Moving to another country meant I had to condense EVERYTHING into one suitcase (goodbye, all but one of my 12 plaid shirts). I was having to adjust a London wardrobe full of black to an Australian one where I’d be warm ALL OF THE TIME. I actually call it ‘Forever Summer’ here, because of the constant heat.

Here are my top clothing ‘must haves’ when you’re really starting from scratch in a new (much hotter) country.

1. The high waisted denim short

Denim shorts goes without saying. I prefer my high waisted black denim ones from Monki. I have been practically living in them this Summer. They’re much more flattering than booty shorts, and will also be great with tights come Autumn/Winter.

Here they are in Blue, and you can check out the rest of the Monki website here.

2. Thongs (flip-flops)

I recently had to cave and buy some plain black Havaianas, as I was wearing my £1 Primark flip-flops to death. The Havaianas are incredibly comfortable once you get past the THEY’RE SLICING MY FEET TO DEATH STAGE. But hey, we’re London girls, and we’ve all had to wear in pair of Doc Martins at some point, so a new pair of thongs is child’s play.

3. Cotton shift dress

Oh, that polyester dress looks so cute with ankle boots and tights and dreary London weather, but Australia is a different game. Polyester is the devil’s material here, unless you like to sweat your body weight over the course of a couple hours.

I have a couple of tshirt dresses from Monki (shh, I’m addicted), which are AMAZING in the Australian climate. They’re also lightweight so perfect for traveling. I tend to size up to give them more of a shift dress feel.

4. The plaid shirt

Mine is a vintage Levi’s from the menswear range, and the only one that lasted the ‘great clothing cull of 2014′. An oversized plaid shirt is so much more comfortable than hoodies and coats, and looks great thrown on with my skinny jeans and a plain tshirt. The evenings get a bit cooler here, so they’re a great alternative to lugging around a bigger jacket.

5. Cotton scarfs

Scarves are weird when you think about it. You’re wearing strips of brightly coloured material around your neck.

Still, those strips of material are wonderful and we use them to jazz up tired outfits. As a black aficionado, my scarves are the gateway to colour and I love them. Cotton ones are especially useful for Australian summers. It covers me up on the super hot days so I don’t burn, and similarly keeps me warm on the cooler evenings. Bonus.

Do you have any outfit staples for new environments? Let me know in the comments below!