So tartan’s big this autumn. You might have noticed. Part of the whole grunge thing. Which is all very well, if you’re not Scottish…

“What’s that, a tartan dress? Nobody wears tartan!” was my husband’s affronted response. To be fair, for those raised in Scotland, wearing tartan (real or not)  makes you a) feel like you’re back at school or b) like you’re a pub placemat. Or you’re at some formal do where the men are in kilts, which is A-OK. But in the interest of exploring fashion trends, I persevered to explain how tartan was at all the AW13 previews, is in all the shops right now (“Ha, no one will buy it!”) and that it is genuinely something people are interested in, as confirmed by my friend Charlie this afternoon who has been inspecting high street kilts.

This dress is by OMG Fashion, a mere £14, size S/M and overall has a nice straightdown line, not too clingy. I did roll up the sleeves as they were a bit long on me. I pulled out my Sophie Hulme envelope bag as I like the colour contrast, and she is not going anywhere at the moment. Check out my pal and actress Annabelle Wallis and her new black Sophie Hulme tote on instagram (so jealous!) – have you been watching her and Cillian Murphy in BBC 2’s Peaky Blinders btw, brilliant weeknight drama with a most excellent soundtrack! I’ll be missing this week’s episode though as I’m heading to Manchester for the Vogue Fashion’s Night Out on a exclusive little press trip cooked up by PR whizz Zoe. Super excited!

Ps. Worth noting I am still wearing my Incoco nail appliques, it’s been over two weeks! Obviously they’ve peeled off round the edges now but definitely going to stock up on some more gold glittery ones. And on a further tartan note, if you don’t want to go the whole hog with a dress, I’ve spied these tartan skater skirts which could be a good alternative.

OMG Fashion tartan dress (c/o), Sophie Hulme envelope bag, Annina Vogel chain rings & vintage necklaces.