How to Style Neon

This monochrome and neutrals thing has really taken me by surprise lately. It seems to be my go-to palette on a daily basis but at the same time, I am still drawn to strong colours and statement pieces. So let me introduce you to this fluoro skirt I discovered in River Island.

It's a pretty bright neon orange, not quite as radioactive as it photographs but definitely neon. I have a neon green skirt too, so maybe I'm starting a collection. The fit of this skirt is great and I like how it works with tights and a jumper but will also be perfect with a white cami top for when the sun is out.

I keep buying myself holiday clothes at the moment, despite the fact I'm not going away until September, so I'm hoping for the British summertime to kick in any time soon. I swear when I was a kid it was hot all summer long...

Neon Skirt - River Island

White Shirt - ASOS

Grey Speckled Jumper - Primark

Boyfriend Coat - Oh My Love

Black Brogues - Office

White Boxy Bag - ASOS

Silver Necklace - Primark

Lipstick - Kate Moss Rimmel 110

Office Smart

It's a rarity for me to wear smart clothes, despite the fact I do work in an office. I'm still quite unsure about a full on smart look, unless we're talking an androgynous suit or something. Usually I like to throw in the odd smart item to take my usual casual style out of sloppy territory.

As you can see, I'm still stuck in the monochrome trap in one way or another - it's just such a great palette! I don't know why it took me so long to realise that black and white is just a dream to work with*!
*Intentional douchey tone.

Monochrome Blazer - Primark

Dress - Primark

Brogues - Office

Sunglasses - Ray-Ban Clubmaster

Mulberry Alexa Bag

Silver Chain - ASOS

Lipstick - Stiletto by Sleek

Dressing for Unpredictable Weather

I think I talk quite regularly about the weather both on this blog and in real life but I'm British, that's my excuse. As I was saying, the weather lately is in that irritating phase where it has no idea what it's doing. It can't decide if it should be warm, whether it should rain or just throw in every meteorological condition it has to offer. As all fashion bloggers know (and everyone else that lives on the planet) this makes for very difficult fashion choices. One minute I'm boiling hot, the next I'm cold and it's raining.

Night.Mare.

So in this scenario, it's always best to layer up - not too many, just layers that can be removed and not cause too much hassle having to be carried around and so on.

My parka is one such coat that lends itself quite nicely to the battle of Britain (referring only to the weather). It's quite warm but not too heavy and sweat-inducing, plus it has a hood. Come at me rain. It's mild enough at the moment to get a cheeky bit of lower leg out but still very much boot weather. I'm fine with that, boots are probably my favourite feet attire. I do feel like I look a bit like a tree-hugger in the parka but that's fine too, I actually like trees quite a lot.

Parka - River Island

Floral Top - H&M

Black & White Trousers - H&M

Studded Boots - New Look

White Structured Bag - ASOS

Gold Necklace - H&M

Lipstick - Papaya Punch by Sleek

Navy

What I learnt while wearing this outfit is that pencil skirts make walking and getting out of cars really difficult. I'd been looking for a neutral pencil skirt and I really liked the sheer panels and texture of this one. I've found it a little difficult to style as I like to keep my stomach area under wraps but this navy jumper sat perfectly and I like the matchy matchy of it.

I went for matching white accessories in a bit of a nod to monochrome. I've been finding myself wearing these all-white Converse a lot lately. What can I say? I just love the comfort.

Navy Jumper - River Island

Navy Pencil Skirt - River Island

White Bag - ASOS

White Converse - Schuh

Pendant Necklace - Topshop

Lipstick - Firecracker by Topshop

Nails - Celestial by Topshop

Monochrome

Monochrome is something I used to associate with the word boring. The word monochrome in itself is not boring at all, in fact, I think it sounds super futuristic and cool but just black... and white... together? It totally goes against my need for bold colours or patterns.

Since it arrived for SS13 I've discovered that actually monochrome is a very bold look in itself. I also like how easy it is to do, for example everything I'm wearing here I already owned. There was no need to go out and buy myself some striking monochrome paneled trousers (which I definitely did do) everything was sitting in my wardrobe ready.

I've got a 'how to style monochrome' blog post in mind with things I've learnt not to do and what works but until then I'll leave you with this monochrome outfit, complete with paper white face! I'm off to Barcelona next week and then on to Malaga and Morocco, so will hopefully come back looking less like a porcelain doll.

Oversized Boyfriend Jacket - Oh My Love

White Tee - H&M

Black Disco Pants - American Apparel

Studded Biker Boots - Matalan

Salt and Pepper Cardigan - H&M

Rose Gold Cross Necklace - Primark

Red Lipstick - Stiletto by Sleek

Layering

Hurrah! So I finally figured out how to get my images to be full size and all nicely lined up. The layout had been irritating me for a while, so I think I'm pleased now.

It's been so cold lately layering has been a huge must, especially as the minute you get inside you're boiling hot, so removable layers is always a priority. I don't have a lot of skirts so it's nice to get a little extra something out of dresses worn as skirts. Clever, I know. I also can't get enough of jumpers so I'm making the most of the cold weather now, layering up with my favourite knits.

Bottle Green Jumper - New Look

Grey Skater Dress - Primark

Studded Slippers - Missguided

Spiked Silver Necklace - H&M

Classic Sekonda Watch - ASOS

Lipstick - Inhibition by Topshop