outfits I got to wear in this fantastic week of British sunshine.


The first day of the week I was eager to get out in the sunshine and wear something fabulous. I have had this dress for a few months now and I rarely get a chance to wear it. So out it come and how lovely it still looked, much to my delight. This dress is from H&M and cost £30. It is black with a beautiful floral detail all over it. It has cute little buttons down the front and a nipped in waist, which is perfect for this season's 1950's silhouette. It is quite long in length but I wore it with a fab pair of wedges which gave me some height. I added an elasticated black belt with a clipped clutch in the middle as opposed to the ribboned belt which came with it, to add a more vintage appeal.



The second day and the sun was still shining so I thought that something more summery would be appropriate before the rain came along. I chose this 1960's inspired shift dress which was also from H&M and cost £14.99. It has a real authentic feel about it and the fabric is light and feels exactly the same as the vintage versions I have seen in Charity shops (without the dodgy old smell that usually comes with it). It is cream with a lovely orange, mustard and black patterns which gives it a real Sixties feel. It also has a cute tie detail in the middle which gives the dress a slight shape and emphasises your waist. I also wore a gold pendant with it to break up the pattern. This necklace was also from H&M and costs £3.99. The dress can be worn in the day time with flats or in the evening with a great pair of heels (preferably gold or bronze which compliment the colours in the dress).


Day three and it's time for the next outfit. Today I am going for a meeting with a prospective employer so I think it called for a touch of sophistication! I chose my lovely red and white polka dot dress from Primark. It only cost £10 and was an absolute bargain. It is made of chiffon and is lined with nylon. It has frills down the front and buttons up from waist up. It also has a wonderful tie belt which can be used to create a curvier silhouette. It is knee length and really light to wear, which is ideal when the temperature outside is 70 degrees! I really like this dress and because it was such a bargain, it feels as though I am almost cheating but with a sneaky feeling of smugness! Polka dots have proved to be on the biggest trends this spring / summer and are a great way to brighten up your summer wardrobe.


Today I chose to wear my purple hued floral dress which is vintage and cost £25. It is so cute when worn with a cinched belt and wedges. I chose to accessorise mine with a fabulous gold necklace from good old H&M (I haven’t got a store card here, promise). This necklace oozes vintage glamour even though I bought it brand new! It is in the shape of petals and is a bronzed gold. I also added my oversized sunglasses which are vintage and cost me £10 from a shop in Greenwich. They add instant glamour to any outfit and are a staple in my wardrobe. The colour of the dress compliment many women’s skin tone and has cute puff sleeves which makes it really girlie and a total must have.


Today was slightly colder and less sunshine (much to my horror) so I decided to choose my fifth outfit of the week with a more casual approach. I wore a plain white vest (Topshop, £6) which EVERY woman should have in their summer wardrobe. It is so practical and on days when I get stuck in a fashion version of a writers block, I reach for the white vest and dilemma is over. I accessorised this with a funky Sixties print scarf (Primark, £1.50 - yes you heard correctly, £1.50) and my treasured orange Chanel bag. I am not a girl who is into designer brands, but this Chanel handbag took me months to save for and was worth every penny. It looks really good with the vest and scarf and was worn with denim shorts and wedges. A more subtle day in the life of Kyrsty's wardrobe, but hey, there are still two days to go...

Hurrah! The sun is back and time to go shopping. Saturday's should be re-named shopper-day as it seems that everyone loves a touch of retail therapy on a Saturday! I head to the shops, credit and store card in toll ready to see what the high street has to offer. To do this, I wore my favourite (and surprisingly comfortable) dress from (you guessed it) H&M, which cost £30 and I have had it for about 3 years and it also looks good. It has big flowers on it and an elasticated waist band which gives it shape. It looks cute with flats and my ever faithful sunglasses. I wore mine with red beads I bought from Topshop, which cost £6.


Today is the last day of the diary and the temperatures have dropped and it is a day to chill out. I chose my fabulous checked farmer girl dress from Moda, bought from TK Maxx, costing £30. I wore this with my red straw nautical bag from Primark, which cost £6. On my feet, I wore my beautiful red bow detail wedges from Lulu Guinness, which cost £135 from www.VivaLaDiva.com. They are such a great fit and really comfortable, not to mention really girlie and cute cute cute.


My shoe collection ranges from the highest of heels, to the flattest of flats. I have about 50 pairs of shoes in every colour, style and height. I believe that a girl can never have enough shoes (and handbags, jewellery, make up, purses, perfume...) Here are a few of my summer favourites.

White diamond encrusted Grecian sandals: They were bought in Birmingham in a random shop but I feel in love with them and paid £50.

They aren’t very comfortable and have caused much pain to my long suffering feet, but it is nothing a plaster cannot solve!

Silver glitter court shoes: These were bought in Office and cost me £55. They are so glittery and remind of Dorothy shoes from The Wizard of Oz. They are incredibly high but worth the pain. They can add sparkle to any outfit and if in a nightclub/ bar/ restaurant they glitter so bright in the dark and make you feel like a princess.

Gold ballet pumps: These are from old good Marks&Spencers and cost £30. They have a lovely bow detail on the front and look really great with just about any outfit. They are comfortable and are a world away from your average ballet pump. A wise and much needed investment to the ever growing shoe collection.

Red Bow detail canvas wedges: These are my favourite pair at the moment and will be a sure hit in the summer for all girlie girls. They cost £135 but well worth the money. They aren’t very high and are very comfortable and add instant coolness to any outfit.

By Kyrsty Hazell