carl

I’ve spent £432.78 on black tights this month. No, I haven’t lost my mind (well, no more than usual). I’ve been conducting what might be the most quintessentially British fashion experiment possible: finding the perfect pair of black tights. My bank account manager has concerns. My boyfriend thinks I’ve joined some kind of hosiery cult. … Read more

I still have the last thing I ever bought from Topshop—a slightly ridiculous patent leather mini skirt that I absolutely did not need but couldn’t resist. It was January 2021, the final online sale before they shuttered forever, and I panic-purchased it while sitting in my pyjamas, feeling like I was witnessing the end of … Read more

I was thirty minutes into my first proper country house weekend when I realized I’d made a terrible mistake. Standing in the muddy driveway of my university friend Charlotte’s family home in the Cotswolds, I looked down at my pristine white trainers (already speckled with suspicious brown dots) and then at everyone else’s well-worn boots, … Read more

My first proper memory of a department store beauty hall was getting absolutely bollocked by my mum for spraying too much Tommy Girl perfume on my wrists during a rare family trip to Debenhams. I was thirteen, wearing an alarmingly shiny lip gloss and a Tammy Girl top that I thought made me look sophisticated … Read more

The British beach holiday is a triumph of optimism over meteorological reality. Show me someone packing a suitcase for a UK coastal break, and I’ll show you someone who’s included both sunscreen and a raincoat, flip-flops and waterproof boots, a swimming costume and a chunky knit jumper. We are a nation of weather-hedgers, forced by … Read more

Bank holiday weekends hold a special place in my heart. Not because I’m particularly patriotic or have any idea which historical event most of them commemorate (sorry, GCSE History teacher), but because they represent that magical intersection of having both time off and sales happening simultaneously. It’s like the universe is saying, “Here you go, … Read more

I bought my first “investment piece” when I was 24, fresh out of university and working on a salary that barely covered London rent and my deeply unfortunate Pinot Grigio habit. It was a wool coat from Jigsaw that cost £280, which might as well have been £28,000 given my financial situation at the time. … Read more

Last Tuesday morning, I left my flat in a light sweater and trench coat, feeling rather smug about my seasonally appropriate outfit choice. By noon, I was sweating profusely in surprisingly intense sunshine, the trench coat stuffed unceremoniously into my tote bag. At 4 PM, the heavens opened without warning, and I huddled in a … Read more

The first real autumn day in Britain arrives like an old friend who’s been away too long. You know the one—that morning when you step outside and there’s this specific crispness to the air that wasn’t there yesterday, and suddenly your lightweight cotton jacket feels about as substantial as tissue paper. Last Tuesday was that … Read more

I’ll admit it—I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to supermarket fashion. There, I said it. I’ve spent too many years in the hallowed halls of fashion weeks and designer showrooms to feel entirely comfortable admitting that I’ve been absolutely obsessed with a £15 ribbed vest from George at Asda for the past … Read more