Glasgow Style Mile Festival Summer Challenge

The transition into Summer can be somewhat difficult for the Scottish. What, with a few weeks of collective sunshine, intermittently disrupted with rain and sometimes (dare I say it?!) snow, our wardrobes need to be a collective to say the least. But before you set your closet on fire, there’s no need to start a new with every turn of season, although ever tempting! To celebrate Glasgow’s very first Style Mile Festival, I got together with House of Fraser to show how you can add a little bit of Summer spice into what you are already working with.

Starting from this Wednesday until the 30th of May, The Glasgow Style Mile Shopping Festival is hosting a shoppers paradise with a line-up full of activity from styling sesh’s to make-up masterclasses and new product demonstrations. With a hot pink hub placed right outside our city’s favourite department store, you can find all your favourite retailers showing off their wares. I am all about making the most of my wardrobe and with a little bit of research and fashion editing, you can kick your closet right into summer in no time, even for just £100!  To prove it,  I headed for an afternoon of shopping in House of Fraser to find some Summer essentials that are guaranteed to go from work to drinks and way beyond — all summer long.

Before you hit the shops, the key is to have a rough idea of what you want. Have a look online or go pick up a copy of your favourite fashion mag to look out trends you would like to take into summer. For me, I was in the market for some fresh summery tops, cool summer trousers and this years sandals. House of Fraser is known for being Glasgow’s premium department store, so when i was given the £100 budget i was somewhat sceptical, but really I should have known that they wouldn’t let me down!

The great thing about Frasers is that they have something to suit every price point although for some reason, we all seem to forget! Sale time isn’t the only time you can pick up a bargain like I proved with these perfect little purchases.

Baring some cold shoulder is the new cleavage and for me, my Summer wardrobe wouldn’t be complete without a shoulder baring top.  I am wearing a lot of blues at the moment so this little linen number is perfect for flinging ontop of denim, so picking up this one from Mango was a no brainer. I never invest too much in Summer sandals because really, we never know how much wear we would get out of them over here, so High Street is the best way to go for affordable footwear. I love these little two toned black and brown pair from Oasis which are perfect to fling on with just about anything.

House of Fraser has so many concessions I couldn’t keep count, and no matter how many I browsed a light striped pair of wide legged trousers were there, almost taunting me. This is a sign that basically, I needed a pair in my budget. And alas I ended up finding these INCREDIBLE cheesecloth ankle grazing trousers in Mango and honestly, I think these will be my staple trousers of the season. Cool, comfortable, high waist and super flattering, there really is nothing more you could want in a trouser. I paired them with some brown Gucci esque mules I found in TK MAXX and my last item from my HOF haul – a cut out sleeveless shirt.

There’s no escaping that shirts are basically my favourite style of top. I have so many from vintage to high street, fitted and boxy, but none that are as cute and summery as this one from Vera Moda. Business at the front and tied up in a bow at the back, this little top would be cute layered or on it’s own. I couldn’t quite believe that all four items took me to £106 in total. You could easily base a week’s summer holiday wardrobe on these items and feel super stylish doing so. I know that each piece will go on past this season and will work hard in my wardrobe in the future. That’s what a real fashion find is all about, right?

With Glasgow’s Buchanan Street coming second to London’s infamous Oxford Street as the UK’s best shopping destination, it really is the place to be to create the perfect wardrobe.  With the biggest brands on the High Street found right on the ‘Style Mile’ the challenge would be to find a favourite store that wasn’t there! Make sure you pop into town during the Glasgow Style Mile Fest and see what bargains you can find. Keep up to date on all the fashion & beauty events over on their Facebook page. Happy shopping!