After what felt like a never-ending winter, followed by a chaotic British spring, the weather is finally starting to improve. As one sun-drenched day melts into the next, it feels better to get dressed exciting<\/em> again. After relying on cozy cashmere cardigans and weighty coats for the past 6 months, this week I realized they’d quietly been relegated to the back of my wardrobe. In their place were tried-and-true spring staples: think billowy broderie anglaise blouses, lightweight spring jackets, and breezy linen two-pieces that make sense when there’s warmth in the air. That being said, this change happened sooner than expected. After a few weeks of frustrating heat waves, I realized that my early spring transformation wasn’t going to cut it, and if these early warning signs were anything to go by, I was definitely not prepared for the serious summer we’re about to have.<\/p>\n (Image credit: H&M)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Naturally, I took this as a sign to do what I do best: shopping. Using the warmer weather as both inspiration and justification (as well as my job as junior fashion editor, but I digress), I slowly started wandering the high street in search of fresh, elevated (and crucially) budget-friendly looking pieces. With my summer holidays approaching, I’m holding off on any big spending (at least for this week) so the aim is to aim for expensive looking purchases that are under \u00a3100 and all from the best Zara, H&M and COS.<\/p>\n