Two late summer and two early autumn buys from Zara

Fessing up, Zara is size-ist, so really I should start this post with a rant…

Dear  Zara, women come bigger than size 16, so deal with it please. And no you don’t really do size 18…try finding a style that comes in XL on the shop floor…..HARD.

So that over with, the brand is doing some lovely, wearable clothes that work brilliantly for all ages, you may remember we recently featured Ana Rosado’s photo shoot  with older model Jenni Rhodes looking gorgeous in the clothes. So on a trip to the newer Oxford Street store (opposite M&S) I found the following styles you might like to consider buying now if your wardrobe needs a shot of late summer style, together with a couple of starter-buys for autumn, if you can face thinking that far ahead.

Firstly, the lightweight, slight-stretch denim shirt jacket above. Denim is having a  fashion ‘moment’, particularly posh denim, with new denim stores and departments opening all over the place, but the reason I’m highlighting this style is its jacket-to-shirt potential. Its lovely soft feel, a great easy-fit shape and decent stretch (2% elastin) means you can button it up and wear it as a shirt – those sleeves roll up easily, and its length means it looks great worn over skirts. It works perfectly well as a good late summer jacket too, obvs, but you could extend it into the autumn by putting it under a big cardi or another jacket. I tried it on and was seriously tempted ( I can’t buy everything I search out for the blog or I’d be broke). It’s £39.99 here

Secondly you might like this pretty printed, box pleated skirt in maroon (hot winter colour) with a neat black waistband in a great late summer weight. I love a skirt that has a gentle swoosh as you walk and the box pleats on this add a nice bit of tailored waist structure that keeps it all quite grown up. I thought it was silk when I first felt it but it’s just a good quality polyester. Team it with the denim jacket above for a bit of casual glam, try just buttoning buttons 2,3 and 4 up on the jacket with a T shirt underneath too. The Skirt is £59.99 here and again would easily move into autumn worn with a warm sweater.

Then, if you are thinking about winter and of course shops and magazines force us, kicking and screaming, into buying stuff early -perhaps we should resist?- then check out this really fabulously shaped, kimono sweater in steely grey-blue. A word of warning, it’s cashmere, so if you have moth issues you might want to skip it and this image above disguises the lovely length the sweater really is, it’s bum-covering, tucking it in, as the stylist here has done, is a skinny/young person’s game. Gorgeous sleeves and a great neckline….it’s a bit pricey but it looks a keeper, £129.99 here, Ridiculously it only comes in medium, but it is big.

And finally, to make you sit up and think, this metallic gold leather skirt…I know I know….it’s a bit ‘look at me’, but i find myself inexplicably drawn to all things shiny and despite bells and whistles going off in my head saying ‘blingy overdose!’ I do quite like this and bling as a fashion statement is very much still with us. You could tame it’s shininess with that denim shirt jacket and wear it during the day I reckon. What do you think? I’m thinking Christmas……It’s £79.99 here