STYLE STAPLES | GIVING A CLASSIC AN SS18 UPDATE

*Post Sponsored By Ralph Lauren*

Style staples, we all have them. 
Those pieces that we reach for day in and day out.

For some of us, those pieces stay the same season in and season out and for many, many years.
However, mine seem to differ every now and again. 

Whether it's my leather jacket throughout spring/summer that appears to be surgically attached to my body and acts as the perfect cover up for the temperamental weather of the UK or how I tend to switch up whether it's my beloved light wash denim jeans or washed black jeans that I'm rocking every other day; my style staples are always there, but some are just more prevalent than others at certain times of the year and in my life in general.

Despite being a trend girl through and through, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about which staples define my style. The items that instantly make me or those who know/follow me, think of me. I'd imagine that for the most part it's something colourful, clashing in print or something with a sixties style aesthetic... Am I right!?
Well for me, when I really get to thinking about this, there are a few true style staples for me, those items that have been with me since around the age of 14 when I really began to shape my own personal style. The items that are never too far away from my wardrobe and those pieces that are updated with current trend features seasonally. 

Leather jacket, black jeans, slogan t-shirt, mini skirt, ankle boots and a polo shirt, that about covers my style staples.
I've been wearing all of the above for the past 12 years and I imagine I'll be doing so for the next 12 to come. 

I remember vividly falling in love with the polo shirt, a piece that has been championed by many a social culture, creatives, businessmen, sportsmen and students alike. A piece that holds a lot of heritage and a place in many peoples hearts.

The Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt celebrates it's 50th birthday this year, how crazy is that!?
I've always admired how beautifully simplistic the Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt is and how it acts as a blank canvas for SO many different people to truly make their own. 

As I have done here today; a real mix of classic pieces, shapes and silhouettes with a 2018 twist, something I really enjoy experimenting with whilst styling. When I think of the polo shirt, many things come to mind, one of them being the seventies, which was the inspiration behind this look. 
The Ralph Lauren polo shirt, which was funnily enough created in 1972, seems so much more modern than that and I really do struggle to believe that it is 50 years of age! However, paying homage to it's birth year, I donned my SUPER high waisted flares with it's SS18 checked print, my suede platform boots and red coloured lenses, ready to hit the streets of Manchester!

I've mentioned this before but I really do believe that there is a correlation between style staples and the pieces that make us feel our most powerful, most confident and strong selves. My style staples are certainly the pieces that make me feel all of the above all at once. 
And whilst I didn't mention my platform boots or flared trousers earlier, they have certainly become my more trend-focused staples of the past 5 years and therefore, when combined with an all-time staple such as the polo shirt, it's safe to say I can take on the world that day!

Not one to keep things quite so neutral and simplistic I threw in some colour with some red accessories, the perfect colour to symbolise strength and power and to top off an all round go-to and empowering look for me.

Speaking of go-to looks, the polo shirt features in another go-to, staple look of mine, one I was SO tempted to share with you today but one I thought be a little on the obvious side of life... Can you guess it!?

Well 10 points for you if you said with an A-line skirt! 
It ticks of those retro silhouettes beautifully and is such a failsafe combination during the summer months, proving just how versatile a polo shirt can be, hence it's "staple" status!

So Happy Birthday to the Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt and thanks for always being a key wardrobe staple for me, we go way back with many memories and I'm sure many more to come! 

I really hope you enjoyed this post, I REALLY loved styling it up for you and donning all of my wardrobe favourites all at once. I would LOVE to hear which pieces are your style staples!? Which pieces make you feel strong? Have you forever been into the humble Polo Shirt like me? I would LOVE to know, so lets chat!

x M

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSIE BUTCHER