SUMMER DRESSING

We've had some prolonged sunshine for the past couple of weeks or so, which was welcome after such a long cold winter  - so let's hope it lasts!

That means putting away the boots and woolly jumpers for a while and getting out our summer wardrobes - mixing and matching the old with some new items to keep everything fresh.

Anne C is  trying desperately hard to rationalise her  wardrobe after years of hoarding clothes she no longer wears "just in case".  This  varies from corporate suits which she no longer needs, to clothes which don't fit (some too big from weight loss, some from the 80s which she will never slim down to and are no longer suitable!) Some have ended up on eBay while others have gone to the charity shop.

Anne H has always been much more rational about her wardrobe choices, so hopefully her good wardrobe ethic is rubbing off.

This blue outfit is new - actually not a colour she wears very often - but she already has the same dress in black, fuchsia, red and lipstick pink - nothing like finding a style you like and getting it in every colour!  This is from James Lakeland in royal blue, bought at Simply Devine boutique, and can be dressed up with heels, statement jewellery and a hat for a wedding or a special occasion, or worn with sandals or flip flops for summer holidays.

Unfortunately there is no special occasion looming so we're sticking with a casual approach.  The blue sandal with diamante disc fronts are also from Simply Devine in Tadcaster, owned by her good friend Liz Devine-Wright (yes that really is her name, she was Liz Devine and married her own Mr Wright). Only her hats, handbags and pashminas are online, but she does stock dresses and jewellery but as these tend to be single items, they are not available online, only by personal visit to her shop in Tadcaster.

Anne H's geometric print top in black, cream and beige is from her wardrobe, bought at Zara a couple of years ago and has a deep vent in the back which makes it particularly suitable for  lovely balmy summers evenings.  She has accessorised with a simple silver necklace with scallop effect from COS .  They have a sterling silver curved necklace still on sale which is similar and a bargain at just £35.

Her jeans have been stolen from her daughter's wardrobe (how great to have a daughter who is the same size!) and are Pepe Boyfriend Idoler  jeans in a lovely heavy weight denim, available to purchase at £90.   Her two strap sandals are from John Lewis and are the Jessie block heel sandals currently available at £69.  They are really comfortable with cushioning and a 5.8 cm heel height that makes them ideal for walking. They are actually dark navy but that is really hard to tell, but they also come in black.

Back to Anne in a vibrant yellow lace long-line vest from Matalan, which she is wearing over a white cami, and a bargain at just £12 since it is a reasonably good quality lace.  She has teamed with trusty her white linen trousers from M&S which she has had for years - similar ones here.  They are a little baggy now, but will be perfect for holidays in the sun when she can't stand anything which is clingy in very hot weather.  

The white top was bought months ago but never worn, and features a gold pattern on white chiffon, with a dipped hemline, and came from TKMaxx.   (She has only just realised you can buy online from TKMaxx, thinking that you could only buy whatever was in the local stores!) She has teamed with skinny jeans (but not too skinny) from Florence & Fred@Tesco - another budget buy at £12.50. The wedge shoes were from Nine West, also no longer available.

The silver and amber earrings were a great find for Anne because one of the holes in her pierced ears is much larger than the other so tiny earrings are not an option as either the stone or the butterfly goes straight through her ear lobe! These have a long hook and no fastening and came from Azendi quite a few years ago, so no longer available.

Anne's chiffon green top was purchased last year from John Lewis and is from the Marella range.  A similar style is available in Navy in the Johnny sheer long sleeve top, while her jeans are also from John Lewis and are the curvy straight Coco from the DL1961 range which are still available to buy in this wash and a darker wash.  Both her buys were from the sale last summer and great additions for a summer wardrobe to wear on cooler evenings.

New to her wardrobe are these black leather mules from TopShop which are the Nicky tubular mules available at £46, quite dressy and a great addition to the summer wardrobe.  She first spotted them on her daughter Lizzy who has the Lilac version as shown here so can't claim credit for this choice.

Even the bright pink garden table and chairs is from John Lewis who have a fabulous summer range at the moment, including this EMU Arc en Ciel  range which is this years equivalent of the one seen here.