Summer capsule wardrobe – #LetsGetSkirty

We have a few exciting getaways planned for this Summer. Glamping on the Isle of Wight. The Green Man festival, in Wales. A weekend’s partying (sleeping under canvas), to celebrate the wedding of some dear friends. And then a break in the Loire Valley, on a French campsite in the woods.

All of this with kids, which means we need to travel light. So I was delighted when George at ASDA contacted me, with the challenge of creating a capsule wardrobe. I had to choose one hero item, and dress it up with other pieces from around their site, to make three separate outfits.

All for under £100.

My ‘hero’ item was this scenic print skirt, for £14

I decided that a skirt would be best for mixing and matching with other items. Combined with the right shoes and top, a skirt can look glamorous in the evening. And if you sling on a t-shirt and sandals, it’s a good piece of casualwear for a day’s sightseeing. Cooler, and more comfortable, than shorts.

off to the boulangerie

This is my ‘nipping to the shops’ outfit. The camisole vest top, floral flip-flops and baby blue tote bag would be perfect for strolling down to the baker’s in the morning, to fetch some croissants and a loaf of bread.

daytripper

For my sightseeing outfit, I chose a turn-up sleeve t-shirt, with a pair of woven white cut-out shoes. These are comfortable enough to spend a day traipsing round the Loire chateaux in – the leather is very soft.

The accessories for this outfit were a pair of rose-tint aviator sunglasses and a coral cross-body bag (which is perhaps my favourite item of the lot – a snip, at £12).

evening glamour, or a stretch too far?

I’m not sure this combo works, entirely. That’s one of the perils of internet shopping: until you actually see the colours and shapes of items, it’s difficult to be 100% sure that a pairing works. I love the cold shoulder top, but the ‘baby blue’ turned out to be more of a lilac, and it doesn’t sit well with the blues in the skirt. The good thing is that you can always return clothes that don’t work. But I’m keeping this top, as I think it would look nice with a dark pencil skirt, or even a pair of trousers. I’m fond of the shoes, too: animal print kitten heels, which at £14 are a bargain.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of these items, given that I managed to pick up so many for £100. The bags and shoes, especially, were good value; it’s usually the accessories that give away the price of an outfit, but these looked a lot more expensive than they actually were. I’ll definitely be going back to ASDA when I need to put together a wardrobe on a tight budget.

Do you have a ‘hero’ item that you mix and match with lots of other clothes in your wardrobe?

Disclosure: I was sent clothes from George at ASDA for the purpose of this post. All views are my own.

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