BEST BUYS - THE SPRING SUMMER 15 SALES

What to buy and what to avoid like a Spencer Matthews chat-up line in the spring/summer sales? I recently read an interesting article on ethical fashion in which sustainability campaigner Livia Firth offered up her advice on our shopping habits; each time you make a purchase ask yourself if you are going to wear the garment 30 times, and if the answers no, put it back. Sound advice to help us all shop with a conscience. So here’s my sales edit with sustainability in mind – timeless investments that you will wear forever. The Breton stripe is a great starting point and J.Crew have several interpretations in sale. Clarks sandals are my summer go-tos, they’re so comfortable you will wear and wear them and these sporty white sandals are on trend, too. Elsewhere investigate The Finery sale which is full of smart tran-seasonal buys like the Danbury lace shift dress that will look great layered over a polo neck once the temperature drops. A great white tee or a transformative piece of costume jewellery is a great buy, too. 

1st column top - bottom: Jennifer leather tote, Jaeger,  £99 £75. Topshop Unique cropped knitted sweater, £60 £30. Metallic sandals, Cos, £135 £94. Raey cotton jersey t-shirt, Matchesfashion.com, £65 £45. 

2nd column top - bottom: Lace-up sailor tee, J.Crew, £68 £47. Netrix Rose white leather sandals, Clarks, £50 £25. Stacking rings, Astley Clarke, from £30. Danbury lace shift dress, Finery, £75 £49. 

3rd column top - bottom: Sheer lips in Play with Fire, Topshop, £8 £3. Bamboo print silk trousers, Whistles, £170 £85. J.Crew tassel earrings, Net-a-porter.com, £60 £30. 

LFF OUTFITS: MADE IN MANHATTAN

One of the most enjoyable aspects of working for a fashion label is seeing the creative process from start to finish. Having watched our designer and product team at The Fold create this outfit, it was the marketing team's task to name the pieces (such a fun part of my job!). This jacquard pixel print fabric felt cosmopolitan and almost futuristic, so when the name Manhattan was put forward it was one of those lightbulb moments when we knew we had christened the design! 

9 OF THE BEST COOL SWEATERS

Something I love almost as much as a breton tee, is a slogan-number. Sure,  I have plenty of cool t-shirts in my wardrobe [Wildfox and Zoe Karssen make the best], but they spend a lot of time hidden under a jacket. The solution? A statement sweater. The kind of piece I can just throw-on-and-go on a Saturday morning or pair with a midi skirt for dress down Fridays. For the holy grail of cool sweaters, check out Bella Freud, Markus Lupfer and Etre Cecile. Short of cash? No problem - Topshop, M + Co and independent designer Hannah Beth Fincham have you covered. Here's my edit of the best:

1. Orwell and Austin, Wolf and Badger. 2. Markus Lupfer, Net-a-porter.com. 3. Mermaid sweater, Hannah Beth Fincham. 4. EDIT Alphabet sweater, Liberty London. 5. Love sweater, M&Co. 6. Bella Freud, Net-a-porter.com. 7. See by Chloe, Net-a-porter.com. 8. Foil-flower motif, Topshop. 9. Future sweater, Etre Cecile.