this year i'm wearing...

As 2012 tiptoes nearer, I thought I'd take a look back at some of my outfits from 2011...

January

Back in January I was getting a lot of use out of my newly-purchased peach leather skirt, often teaming it with my leopard heels (a Christmas present from 2010) as well as a slick of lipstick (usually Rouge Dior in Trafalgar Pink or Mac Viva Glam Gaga). For my birthday party I bought a beautiful navy one-sleeved dress from Topshop and carried my beloved perspex clutch (a birthday present from me to me). I had also recently snapped up my Primark mesh heels for a mere £3 and I certainly got my money's worth out of them.

February

February saw a lot of use of another birthday present: my white leather Topshop clutch, while my black Primark courts (which I found for £4) were definitely the shoes of the month. I also bought my first watch in about ten years, a gold mannish style from ASOS, and it barely left my wrist throughout February, even earning itself a place in Grazia's short-lived "This week you bought" feature.

March

March saw me alternating between turquoise and lilac nails, as well as buying a turquoise laptop case from ASOS (which I used as a clutch). My skinny silver belt from H&M saw a lot of use, but sadly my favoured Primark mesh heels met their end when the heel snapped under my desk. RIP.

April

Borrowed a toffee-coloured jumper from my sister and teamed it with peach lips on the day that I shared a lift with one of my crushes of the year, actor James Anderson (aka Dr Valentine), at Holby City. Also at that time I debuted my DIY leather-sleeved trench (a sleeveless Primark trench over leather jacket) in homage to Burberry Prorsum. At the end of April a bizarre heatwave saw me busting out the shorts and sunglasses and relying on my trusted array of little leather jackets. I found the black Topshop fringed one in the sale and fell immediately in love with it. Also purchased in the Topshop sale were my black peep-toe heels, which have barely left my feet since.

May

In May my shoes of choice were the recently-purchased River Island black ankle boots, which proved a faithful friend whatever the weather. I developed a crush on citrus nails thanks to Chanel's Mimosa yellow shade, and also bought a bright orange Topshop lipstick. After spying my perfect pair of Topshop zipped leather shorts on Columbine Smille's blog, I was delighted when they finally arrived online and ordered them straightaway. I also bought my Next snakeskin heels for a mere £22; they quickly became one of my most-used pairs of shoes.

June

June's most significant purchase was the Topshop Ambush boots, which continue to sell six months later. I certainly loved them from the first moment I saw them and wore them at every opportunity. My Isabel Marant-esque mesh top from Zara made a lot of appearances in June (at least until it shrank in the wash), as did my treasured gold neck collar from ASOS. I also got my hands on a DSLR, which at last resulted in much improved outfit photos.

July

With the heat rising, in July I took the opportunity to wear my favourite leather shorts whenever possible, while also buying a similar - but more daytime appropriate - pair from ASOS. Thanks to Christopher Kane I had a brief flirtation with neon green and wore a lovely lime draped ASOS dress to the Royal Academy of Arts' Summer Exhibition. I also picked up my leopard-panelled black Zara tote in the sale, which went on to become one of my favourite bags for daytime.

August

I discovered the benefits of taking photos outside in August, and even braved bare legs to work when the sun (briefly) came out. I lusted after a classic pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers but settled for a lookalike ASOS version, only to later succumb to the real deal. Despite the temperature, I stubbornly wore my fluffy Topshop Boutique cream jumper on multiple occasions. I also got a lot of use out of my silver clutch with neon zip from the H&M Fashion Against Aids collection, and wore a beautiful thigh-split snake-print Zara dress to my friend's wedding.

September

Bought a lot of knitwear in September, despite the fact that it was unseasonably warm: silver coated from H&M, fluorescent pink from Zara and chunky navy fisherman-style from Topshop Boutique. Meanwhile, my Ray-Bans barely left my face and I spent four weeks tracking down the sensational H&M leather gilet which was to become one of my best buys of the year. I uploaded my favourite look of the month (bottom right) to Topshop's Tumblr and was happy to see it grace their page.

October

A crazy heatwave at the end of September saw me wearing hotpants to a barbecue on 1st October, and meant that coats were still off the agenda for most of the month. My Primark sleeveless trench, however, saw quite a few outings, and I made the most of still being able to wear shoes without socks. Top buy of the month was probably my Kurt Geiger black perspex clutch, which has since proved a failsafe accessory.

November

November saw many a use of the beautiful cream/white oversized knit I bought from Elin Kling's new brand Nowhere, as well as a return to lipstick-wearing (I never seem to want to wear lipstick in the summer). The weather was still very mild, but the coats gradually came out and I bought a cosy oxblood knitted scarf from Topshop to fend off the chill in the mornings. My trip to Manchester in late November saw me buy a lovely snake-print shirt from Zara, as well as the silver and gold H&M bracelets which have adorned my wrists most days since.

December

In December I gave up on my old black coat and bought a new slim mannish style from ASOS, which I've worn rather a lot since. Inspired by Elin Kling, I took to wearing an old navy velvet belt with my jeans and bought my first pencil skirt, leather with a slit, from H&M. And as we head into 2012 my continuing obsessions with animal prints, knitwear and leather are showing no signs of waning...