Feelin' Fruity

Well, now the sales are on and a few shops have already started to load up on jumpers and trousers - I guess they're cutting their losses and trying to get rid of the summer stuff that no-one's buying this terrible season we're having!  So before it all disappears, I thought I'd give a mention to my favourite summer theme: fruit.

Fruit-prints were all over the catwalks and were predicted by the magazines to be a big high street trend.  Sure enough, everywhere you look there's something fruity jauntily displayed on a clothes rack all down the high street.  Here are a few of my favourites:



Dorothy Perkins

This wee bag is so lovely and bright and I love the pineapple print, which is actually one the lesser-seen fruits I've come across.  I've also just noticed that it's reduced from £14 to £5 in the sale - I need a new bag like I need a hole in the head, but I do hope one of you goes out and buys it, cause it's so damn cheery!

H! by Henry Holland

This is a t-shirt from the H! collection by Henry Holland for Debenhams.  For some reason it makes me this of a cocktail, which is probably why I like it!  I love the lime detail behind the cherries, and this vest is a snip at only £15. 

A similar item from the Henry Holland collection will set you back over £30, so the Debenhams range is perfect if you like the style, but not the price tags.



Red Herring

I must admit that these shorts are the kind of thing I like more in theory than in reality.  I recently toyed with the idea of buying shorts or a playsuit and then came to my senses and realised that I don't live in Spain any more and would literally never have a chance to wear them. 


I know some people live in denial about the weather and brave the rain and wind in shorts and sandals just because it's June and therefore technically summer, but I am not one of those people.  Corned beef-patterned legs do no-one any favours - wearer or observer - and until we get weeks of ongoing sunshine, I will admire shorts in pictures only.  I like that these RedHerring ones look as though they're just polka-dotted when actually the 'dots' are teeny red apples.  I also love the high-waist (I am an ardent fan of the high waist, though I'm still undecided if it's the most flattering or the most unflattering look ever - either way, I'll keep wearing them) and the slight flare of the short legs, meaning they won't dig in or look tight, but will flounce slightly and float as good summer shorts should.  These are also reduced from £22 to £11, available at Debenhams.  Don't let me cold leg-phobia put you off, they are very cute!

Matalan

I had to add these from Matalan, purely because they're not, as they first appear, a dress but rather (enter your own drumroll here) dungarees!  And they're fruity!  Well done Matalan, I say: who needs jumpsuits and playsuits when you can have dungarees?  I'd love these even more if the print were much larger, but even as they are I think they're pretty great.  Down to £15 from £23, and you could always take that heavy black belt off and replace it with something skinny and metallic, maybe a nice bronze.

On the other hand, you could leave the belt and team these with thick black tights, on the days when the sun is nowhere to be seen!

If big prints aren't your thing, fear not!  There's always accessories.  The ever-helpful ASOS have this banana hair clip for £8 - I hate all things banana, but I would still wear this, I think.  It's bright and fun, and you can give a nod to the fruity trend without going overboard on it.

Tatty Devine have this nice pineapple pendant too, though this will one set you back an eye-watering £45.  All the wee bits are fixed on separately, so it "jiggles" when you move.  Entertaining, maybe, but not enough for me to stump up £45 for it.

So there you have it, enough fruit to get you through whatever's left our so-called summer!  You can go for big, in-your-face prints or small details to add to your normal outfits - a very cheery twist on the usual floral themes.  Also, for all of you living in Glasgow, I found a lovely cherry-print umbrella in Hobbs, that you can see here!