What To Wear Now: Our Editor On Uniform Dressing & The Power Of Permanent Jewellery

I’m going to get real honest for a second. When it comes to clothes, I worship at the altar of the uniform. Call it normcore, blame it on the recession, I don’t mind but it’s true. Looking back, I can hand on heart say that I used to be a hot mess when it came to my shopping habits – and that’s putting it lightly. I always thought of myself as a smart shopper, when in actual fact, the reality was a different scenario entirely. You’ve probably heard it before: a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear. It has taken the last few years of running a business – and quite frankly, not having the time nor the inclination to spend on superfluous purchases – that has made me realise just how important it is to have working pieces that you can rely on to make you feel polished on those days you’re feeling less than.

The same mantra applies to my jewellery. Call me boring but there’s something about wearing the exact same pieces (okay, maybe a few different variations from a small collection – I’m not that bad), that fills me with utter joy. I set out a few years ago to slowly start building a strong arsenal of subtle, more permanent pieces that, first and foremost won’t leave me dying in embarrassment in a meeting as I catch sight of my finger turning green, but also the kind of styles that just sit seamlessly with everything else I wear, no matter the occasion. They don’t shout, they purr – my chain necklaces, simple rings and classic diamond studs have become as much a part of my body as a tattoo. I like to think of it as personal jewellery – not statement jewellery – and each piece is just, well, refreshingly easy.

If you’ve been following us from the beginning you’ll know that of the very few things I have annexed to my body at any given time, Astley Clarke jewellery is one of them. Our love affair goes back years and everything from their classic Biography collection, to their new Interstellar Collection have become no-brainer mainstays in my collection. Cast your mind back to this time last year and you’ll remember the limited edition collection we created with them too. Granted, prices aren’t by no means what you may have become accustomed to at your high street favourites, but, when you’re wearing it every day, that kind of becomes the point.

I’m not a fan of having my photo taken – in fact it actually fills me with dread (I know, what kind of millennial am I, right?) – but I know that today we’re all bombarded with countless recommendations of products we don’t really need. So, in the pursuit of journalistic integrity, I snapped up a photographer for the day to put the collection up to the test and show you just how versatile the range is for getting dressed up for a number of occasions.

As Wilderness festival kicks off this today (I’m currently on route as I write – hurrah!), I worked some of my favourite Biography pieces with an easy summer dress. Unlike Glastonbury or Coachella, Wilderness is less denim cut-offs, Strongbow and flower crowns and more literary stages, gourmet food and Ulla Johnson on heavy rotation, hence the choice of attire. For work, I live in shirts or Breton stripes and I can never own enough jumpsuits so next up, I styled it with the Astley Clarke jewellery you’ll find me wearing day to day. And finally, since my weekends this summer have oscillated between a slew of weddings and more chilled farmer’s market and flower stall runs, it only made sense to show how I style my favourite pieces for those occasions too. Enjoy!