My holiday wardrobe edit

I love reading those 'what to pack this summer' things – you know, like the one Gwyneth Paltrow does for Goop? Although most of us could probably afford only a leg of Gwyneth’s shorts, I love the idea of planning a capsule wardrobe for a holiday. Your mum would call it packing: a fashion editor would call it a holiday edit. Here's what I’m taking to Turkey in just over a week’s time:

Linen kaftan from Kew, £49.95

Shorts from Fat Face, £10

Dress from Hoss Intropia, £65

Maxi dress from Hobbs, £119

Sandals from Kew, £35

That's all I'm taking - plus of course various tank tops, another pair of shorts, flip flops, hat, shades, swimsuit and lots of books. Now, before anyone shouts at me for spending so much money … up until about a week ago I had pretty much no summer clothes. All my summer stuff is years old because, let’s face it, there hasn’t really BEEN a summer for the past 3 years. But then it started to get really hot and I had to face the fact that I had nothing to wear, either here or for my holiday. However, by the time I got round to it, the summer sales were ending and it was all autumn stuff in the shops. (On a side note: doesn’t that drive you crazy? Why can’t they sell summer clothes for the whole of the summer? Ditto seeing all the spring dresses in February when it’s zero degrees and snowing outside.)

I was saved by two shops: Kew and, weirdly, Fat Face, which has never appealed to me but seemed to be literally the only shop in London still selling summer clothes last weekend. Poor Kew are actually closing down soon, and I got some great bargains there – check out their website , there are some great shoes and accessories.

The good news is, since we generally only get a couple of week’s summer, this little lot should last me for the next few years …

How about you? Do you buy all your summer clothes when they arrive in the shops in April even if there's snow on the ground – or do you just not bother, like me?