The unprecedented heat wave and endless sunshine this summer caused a sea-change of style in wardrobes across the UK.
As temperatures soared and the rain stayed away, clothes normally reserved for foreign resorts became every day wear.
Fashion brand Simply Be undertook a detailed analysis of their summer sales trends to produce a nationwide map which revealed how women across the country reacted to the hot weather.
It revealed a fascinating picture of where sequinned mini dresses were most popular, leopard print jumpsuits were preferred to stripy and the polka dot bikini was the top item bought.
The retailer focussed on 15 of their top selling products to discover the towns and cities where they were best sellers, with some surprising results.
Londoners turned to Japanese style floral kimonos to keep cool during the steamy night time temperatures suffered by residents, while women in Sheffield caused a spike in demand for the polka dot bikini, which proved one of the season’s top hits.
The Yorkshire city led sales for the bold two-piece that came in black, red or blue, following the likes of Kylie Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski and Rita Ora who recently showcased similar bikinis. The same swimwear also proved popular in Motherwell and Swansea. Overall the polka dot print outsold plainer versions by three to one.
Famous faces including Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Kate Moss, Myleene Klass and Georgia Toffolo have all fallen back in love with leopard print clothes which have staged a big fashion come back and may have influenced those in Dundee and Teesside to snap up the most jumpsuits in this print while a leopard print swim suit was a best seller in Slough.
White denim shorts proved a hit in Manchester, and paisley patterned jumpsuits have been big in Romford. Luton fell for comfortable bling in the shape of diamante sliders and residents of seaside resort Torquay have channelled a holiday vibe, with bright and breezy, floral wide-leg trousers being a favourite purchase.
Despite the weather, summer purchases have not been all been light and floaty; in Belfast the retailer’s top seller has been bootcut jeans. Liverpudlians and the towns favoured by TV’s Cheshire housewives opted for style over comfort making them the top purchasers of both silver high heels and stripy jumpsuits.
London seems to have been party central this summer judging by buying habits in the capital. Londoners have bought more sequin mini-dresses and red maxi dresses than anywhere else in the UK and have come second in the number of strappy silver high heels sold. Those in Edinburgh were also keen to embrace festival style, coming a close second in purchases of sequin dresses. Wearing a casual slogan T-shirt was favoured most in Sunderland and Birmingham.
Laura MacDonald of Simply Be said: “This season more than ever, summer trends have truly been embraced. Thanks to the heatwave, women have had the opportunity to showcase their holiday style, which is usually reserved for single trips abroad, for three long months.
“Looking at our sales around the UK really shows strong regional trends. Mancunians were keen to rock casual denim shorts around the typically rainy city, whilst southerners took the opportunity to step out in bling diamante sliders, which would normally only be worn poolside.
“It’s amazing to see women having more and more confidence to try new styles and express themselves in the sun! Our Holiday Shop includes everything from swimwear to summer night glam, so we had everything covered for the hottest summer yet!”
Towns and cities showing most sales of selected products, per head of population:
Bootcut jeans
1 Belfast
2 Oxford
3 Swindon
Floral wide trousers
1 Torquay
2 Manchester
3 Paisley
Sequin mini dress
1 London
2 Edinburgh
3 Falkirk
Red maxi dress
1 London
2 Bolton
3 Luton
Diamante Sliders
1 Luton
2 Preston
3 Southampton
Silver Strappy Heels
1 Liverpool
2 London
3 Birmingham
Stripy Jumpsuit
1 Liverpool
2 Croydon
3 Crewe
Leopard print jumpsuit
1 Dundee
2 Teesside
3 Nottingham
Paisley Jumpsuit
1 Romford
2 Dartford
3 Chelmsford
Floral Kimono
1 London
2 Slough
3 Teesside
Polka Dot Bikini
1 Sheffield
2 Motherwell
3 Swansea
Stripy Swimsuit
1 Sunderland
2 Norwich
3 London
Leopard print swimsuit
1 Slough
2 Southend
3 Chelmsford
White denim shorts
1 Manchester
2 Bristol
3 Brighton
Denim skirt
1 Hull
2 Cardiff
3 Sheffield
