After close examination, we’ve decided – it’s the shirt that makes Karen’s outfit (and the cute boots, but let’s concentrate on the shirt a minute). Having dressed things down with a leather jacket, the crisp white collar brings a sharpness back to her understated but immaculate get up.

“Brighton is a nice place to get inspiration,” she says. “People dress differently and you can get a lot of ideas from looking at people out and about. If there are things that you
like you can pick and choose from what
they’re wearing.”

Karen has used her magpie eyes with class.

Hat from H&M
“I like hats. I bought it recently because of the rainy weather. It’s kind of a mix between a bowler and a cloche hat, so a bit more feminine.”

Shirt
“I’m probably more of a shirt than a jumper or t-shirt person. It’s easy to dress up a lot of items when you put on a shirt. It makes it a little bit more formal, a bit more grown up.”

Dress from Comptoir Des Cotonniers
“It’s one of my favourites. It’s really comfortable but it’s a nice mix between formal and informal. I wear more dresses than skirts or trousers.”

Jacket from eBay
“I think it’s originally from Top Shop. It’s the right kind of jacket for Brighton, you can wear it come rain or shine because it’s waterproof but it’s not too thick when the sun comes out.”

Belt “from my mum”
“It’s a dark blue, so quite an unusual colour. It makes a plain outfit a bit more fun.”

Tights from Marks & Spencer
“I hate tights and try to avoid them but I get cold. The ideal situation would be me living in a Mediterranean country where it was warm and I didn’t have to wear tights.”

Boots from Venice
“They bring back holiday memories. I like a splash of colour in a monochrome outfit, especially bright blues.”

Photo by LomoKev at lomokev.com/style