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Those of you who have already got your summer holidays out of the way and are now back in Blighty enjoying the steady sizzling temperatures – congratulations! You are now in possession of the essential ingredients of a Hot British Summer wardrobe.
With a bit of editing and filtering and a few ‘Only In GB’ additions, you’re sorted for the ongoing hot weather. So here are some tips for shifting your Mediterranean wardrobe into your everyday in the UK one.
Pack away the frills flounces and puff sleeves that often make an appearance on holiday
This is a good tip for life post August, too: sleeker, simpler, cleaner lines are more adaptable, and simplicity and a clean cut are what separate a working day in the city from a Mamma Mia Greek island break.
Put away the shirred and tiered double cotton dress and put on your long lean button through dress or Zara’s midi shirt dress in ecru linen with bold red cross hatching (£99.99, zara.com) or its cool shirt dress in fine striped blue and white poplin (£44.99).
Linen and linen mix clothes – whether it’s a dress or a trousers and a top – are the holiday clothes that easily make the transition from evening in the hotel restaurant to office on a 24 degree day. In case you’re still not aware, Marks & Spencer has a separate linen shop online where you can take your pick, though steer clear of plain white and go for the linen-rich wide-leg trousers (£27.50, marksandspencer.com) in navy or a neutral stripe and the sky blue oversize girlfriend shirt (£39.50).
I also like Rise & Fall’s Future-linen V neck tunic and wide-leg trousers (£47 and £65, riseandfall.co). And Zara’s light blue wide-leg linen blend culottes (£29.99); perfect with a wafty cropped white shirt.
* Pack away cork and rope soles
The fastest way to drag a perfectly UK appropriate outfit into ‘Holiday’ territory is with canvas platforms, espadrilles, embroidered mules, beaded flip flops etc.
Instead opt for smart sandals. You may already own a pair of sleek, chic, comfortable, probably black (could be brown), open strappy sandals and you may have worn them most evenings on your Mediterranean holiday (nothing polishes up a plain cotton dress for evening better than some jewellery and a pair of smart sandals).
If you haven’t yet found the perfect pair then Zara does an elegant two-strap sandal with shiny brass buckles and a moulded sole rather than the more casual corkbed sole (£29.99, zara.com), so they’re a little smarter and better for work; or Hush does a sleek black leather style with a metal detail on the toe for extra glamour and style (£90, hush-uk.com).
* Dial down the colour palette
Nothing wrong with bright colour for a British summer, but tequila sunrise orange, bougainvillea pink and Maldives turquoise can look garish at home, even with temperatures in the mid-twenties.
Put away tropical prints, florals, neon trims (if you have any); keep out your paler stripes, subtle spots and checks, and colour block reds, indigo blues and buttery yellows.
If you want to inject a bit of British cool into something bright, then add a navy or cream cardigan slung around your waist or shoulders. Likewise a navy and cream striped tank worn with bright red or white trousers is instantly closer to home; even if you do look a bit South of France, no harm in that.
* Swap thong jewellery and semi-precious stones for chunky gold and silver
Your Mediterranean holiday is when you inevitably pick up a bead necklace or a shell on a thong (just me?), but beachy accessories including jewellery, big brimmed sunhats, straggly straw totes (straw totes are fine so long as they’re pristine and not beachworn) have no place back home. Put them all away and wear your least boho dress, or trousers and top, with a slick gold pendant (£34.99, pilgrim.net) or a cuff bracelet or gold bangle (£19.99, zara.com).
You need to go smarter with a sunhat at home than the one you take out on the pedalo and a bucket hat or anything with a raw edge won’t do. Try Toast (toa.st) for quality sunhats or the Joules Siesta neutral straw hat (£40, next.co.uk).
Finally don’t be tempted to wear your beach shorts in town, or the halterneck you first wore in 2000, and never wear a swimsuit as a body to work.
Good luck in the heat.
