When I was a child, I wore a pinafore to school. I never thought almost 25 years later, I would be back wearing a pinafore, and versions of it, as a fashion trend. I have no idea who is to blame for the return of the “all-in-one” look, but whoever did, must have known it was going to be the must have item for our summer wardrobes. Comfort and style all in one, plus a huge saving on your suitcase space, the jumpsuit, playsuit, pinafore, and dungaree trend have been reinvented for the current season. The jumpsuit has been here for a couple of seasons now, but this year we see shapes and styles change, to make this look more wearable.
The high summer look
The playsuit is such a great piece to have in your wardrobe for summer. Wear a string strap style with gladiator style sandals to look chic while you stroll on the beach, or try styling it up with some wedge heels to get glam for the evening. And as those summer evenings do get chilly, drape a blazer, or linen jacket, over your shoulders (a look I really love ). Printed playsuits seem to the most popular style on the high street, and my pick has to be this monochrome piece with peplum detail from boohoo.com (€30 ). The print is easy to style with block colours (like red ) and the cut out detail at the neckline creates another level of interest. But, the key selling point is the peplum which takes it from casual to glam. An alternative is a drawstring printed playsuit from Next (€30 ), which can be worn over your swimwear at the beach, or pop a plain T-shirt underneath to shade your shoulders from the midday sunshine.
If you prefer the jumpsuit (with longer leg length ), there is such a choice of beautiful prints and colours online right now. Yellow is a key colour for summer and asos.com has created some eyecatching pieces which also work really well for more formal occasions. Jumpsuits look great with belts; choose belts that will pick out the key shades in your outfit to complement it. Another great pick for summer is a tie-dye style piece from Monsoon, which I reckon is also a great look for a festival, so if you are heading to Electric Picnic, then this needs a place in your tent (€108 ).
The dungarees are back
We have seen Alexa Chung and Heidi Klum wear them, and now it’s our turn! Denim dungarees may not be up everybody’s street, but you will be so surprised at how many ways you can style them. My favourite is with a varsity inspired T-shirt and some chunky jewellery, with some high top runners. But you can make them really elegant too. Try with a white collared shirt and some black stiletto heels and see the look completely change. Now this one is definitely a trend, so I do not recommend splashing out. Penney’s has a great pair in a light denim available right now, which are more than perfect (€21 ). Search your favourite blogs and websites for some style inspiration and ideas on how to wear them, and Pinterest is also another great source of styling tips.
Lorna Claire Weightman
@styleisleIRL
