Summer staples sorted with a little help from Ruth Langsford

The sun has finally come out and I am so ready to take a dive into my summer wardrobe. Who’s with me? The feeling of wearing your summer clothes is like no other – they allow you to feel the sun on your skin and a cooling breeze on the back of your neck or your legs. The move from heavyweight fabrics and full body coverage to lighter, more breathable textiles is so liberating and exciting.

A quick look at my own summer pieces, however, reveals some gaps, the most important of which are my summer staples. I refuse to call them ‘basics’ because they work so hard for you and they shouldn’t ever be basic, they should always be the best you can afford.

This is a mistake a lot of us make. We think that our ‘basics’, henceforth referred to as ‘staples’, are the least important things in our wardrobes, but for many of us we wear them so much more often than our smart, dress-up pieces that they should really be the pieces that we invest our time and money into. So it’s important to get them right!

First of all, I should probably explain what I mean by ‘staples’ in your summer wardrobe. What I mean when I say this are the pieces that you wear most often, the pieces that form the bases of most of your looks, your go-to pieces that allow you to put together your day-to-day style uniform. So for you ladies, what I mean by ‘staples’ is, in no order of precedence:

• T-shirts (or ‘tees’, as you will often hear them referred to when we talk about style on air). I recommend some crisp white ones and some in bright block colours, as well as some with motif designs or slogans. These, to my mind, are your most important investment for the summer season! You’ll find a selection of them across many of our ranges including WULI:LUU by Gok Wan, Dannii Minnogue and Ruth Langsford (see below for details of her exciting Today’s Special Value pack of two T-shirts!)
• A denim jacket. A classic and a great summer piece that can complete a look over your summer tees or a maxi dress. Check out our Denim & Co., Women with Control and Ruth Langsford ranges.

• A crisp white shirt. Great with jeans or smart trousers and a structured blazer for a smarter look. For lots of great shirt ideas, you might want to have a look at MarlaWynne, Dannii Minnogue and Ruth Langsford.

• A floaty dress. These come in all shapes and varieties, including a tiered dress, a maxi dress or even a buffet dress. In terms of details this season, smocking is a key feature to give you an on-trend look. Check out Ruth Langsford, WynneLayers, Phase Eight and Helene Berman.

• Summer flats. Again, these can come in a variety of styles and silhouettes but this seasons must-have look is the classic two-strap sandal. Why not look at our ranges from Moda in Pelle, Vionic, Dune, Earth Spirit and Clarks?

This is by no means an exhaustive list of summer basics but if you have these sorted, you’ll be well on your way to being summer wardrobe ready, because once you have great staples you can build the rest of your outfit around them.

Let’s focus now on the hardest working of all your staples in your wardrobe this summer season and that is the T-shirt. It is the most versatile item you own and can be worn with everything from jeans to shorts, tiered midi skirts to cropped trousers.

Thank goodness, then, for Ruth Langsford’s range at QVC, as she covers all the key staples and brings us particularly brilliant T-shirts. What’s even better than that is that she will be bringing us a Today’s Special Value set of two T-shirts on Saturday 5th June. I will be on air with her at 11am for an hour that is solely about her range with us and then also at 12 noon for her fashion edit show, where Ruth brings us her pick of the other ranges at QVC that also work brilliantly well with her own pieces. It is always a joy to work with Ruth, because as a lover of fashion and style myself, I recognise a kindred spirit in her so we could chat all day long!

This will be the first time Ruth is bringing us a pack of 2 tops as a Today’s Special Value and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. The two-pack will have one plain T-shirt and one beaded heart motif T-shirt.

The beaded heart motif is an update on her bestselling heart motif tee, but instead of the heart being printed it is actually beaded, giving it a lovely textural finish. Speaking of texture, Ruth has designed these tees in a wonderfully soft cotton/modal mix so they will be supremely comfortable, which I know is one of Ruth’s overriding priorities with her range.

It is available in a range of six fantastic choices:

• White (motif) and Heather Grey (plain)
• Coral (motif) and White (plain)
• Aqua (motif) and White (plain)
• Black (motif) and Lime (plain)
• Sunset (motif) and Black (plain)
• Cobalt (motif) and Sunset (plain)

There are some great neutral options, as well as pops of colour to really bring the summer vibe to your look.

Now, no more excuses, let’s get the those staples sorted and the rest can take care of itself!

I hope you can join Ruth and myself on Saturday 5th June at 11am and 12 noon. If you have any questions or comments you would like me to pass on to Ruth, let me know here and we can discuss them live on air!

Until next time,

Miceal Xx