Another competition, another styling challenge. I love getting my teeth into these – pulling together new outfits, especially to a budget, means exploring new brands, style ideas and wardrobe possibilities. What’s not to love? This one is MoneySupermarket’s second PassionForFashion, the brief being to style three looks – holiday, casual and party – each under £200. Judged by three fantastic fashion bloggers (the kind you regularly check back in on to see their latest post) – Natasha from Girl in the Lens, Jen from A Little Bird Told Me and Olivia from What Olivia Did – the competition’s top prize is £1000 to spend on a spring/summer wardrobe and for the category winners, £200 to buy the outfit they styled. The competition is open until April 8th, so there’s still time to enter! Let me know if you do in the comments below. And I’d love to know which is your favourite of the three outfits I’ve styled.

So, first up, is my holiday outfit. This started with a fabulous holographic kitty bandeau bikini from Topshop. Pretty much my dream bikini. It evolved with the sandals and bracelet chiming in on the colour palette of pinks, turquoise-green and oranges. Such an intoxicating array of colours should be anchored by a strong neutral, and in this case, I chose a black panelled and box-pleated voluminous top, which I think could quite successfully be worn as a thigh-skimming dress. Which is fine, cos’ it’s holiday time! And just imagine this mix of colours against a golden tan… heavenly! The cloth shopper – a print which makes me think of the sea, the sea – is from the newly-opened and by all accounts brilliant new sister brand to H&M, & Other Stories. Great selection of decently-priced bags they have there.

Next is my casual look. I’ll start with the floral trousers from Boohoo. I already own a pair of these in a slightly different pattern – they are a great fit and for only £20, well, what more can I say? Brilliant spring buy. Not only do they boost your mood magnificently – a wonderful mix of jaunty confidence and bright hellos – but the rest of your outfit follows nice and easy. I’m also a big fan of grey marl, this sweater from Cos has just the right relaxed wide neck and oversized fit and the bright white of a Superga plimsoll (I wore these when I was a kid and I’m loving this new understated high-top style) sets off the print wonderfully. I thought I’d add a bit of edge with a chain clutch (the priciest item in this ensemble). I don’t know why but I love how gold chain mixes with jersey, kind of street but weirdly classy at the same time and I think the green holographic belt (how super affordable is Monki btw?) while possibly walking the line, ultimately works when you consider the strength of the neutrals.

Last up is the party outfit. The most expensive of the three. The Kling dress is way out of my comfort zone with its creamy prettiness and pleats but I wanted to try something different. And I’ve brought things straight back to my happy place by contrasting with a bold red, sharp-shaped clutch and pointy black wedge heels. I love the brutalist design of the copper and gun-metal coloured ring but to echo the dress’s daintiness I’ve chosen ever-so-delicate paper eyelashes by Paperself (the brand made famous by Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games). Anyway, I love that this outfit is breaking my style boundaries and getting me to consider a slightly more complex game of soft pretty teamed with tough elegance.