The last 18 months has been a strange time for the fashion industry. With the UK plummeted in to lock down in March 2020, many fashion trends that were set to hit the high street simply had to be scrapped. Instead of beautiful summer dresses for BBQ’s or nights out on the town, lounge wear was the number one fashion style on everyone’s list. The fact we all had to stay at home and could not socialise meant that any outfit that was a little bit dressy or designed for a day or night out was put on the back burner. As the UK restrictions become lifted, more and more people are looking forward to being able to get out and about and hopefully enjoy the summer weather. The high streets are a wash with dresses, smock tops and sandals and with the weather warming up, it wont be long before many people are able to enjoy time together with loved ones again.

If you work in the fashion industry, it may take a bit of time to adjust to what is happening and hopefully you have already got your summer / autumn collection on the shelves.

Handbags are one of those fashion items that can vary drastically in price. You can often pick one up from a high street store for less than £10 our you can pay well into the thousands for a designer one. Essentially, they both do the same thing, so why such a massive price range?

Some people see handbags as a fashion statement. They may see a handbag as important to them as a car. This goes for shoes and clothing too which again has a huge price range. Often the most expensive items are those that have been designed by a well-known designer such as Louis Vuitton or Gucci. Some people like to have these sorts of bags as they feel that it means they are doing well financially others may just really like the design or the designers style and although they may not really be able to afford it, save up for a long time to get one.

When it comes to designer brands you may not understand what the attraction is. Often many people will say they are not paying more for an item just because it has a badge on it, but is the quality better too? Often designer clothing and accessories are better quality than high street stores but does the cost really justify this? That’s up to you to decide.

As the weather heats up our thoughts turn to our summer clothes. We might reach them down from the attic or from under the bed only to realise that they are not in fashion any more or that they don’t fit as well as they did at the end of last summer, so how can our summer wardrobe be updated without breaking the bank?

One of the first things to do is to throw out anything that you do not really like and have not worn in the last couple of years. We all hang on to items of clothing that we think we will wear again but often don’t thereby cluttering our drawers and wardrobes unnecessarily.

Next sort out the items of clothing that you wear most during the summer months. Do any of these items need replacing and if so, make a list so that when you are shopping you can look out for them.

A staple summer wardrobe for a woman could consist of a selection of tee shirts some strappy and some with sleeves, shorts and cropped trousers, dresses made from a lightweight material and the essential cardigan or wrap for the often chilly British summer evenings.

Footwear is going to be a mixture of comfortable walking shoes or sandals if you enjoy getting out and about in summer and sandals for more dressy occasions.

Whether it be for a family wedding or a Christmas party or anything in between we may find ourselves searching for that special outfit. Some people search online and order clothes only to find that they don’t fit properly or that the fabric isn’t what they expected so a valuable solution is to carry out your search on the high street.

There are plenty of high street clothing shops that offer a special occasion range with prices to suit your budget and don’t dismiss charity shops as a bargain can often be found on designer clothing in these stores.

Some of the larger department stores offer the service of a personal shopper who can advise you on their range and help you choose not only your outfit but coordinating accessories too. This is a good option if you don’t fancy the prospect of hunting down the right accessories in numerous shops.

There are, on the high street of larger towns and cities, shops that specifically cater for wedding outfits such as Mother of the Bride or Groom attires. These shops are usually more expensive than high street stores but offer a more exclusive range of outfits and coordinating accessories such as fascinators, hats and bags.

When it comes to coats – Barbour is a very well-known name in the UK. The company first started up in 1894 by a man called John Barbour. They were initially known for importing oilcloth but very quickly they distinguished themselves from their competition by instead using waxing cotton with paraffin wax. This process seemed to help the clothing items last longer (less cracks at low temps) and feel more comfortable to wear. Initially these coats were often worn by farmers, fisherman and even members of the military (especially the navy). Over the years the coats have become very popular with bikers because of their hard-wearing capabilities and comfort.

Now a days although Barbour has become more of a fashion product with it often being found in some top end high street stores, it still tries to keep hold of its ethos and family roots.

Prices range from around £70 upwards of £300 for a Barbour coat, but they are designed to last so you should get many years of enjoyment out of it. All the Wax coats are still made in the UK in the factory in South Shields but many of the other coats produced by Barbour are now manufactured abroad.