Not usually one to idolise the style choices of fictional teenage girls (childhood ‘Clarissa‘ obsession aside…), I have decided to make an exception and appoint Cassie from hit TV show ‘Skins‘ as my new style crush.

The show, which chronicles the debaucherous antics of a group of Bristol based teens, is dressed up in the kind of stylised, nonchalant clothes that make me long for the days of my own teenage rebellion. I’m hooked on the entire cast, but it is Cassie’s offbeat eccentricity that has really got me thinking.

In the same way that ‘Skins’ seems to have captured the zeitgeist of British teenagers (case in point, my 19 year old brother seems to think he is an honoury member of the cast), Cassie’s wardrobe has captured the way that British girls are dressing right now- she is the English eccentric for the Myspace generation.

More than just provoking a jealous ” I want it now” type reaction in my head, Cassie is a pretty accurate trend forecaster for a summer of style - all heart shaped glasses, floral dresses and butterflies and flowers pinned into loose curls.

She is like a metaphor for the current trend of ‘messing up’ high fashion. Her angelic curls, quirky sunglasses and ethereal dresses totally remind me of Sonia Rykiel S/S 08, but a dirtier, more screwed up, spaced out version of the look. It is rebellious, dressing up box fashion and I love it. As Cassie would say ” Like, wow.”