Spring / Summer Wardrobe Must-haves!

Spring is well and truly in the air and, before we know it, it will be summer. The scents of sweaty children and freshly cut school field grass will permeate classrooms and we'll be propping open every window and door to try and get some fresh air into our lungs. Now is the time where 'cool' work-wear comes to the fore (double meaning totally intended) ...

As a younger high school teacher, I find spring to be the most awkward clothing season. I hadn't really found my 'teacher style' yet, so trying to balance looking professional, ensuring that I didn't suffer heatstroke and keeping my teacher budget in check, used to leave me a bit dazed and confused. Add that to living on an island with relatively narrow shop choice (I like to try before I buy), and working in a school where Sixth Form students don't have to wear school uniform, well, the whole work-wear situation was even more fraught!

Now I'm pretty happy to say that I've sussed my teacher style and I think I'm doing pretty well with balancing style, affordability and professionalism. So, for anyone who's having a bit of a wardrobe struggle, here are three of my favourite spring/summer must-haves for this year.

Must-have Item No.1 : The White Shirt

Firstly, I don't think any work wardrobe is really complete without a couple of nice crisp white shirts. They are a good capsule wardrobe staple and can be dressed up or down, but the big draw for me is that I always feel that little bit more professional when I'm wearing a shirt. However, I also used to really struggle to find a good shirt that 1)didn't look like the shapeless shirts of my own school uniform of yesteryear or 2) gape in the chest area to the point where it looked like my shirt might explode at any second. Neither is a good look for me, or anyone for that matter.

Step in the game changers: Marks and Spencer's cotton rich 3/4 sleeve shirt and the newer cotton rich short sleeve shirt. The 3/4 sleeve is a tried and tested staple of my work wardrobe that I have bought over and over again. It's a great fit, it's thin enough to keep you cool but isn't completely see-through and I personally really like the 3/4 sleeves (I always roll long-

sleeved shirts up to avoid whiteboard marker stains).

The short sleeve is also a great fit, though it is a little longer and slightly thicker. Both come in a few different colours and, like most M&S shirts, have extra little modesty buttons to stop the shirt gaping at the chest. However, the best part is the price, because at only £15 for the 3/4 sleeve and £12.50 for the short sleeve, how can you not want them?!

Must-have item No. 2: The Coloured Blazer

According to a number of magazines and blogs, bright bursts of colour are in again this spring / summer and what better way to bring them into your wardrobe than a fun coloured blazer! After scouring the high street and finding some gorgeous colourful blazers around the £50-60 mark, once again, M&S came to my rescue with their Patch Pocket Blazers.

This style comes in nine, yes, NINE colour options, is machine washable and is made in a lovely light-weight material that will keep you looking professional while staying cool. I absolutely love a boyfriend fit blazer with a rolled up sleeve (again - to avoid pesky whiteboard pen marks), so these blazers are perfect for me. I ended up buying two (one in blush and one in pink), but for £35 each, these cost the same as one of their counterparts in other high-street stores like River Island, Topshop or Next.

Must Have Item No.3: The Statement Necklace

I'll be honest here, I'm pretty new to the jewellery train and i am absolutely loving it (even when students are starting to sing that 'Shiny' song from Disney's Moana at me - I LOVE that film). Recently, a few necklaces have made their way into my rotation, so here's the guide to my top statement necklace locations:

Amazon: a wide range of necklaces for really good prices

I'm not sure how my Amazon buys will fare in the long term (I have a feeling they might give me a green neck), but this Holylove Women's Necklace (£12.74) is the best of the bunch. It's really sturdy and looks gorgeous with a white shirt. This one features creamy pearls, but there are three other colour options available. The postage was free and the necklace arrived in three days. All-in-all, this isn't a bad buy!

Accessorize: very high quality, but you pay for it!

I've gotten a few necklaces from Accessorize in the past and they of undeniably good quality, but my local store just doesn't stock the chunkier statement necklaces I've been looking for, so I've had to go online. There are loads to choose from, but three stood out to me. The cheapest one I liked was their turquoise and gold Two Tone Beaded Necklace for £12.00 (pictured left). In contrast, the most expensive was their Bloomsbury Statement Necklace for £25.00 (pictured centre) and the Textured Balls Necklace (pictured right) fell between the two at £17.00. I was VERY lucky to be shopping during a 20% off weekend and even luckier to have had a gift voucher to use up, otherwise I probably wouldn't have bothered. What made it worse is that, after a week of waiting, the beaded necklace and the statement necklace were both damaged when they arrived as they hadn't been shipped in any protective material. Not one to complain too much, I got the superglue out before wearing any of them, but I wouldn't be surprised for anyone wanting to send them back and get a refund.

So there you have it folks, my guide to three of this spring/summer's key trends. I hope that I've been of some help and I absolutely promise that I am not being sponsored by any of the shops mentioned. Though I wouldn't say no to M&S given the amount of time and money I spend in there - haha! If you'd like to see more of my teacher style inspiration, check out my Pinterest 'Outfits and Accessories' board right here.

Until next time,

E.E.

Copyright acknowledgements for images:

• Shirts and Blazer Images from marksandspencer.com (2018)

• First necklace by Holylove from amazon.co.uk (2018)

• Accessorize necklaces from accessorize.com (2018)