S/S 2008 - The New Tailoring... Wide-legged Wonders

JJ Park metallic rosette sleeve top - ASOS £65
White rib frill vest - Topshop £10
Faceted beads and charm necklace - Miss Selfridge £8
Black Trousers - River Island £34.99
Quilted Mary Jane pumps - Topshop £25
Carta - Faith £55

You see, I am a great believer in investing in quality staple garments that will last last me many seasons, such as a perfect fitting pair of skinny jeans and a classic LBD or killer heels, but for some reason I have an aversion to spending anything over £20 on an item for work! I'd rather rummage through the sales for a bargain pair of trousers or shirt, which isn't very logical considering 4 days out of the 7 demands a specific dress code for work so really I should be spending a lot more money on items I have to wear the most (Friday is 'wear what you want' day, my favourite dressing day of the working week!).

So, with my new monthly shopping fund sitting in my bank, what else was a girl to do on Saturday except hit the stores - with the plan to find myself a new pair of work trousers, straight leg being my preferable choice for a change. After scouring the usual H&M, Dorothy Perkins and Primark for the perfect pair of (cheapish) trouse rs, I was out of luck and in despair heaving round my unexpected heavier environmentally-friendly M&S shopping bag bulging with a few unplanned purchases I just had to have (You know the kind I mean!).

Until I came across these black beauty's from River Island. The fact that it was in River island was a shock - is it just me or have they transformed their rails from what was once a range of sequin clad lycra to a new fab collection complete with pretty details, fabulous fabrics and hot handbags, shoes and accessories!

With a feminine edge on masculine tailoring riding high in the fashion stakes and a military theme with a classic, old-school influence adorning the catwalk, these trousers with their nautically nice buttons and wide-leg, slouchy cut tick a combination of trends that will see me through to spring - and what's more, they were the only size 8 in short length, which for a girl at just 5 foot is an absolute blessing that you don't find often... it was a sign I just had to buy them, they were obvioulsy made with me in mind!

There's nothing more powerful than a woman dressing in tailored men's clothing and black trousers are a necessary staple for any girl. The buttons on these make this particular pair even more versatile.

• Tick the box for sheer tailoring and team with these beautifully bowed peep toe heels and black rosette sleeve blouse to create that perfect desk-to-dawn dancing outfit.
  
• Or keep the silouhette slim and dress down with a this pretty frilled vest. Take the look into S/S 2008 with statement jewellery.
• For a smart weekend look add cute quilted flats.