End of Season Review – The Anna Edit

As I walked to the train station this morning in a silky short-sleeved midi dress – I WAS COLD! And you know what, I’m ok with that. I’m an autumn girlie and that last blast of summer heat we had was just a little too much and a little too long overdue for me. But the darker mornings are creeping in, there’s a touch of crispness in the air and I’m telling you now jeans, knitwear and sandals is going to hit like next week and I for one AM READY FOR IT.

But before I come at you with ALL the autumn content, I thought it might be a nice idea to round up my thoughts on my summer wardrobe. I’m typically not the best summer dresser. I sweat a lot, I panic and I usually hate my outfit by lunchtime. But this summer, something switched. I just worked it out (and I’m sure that’s largely to do with my Allison Bernstein session!), and actually enjoyed my wardrobe. I found new outfit combinations and new formulas that just felt ‘me’. So here’s the edit of my most-worn pieces, mostly so I have something to refer back to next summer when the ‘I HATE SUMMER DRESSING’ stress sets in…

BAG, JEWELLERY & SHOES

I’d say this category was the biggest game changer for me. I think where I’ve previously been a bit of a summer dresser hater I hadn’t invested properly in shoes or bags – just a straw bag to change it up from my usual leather ones. However being able to add the right ‘finishers’ to my outfit really allowed me to feel more polished. First up, the Lie Studio Julie Drop Earrings* and the Elly Necklace* – if I wasn’t wearing one of these, then I was wearing the other. Shoe-wise I feel like I still have a purchase or two to make next summer – namely the Emme Parsons Bari Sandals* in a deeper colour because I wore these ALL summer and you know it. Then for bags I’d umm-ed and ahh-ed over the St Agni Woven Leather Bag* for the past two summers, and I’m so glad that I took the plunge as it really is the perfect bag in that it doesn’t SCREAM summer, but still has that texture that outfits sometimes need. These four items alone were the best investments I made this year.

DRESSES & SKIRTS

Skirts and dresses definitely made more of a splash in my wardrobe than they have in previous years, but I’m still a jeans or denim shorts wearer like 80% of the time in the summer. However I reached for the Reformation Linen Mini Dress* more than I thought I would. It was just easy to throw on and exactly what you want to wear on days when you don’t want A THING touching your body. I threw on a flip flip and some chunky gold jewellery and was good to go. The only other thing I’m mentioning here is the DISSH Silky Midi Skirt* because honestly those two pieces were both ones that I wore weekly. I wore this casually with vest tops during the week, or dressed it up a little for garden parties with linen shirts tucked into it. A really versatile piece.

TOPS & SHIRTS

This summer was the summer of the knitted waistcoat for me. Waistcoats were and still are everywhere, but the tailored versions don’t feel like they fit the vibe of my style exactly. However a more relaxed knitted version? SIGN ME UP. I wore this MANGO Knitted Waistcoat* to death and still am. The minute it gets out the wash, I’m wearing it again. I also loved wearing this Soeur Knitted Vest* on days when I wouldn’t completely melt in it. If I wasn’t doing the knitted vest thing, then there was a high chance I was wearing the ARKET Linen Shirts*, they are so perfectly oversized and not too long so are super easy to tuck. Another winner was the DISSH Linen Cropped Top*. I wore it a lot with something black on my bottom half to do a summer-suitable all black outfit.

SHORTS & TROUSERS

I’m an all year round denim wearer. I will happily sweat it out in full length denim and a vest top – ‘It’s chic!’ I will pant as sweat drips from my elbows. If you read my denim guide, then you will know that I’m all about the AGOLDE 90’s Pinch Waist Jeans* and they have definitely been my jeans of the summer. Their Parker Long Shorts* became my perfect denim shorts fit too and I wore both washes I own a LOAD. I do really enjoy the DISSH Linen Trousers*, although they are lined so not one for the hottest of the days, you know? On days like that I wore my ARKET Linen Shorts* and paired them with a linen cropped top to give a bit of a playsuit feel.

Photos by Mark Newton