|It’s summer term time, and my wardrobe loves it|

It’s May half term! And I remember at school that this was always an exciting time. Not necessarily because of the week off, but because it meant when we returned for the last half term of the year, we were allowed to wear summer uniform. At primary school, this meant a lightweight checked dress, and I loved it. My mum, bless her, even managed to find an ultra-jaunty one that had a square sailor collar with anchor motifs in the corners. As an adult, I still get the urge to celebrate June by wearing summer uniform vibes, though as you can see, it’s slightly more mature than back in my Oakfield Primary School days.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ZAC FRACKELTON

I bought this skirt a couple of weeks ago in Urban Outfitters, a high street store that I think really comes into its own for the non-teenager in the summer months (I also picked up the yellow dress featured in last week’s En Brogue In Full while I was in there, and I could have bought a lot more!). I prefer a longer length like this, rather than something above the knee, to avoid any Britney Spears ‘Baby One More Time’ connotations. This particular check is also available in a top and a dress. I haven’t gone full uniform in a collared shirt, although I did toy with the idea of a polo shirt for maximum preppiness. In the end, I liked the more grown-up look of this knitted T-shirt from Fred Perry that I’ve had for a few years.

Long checked skirts aren’t actually that easy to find at the moment, but I love this one from Toast (it would be virtually ankle length on me). Checked dresses, on the other hand, are commonplace on the high street. I am a little obsessed with this one from Zara – the button detail down the back is lovely and it also looks great without the belt. Oh, and the sleeve length! Perfection. If my friend Emma, who is being name checked for the second week in a row, didn’t already have it, I would have snapped it up by now (at that price, I probably still will TBH).

Shoes-wise, let’s talk plimsolls. The black slip-on ones we used to have to wear for P.E. would have been a step too far, I think, but a classic white pair gives a slightly continental twist. Most countries have their own heritage version of the tennis shoe; mine are from Bensimon which is French, but see also Novesta (Slovakia), Superga (Italy), Victoria Plimsolls (Spain), and Spring Court (also France).

As usual, I would love to know what you think! Are you, like me, strangely drawn to outfits that look like school uniform? (I do this in winter, too!) Are the memories of maths exams too much to revisit? What was your summer school uniform like? Leave comments below!