Botanical Gardens

Make the most of summer. Head outside before it's too late...

SSStutter

Short sleeve cuban collar shirt

Jigsaw

Italian seersucker trousers

Common Projects

Achilles retro leather sneakers

Weekday

Black leather tote

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It’s apparent that plants have either become fashionable or I’m beginning to mature into my twenties. Currently, I just have a few cacti and a monstera to keep me company, but I’ve definitely become partial to plant envy on Instagram – thank you Haarkon – and I can only see my humble collection growing. Unbeknown to me, Leicester has a botanical garden and once I’d learnt this, the seeds were sown to go over and with no jacket in sight. One nil to summer!

Public gardens, by nature, pull you into the outdoors. This year alone I’ve found myself at Sheffield Botanical Gardens, as well as Kew. I always leave wondering how they keep everything so well looked after, aka green and alive, which is a lot more than I can say. I’ve conceded that it’s only a matter of time until one of my cacti is sadly no more.

The fashion world elders have given it many names: the camp collar, revere and Cuban, but regardless, it rates highly in my books.

Leicester’s botanical garden is relatively small, but of course worth a visit if you’re a local. My succulent hunting outfit centred around my favourite style of shirt, the Cuban collar. I’ve championed it all year and I expect to champion it next. The younger brother to the button down, it’s such a relaxed shirting option for when a t-shirt is too plain. Plus, I just feel that a classic short sleeve shirt leaves you looking schoolboy rather than summer ready.

The trousers are these navy seersucker ones from Jigsaw. I first wore them during fashion week and I would of continued to wear them everyday since if it wasn’t for the fact they had to be dry-cleaned. Then to keep everything together (and fill with plants) is my new Weekday tote bag. The two different strap lengths are a nice touch when you want it by your side or over the shoulder.

A day out in the sun and wearing my favourite shirt, a successful day all in all. Next stop garden centre! jbicon

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Photography by Natalie Jade Reading

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