A springtime casual wardrobe from F&F at Tesco

[This post was written as part of a paid collaboration with F&F at Tesco to feature a spring time casual wardrobe but all words are my own and the post hasn’t been submitted for approval.]

For information purposes, F&F is available in Tesco stores and not online. To give you an idea of the pieces they are currently stocking, or to find your nearest store, just click here.

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When F&F at Tesco approached me to work with them on a paid collaboration, I was a little hesitant for a number of reasons. In my last post with JD Williams, someone commented “times must be hard if you’re shopping with JD” which got me thinking. You see, in my work as a stylist, and also in my own wardrobe, I’ve always combined high street pieces together. Or,  if not entirely high street, then a little high end with the majority being high street – but maybe that isn’t coming across so much.

My other concern was that I don’t feature F&F at Tesco on Instagram so it might seem un-authentic. But we just don’t have a big Tesco near to us, so it’s not somewhere that I really go. Until now!

A denim jacket? Easy! A playsuit? Wow, that’s a whole new ball game! Dare I go there? The espadrilles were an instant hit and I loved the sunnies!

On a warm evening, I headed with our youngest, to a big Tesco some 10 miles away. It’s easy to get to at 7pm at night but for a weekly shop during the day – not so much! But despite that, I have a real affinity with Florence & Fred because I can safely say that I can lay claim to THE original Florence and Fred. Our Florence is now 20 and our Fred is now 17. I remember our GP telling me, just after Freddie was born, that we had named our children after a clothing range in Tesco. Oh, excellent!

Anyway, safe to say that the youngest and I had a blast together! I found some fabulous pieces, which were super comfortable and which were great prices.  You may have seen me wearing some of them over on Instagram but from my sunnies, to my leopard print earrings, to  my sparkly espadrilles, I absolutely love them.

My aim in selecting these items was to create an interchangeable springtime casual wardrobe in a blue and white colour palette (my favourite) with some metallics and great accessories,  which I could mix and match on a summer holiday and in this post, I’m sharing the results with you.

These espadrilles are so incredibly comfortable. I thought that daytime heels were a thing of the past for me. Not so much!

I think that it’s VERY safe to say that I am a fan of blue and white – particularly blue and white stripes. They get me every time. Literally EVERY time. I am as predictable as night turning into day when it comes to my springtime casual wardrobe and blue and white stripes. But hey, who cares? They make me happy. Oh and sparkles. Sparkles make me happy too. And these espadrilles are beyond comfortable. In fact being able to wear a heel in the daytime has opened up a whole new lot of wardrobe opportunities for me.

A playsuit! NEVER did I think that I would wear a playsuit but actually I really like this one, especially at home, with flip flops.

There’s no point in playing it safe when you have an opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone is there?  At 48 should I really be wearing a playsuit? Well who is to say yes, or no, either way? But I loved this playsuit when I put it on (no tight waistband or sausage legs feeling) and I was surprised at how comfortable I felt in it.  It’s soooo easy to wear. So on those hot days abroad, or those sticky nights at home, I would absolutely wear this and until that hot weather arrives, I’ll dress it up with a denim jacket and sparkly espadrilles.

So we all need a swimsuit and some of you may also like a pair of shorts. Lilac furry slides obviously aren’t a pre-requisite for a versatile spring capsule wardrobe but hec, if you love them and if they make you smile, why ever not?

Now this swimsuit is super supportive with a mesh area over the tummy to put everything where we might like to have it, had gravity/babies/IBS not taken hold. Clever huh? And with a pair of shorts it makes for a lovely “hot day” type of outfit. I still find denim cut-offs one of my favourite short styles. I just don’t have to worry whether they “work” or not. They kind of just do! And I’m all for “minimum thought, or low-maintenance” dressing.

Again, here the denim shorts are coming into their own, this time with metallic sandals. Metallics are a “go to” for me in the summer, particularly when it come to shoes (see the silver sequinned espadrilles above!) because they too are “low maintenance” and they go with everything.  Literally everything!

A blue and white striped shirt is also a great addition to summer wardrobe as it’s great on the beach, tied at the waist, as above, or with Mom jeans (see below). I love the linen blend too – it’s just so gorgeous on a hot day.

The swimsuit that I am wearing has a built in bra shelf and bears the slogan “it’s cool to be kind” and you know what?  It truly is – plus the swimsuit is bright pink so in my book (which I admit may be a very select/slim book) what’s not to love?!

OK so here I’ve gone for….let’s wait for it….blue and white stripes. Well knock me sideways! But at least it’s a dress! I love this style dress and I choose it time and again. I know, predictable – but it just works for me.

A sundress is such an easy style dress to wear. The cut is often slim but without being too tight and there’s no waistband but just darts which are well placed to offer a nice fit. A strapless bra is a pre-requisite but they’re not a deal breaker these days.

Baskets are always a great option for a summer bag and I’m more than happy to pop it with any of the outfits that chose for this collaboration.

So tops! Who doesn’t love a great summer top? I chose two tops to style with some  MOM jeans. I have been after some MOM jeans FOREVER! I’ve hung my nose over them in Topshop more times that I like to admit but finally I have some and I love them! Wearing them with these two pretty tops has made me sooo happy.

I wasn’t sure about the whole “fancy hair slide” trend but again I thought that I would give it a try!

This striped Bardot style top is a great fit. It’s loose enough so that you can have a good old barbeque but without being too voluminous.

And then we come to the white frilly top. I always a love a white frilly top for its versatility when it comes to jeans, khaki trousers, cut offs and also for work too.

And of course peonies are a must at this time of year!

And then last but definitely by no means least, activewear. I’ve seen lots of people wearing F&F clothing activewear but I hadn’t tried it myself. I wouldn’t say that I was sceptical about it because I wear activewear from many different brands and at varying price points but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It’s often the bottoms that can be tricky as they can be too short in the rise and they cut you in half, or they fall down. However, I was really impressed with the high waist on the bottoms, the nice fit of the top as well as the attention to detail in terms of strategic panelling and colour placement!

I’m thrilled to bits with my new F&F clothing pieces and if (like me) you’re not a frequent visitor, now might just be a good time to drop on by. I’d love to know what you  think to my F&F clothing picks for a springtime casual wardrobe!