Faux.

 Outfit - Topshop
Bag - Asos

All this temperamental weather means getting smart with my layering again, hence the return of the faux fur gilet! I bought it in autumn to see me through to the winter and wasn't really expecting to wear it again until after summer, but it's perfect to keep me snug in the wind. I was also a little worried it would clash with my hair - luckily they seem to work because they're both tones of candy pink. Layering, I will admit, has never been my forte, because I tend to come up with an outfit and then just have to cover it with a coat.. maybe I need more gilets and jackets like this to force me to get better at it! I still love the faux fur, and the lighter hue on top keeps my outfit much more springlike than if I'd put on my trusted biker jacket. Pastels have always been my favourite colour palette because they are very versatile and cohesive, while they stand out from the crowds of classic black.

Tara India xo

Return of the jelly shoes.

 Top - H&M
Skirt, Jacket, Socks & Choker - Topshop
Shoes & Bag - Asos
Watch - Vintage

It's a little frustrating that even when it's nearly June I'm still taking a jacket everywhere! I'm enjoying not having to wear tights (which are, in all honesty, just a pain) but here in Birmingham I can't seem to go out without getting a free facelift off the wind, which means I'm still toting around my biker jacket despite the fact I just want to wear t-shirts and bralets and not have to bother! I had all kinds of summery outfits planned, I've packed away my winter wardrobe, and yet I still can't wear my summer favourites. Hurry up English summer! This outfit was a bit of a thrown together choice since all the outfits I wanted to wear were decidedly impractical.. and so I've stuck to my current monochrome obsession! I do like the way my hair colour really pops, especially now it's some candyfloss colour, and I am enjoying the release of my inner six year old with the return of my jelly shoes and cute socks. It's hardly the most grown up fashion choice, but they're cute, comfy and best of all glittery! But like I said, I'll be even happier when I can go out without my jacket and not catch pneumonia...

Tara India xo

Biker Belle.

 Biker Jacket, Bralet and Sandals - Topshop
Skirt & Necklace - Vintage
Handbag - Vintage Chanel

One of my favourite fashion juxtapositions is to take a super-sweet outfit and toughen it up, like I have here with this ballet-esque pastel pink skirt and white lace bralet which has been topped off with black accessories and a biker jacket. Anything too sweet doesn't quite feel like me - I love pastels and super-girlie clothes, but I'm a little bit too tough to wear them alone. I never like to keep my aesthetic predictable, but this is a classic combination that I wear over and over because it always looks good. A biker jacket will never go out of style and is the perfect foil to something that borders on pale and sickeningly sweet. In ten years time I'm sure I'll still love this kind of look! I also absolutely had to wear my new vintage necklace - it's a 1950s piece I picked up at a vintage fair last weekend and I am absolutely in love with it! I feel like nothing these days is made to last, whereas this has a history behind it. Vintage jewellery also manages, even with costume pieces, to refrain from being tacky, while I find most modern jewellery is far too shiny and glitzy to be classy (and breaks or tarnishes in a matter of weeks!). This outfit is rather a step back into my comfort zone of retro-inspired glamour with a wearable twist - something which I feel describes my style most days - and I promise I'll be trying something new soon, and maybe retiring the biker jacker if the weather sorts itself out and actually becomes bearable!

Tara India xo

White out.

 Outfit - Topshop
Bag - Versace
Earrings - Vivienne Westwood

White is everywhere this season, from the runways to the shops to the still-cloudy sky, and I have completely fallen for its clean and wearable freshness. While I still gravitate towards black, I think the summer equivalent is white - while black attracts heat, white keeps you cooler, and frames print and texture just as well. It may be an absence of colour, but it looks perfect against green grass, blue skies, and pairs with pretty much anything. I don't think white is as easy to wear, not as universally flattering, and comes with a little anxiety about keeping it clean (especially when you're as messy as me!) but it is very fresh and clean, and feels almost like inviting summer in. I wore this last night to go in to town and then out to dinner and it worked perfectly as a day to night outfit thanks to the bodycon style and lace texture, especially when framed by black accessories and my favourite silver sandals. I don't think I'll ever get away from my love of monochrome, but maybe I'll start wearing more white than black now that it's getting a little sunnier..

Tara India xo

Mix it up.

 Biker Jacket, Bralet, Sandals & Sunglasses - Topshop
Trousers - Asos
Necklace & Bracelet - Vivienne Westwood
Handbag - Versace

 I'm sure I've said it before, but my favourite way to dress is to combine aesthetics - I'll never quite go top to toe classic or retro or bright. I may have a real affinity for the fifties but I will always give things a twist, just so I don't look like I've stepped out of a time warp, and I love to modernise things and put together aspects of different looks to create something fresh. I like to think that's one of the things that makes me so individual! I can't seem to pin down my own aesthetic, switching between vintage and modern and bright and subdued from day to day, so I like to draw something out of each of them. Every so often I try to work out what to describe my look as on that particular day and I usually can't fix on it. This outfit was one of those - it's full of some of my favourite elements and is overall cohesive, but it's influences range from the bright and almost garish florals of the seventies on my trousers, and the classic luxe lace and leather of my bralet and handbag, tied together with a modern classic in my biker jacket. I also think it is my attention to detail that keeps my outfits working - perhaps without the coordinated jewellery and simple colour scheme, with lipstick picking out the colour in my hair and trousers, then this wouldn't have worked. Whatever it is, I can at least say I never dress predictably and my looks are never dull!

Tara India xo

Finding the right jeans.

 Outfit - Topshop
Necklace - Tiffany

What's this? Tara's wearing jeans?? I have to admit I almost exclusively wear skirts & dresses, occasionally shorts or trousers, but never jeans. I'm not saying that jeans can't look good - they are a versatile, casual and very workable wardrobe staple - but that I personally find them hard to wear. It's almost impossible to find a pair that fit me, thanks to being a mere 5'0, so the taking up becomes too much effort. Jeans are notoriously difficult to buy as well, so I'm going to put a few tips on shopping for jeans below! I also feel almost underdressed in jeans, which leaves me a little uncomfortable, probably because I wear them to work up in Birmingham or only to run to the corner shop. As a serial overdresser I'm not a fan of outfits that look too low-maintenance, and so I steer away from jeans as being too lowkey for me. However, I'd been eyeing up this Topshop pair for a while - the light pink hue made me think of spring, as well as fitting in more with the colour palette of my wardrobe - so I eventually bit the bullet, tried them on and had to buy them! And I do love them. They are fairly skin-tight and a little unforgiving, but I love them. That said, I wouldn't call myself a convert to jeans and you will probably never see me in classic blue denims because I prefer something a little more statement..

As promised, here are a few tips for buying jeans:

Don't be a slave to sizes.

I had to go a size up from my usual in these jeans simply because they are so tight, so I'd recommed trying the size up - you can always go and get the size down afterwards, but nobody needs the feeling of their usual size failing to go on! With jeans I'd say ignore what size you usually are and just find the one that flatters, regardless of the label.

Don't try them on right after eating.

It sounds silly, but everyone bloats a bit after a meal or even after a large coffee, and once again, nobody needs the feeling of not fitting into the jeans. That said, if you put them on and don't feel there is room to eat (or drink, or breathe!) then go a size up and avoid the guilt!

Height does make a difference.

If you aren't of average height, then don't waste your time in the standard section - whether you're tall or petite, go to the appropriate section because you want your jeans to hit the right length. Topshop is especially good for this.

Always try before you buy.

The above tips have all related to trying on, because if there's one item you need to try on it is jeans! The perfect, flattering pair are difficult to find so try on a few and pick the best, never just pick them up thinking they'll be fine... going home and realising they don't fit is even more annoying because you have to work out returns. This is why I will never buy jeans online either!

Tara India xo

Optimistic dressing.

 Biker Jacket, Skirt, Top & Shoes - Topshop
Necklace - Vintage
Bracelet - Vivienne Westwood

Transitional weather is probably the hardest to dress for, especially in England! The days are so unpredictable that it could change within a few hours, which makes going out all day or from day to night a bit of a challenge - wake up to sunshine and it's sure to rain, especially if you go without a jacket, and if it's raining in the morning it could easily be sunny later and you end up boiling.. Spring, and autumn of course, is the epitome of this and it makes choosing an outfit especially difficult. That said, everyone knows I never dress for the weather - however, I'd say this temperamental climate is one of the main reasons! I've got a little better in that I always take a jacket out, and I've even succumbed to skin-toned tights, but I will say I usually end up just wearing whatever I want and accepting the consequences! I wore this outfit last week to go shopping, simply because now that slightly nicer temperatures have descended I've really got back into bardot-style necklines - I love the retro glamour of an off-shoulder top/dress and I own quite a few! I enjoy making retro silhouettes a little more modern though, which is why I didn't go for a flared skirt, but a straighter tapestry skirt and a biker jacket. I'd say my style is often a mix of retro and modern and this is one of my favourite outfits recently. I was a little chilly while out, but now that it's May I'd say I'd rather just dress pretty and hope for the best - although my mum did say my optimism was bordering on delusion....

Tara India xo

I'm a 90s chick.

 Maxi Dress - Cow Vintage
Shoes - Dr Marten
Watch - Vintage
Necklace - Vivienne Westwood

For the first time in my life, summer will be the season of the maxi dress. I've said it before, but for some reason I always shied away from them! It might have been the fear of looking even tinier than I am (I am, after all, only a mere five foot tall), or perhaps it was just the anticipation of having to take them up every time... either way, before this year I probably owned two and had worn them maybe once each. Now however I seem to have struck the jackpot with Cow Vintage - both of the maxi dresses I have bought have been perfect length and also managed not to dwarf me! I will admit that I feel like some kind of 1990s mom - but maybe I've just grown up too much now to go back to the rave kid aesthetic! Looks like I'll be clearing out the vintage floral maxis to float around in this summer...

Also, as if you couldn't tell, I have dyed my hair yet again! My hair seems particularly resistant to dye - maybe it's the natural darkness, or the texture/porousness, but one or two washes and the last colour was almost gone.. So this time around I've gone for what I call 'Neon Baby Pink' (it's actually Carnation Pink by Directions) on top of yet another load of bleach. And while I want this pink to last a while (because I love it!) I don't mind if it washes out in a few weeks, because that just means I can test out even more colour over the summer! But let's see how long this lasts....

Tara India xo