I am aware that I will sound like a complete English cliche when I say this, but seriously, what has been up with the weather this week? I know we should have low expectations when it comes to the British summer, but the torrential downpours are making a mockery of the warm weather staples that are patiently waiting in the wings of my wardrobe. It also doesn’t help that I’ve got a growing list of summer events filling my diary now that lockdown rules are easing. I’ll say this now: I refuse point blank to wear a winter coat to the wedding I’m attending in August.
But, in the meantime, I’ll just have to make-do with my imagination and the escapist capabilities of online window shopping. And of course, NET-A-PORTER is the first place I’ll head. After 12 months of tracksuit bottoms and shearling slippers, I’ll take any excuse to slip on a dress and fancy sandals, so these are what are primarily making up my current wishlist. I typically like to balance out formal silhouettes with more casual styles, so my dream outfit line-up is an eclectic mix of paint box brights paired with classic tan sandals, clean-cut linen minis elevated with wedge heels and ditzy florals balanced-out by raffia mules.
The brands at the top of my wishlist include Rejina Pyo, that can always be relied upon for a versatile occasion dress that feels smart but not too formal, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, whose patchwork midi brings a modern spin to classic florals, and maybe a little Victoria Beckham, in the form of a show-stopping, cut-out detail yellow maxi. The best thing? All these dresses can just as easily be dressed-up with strappy stilettos as they can be grounded with a chunky flat sandal. Scroll down to see and shop my definitive edit of dress-and-sandal outfits I’ll be daydreaming about until the sun decides to make an appearence.
