It Must Have Been Love

For as long as I can remember, I've been dying to get my hands on a brown polka dot dress, just like the infamous frock Julia Roberts wore to the races in Pretty Woman. Show me a woman who didn't want that dress at one time or another!

This Summer I finally found my perfect brown polka dot dress; a swing dress by Lindy Bop, which I was able to snap up with some birthday money back in July. The fabric was far too thick and heavy for Summer, so I've had to wait until now to wear it, but it was definitely worth the wait.

The dress is beautiful, the quality is amazing, and it's so comfortable to wear. I feel great in it! The only way this dress could be better is if it was custom made to my measurements, but now I'm just being greedy!

I would have loved to have styled it like Vivian, but I don't own a boater hat, thick brown waist belt, or white shoes, and I've not owned a pair of white gloves since my first communion in 1992, so that was never going to happen. It also wouldn't have been very 'me'. This isn't the eighties anymore.

My first thought was to turn to some simple white pieces, since I'm lacking in colours which compliment brown. The dress came with the white belt, and I dug out an old cropped cardigan from New Look, which I think look okay together. Looking at these photos, I don't think the yellow polka dot ballet pumps or necklaces look great with the dress at all, but you win some, you lose some. I only chucked it together for a walk around the garden.

I need to invest in some black and tan shoes this Autumn (I have none!), and I'd like to hunt down some rust, mustard, and chocolate cardigans, jackets, and accessories to wear with this dress this Autumn and Winter. It's the perfect dress for AW because the fabric is about as thick as a medium-weight pair of jeans and it's lined, so it should keep me warm when it's freezing cold outside.

It's also wearable for every day, without looking ridiculously over-dressed, but it could be dressed up for a special occasion with a big tulle petticoat, heels, and some red lippy! I'd love to wear it with a petticoat every day, but I think I'd get a lot of odd glances in suburban Oxfordshire!

The Audrey dress comes in a huge selection of colours and patterns in sizes 8-26 for just £29.99! They are fantastically priced! I recently blogged about the red gingham and red polka dot Audreys in outfit posts, if you'd like to see them.

Outfit Details

Dress (inc. belt)- Lindy Bop // Cardigan- New Look // 

Shoes- New Look (Wide Fit) // Necklace- Rachel's giveaway

Ciaté Mini Mani Nail Polish Advent Calendars 2014

With just over two months to go until the countdown to Christmas officially begins, the advent calendars are already starting to appear online and in store.

British nail care brand Ciaté have launched a new advent calendar for 2014, which is sure to send any nail polish fan's heart all aflutter; The Mini Mani Manor.

Ciaté Mini Mani Manor

The beautiful packaging has been designed to look like a dolls house, and behind the twenty-four windows are seventeen mini nail colours, five exclusive textured polishes, one full size paint pot, and one set of nail transfers. Be still my heart!

It would make a lovely indulgent treat for any nail polish enthusiast, and it's practically guaranteed to keep your nails looking  their best during the entire festive season- and far in to the New Year.

The Mini Mani Manor is exclusive to Selfridges and is available in three designs, currently retailing for £49. 

A little out of your price range? Keep reading...

I've been admiring Ciaté's advent calendars each Christmas for the last few years, but with so many presents to buy leading up to Christmas, I've never been able to justify spending so much on myself during the festive season. It's been difficult to restrain myself at times because I'm a bit of a nail polish enthusiast, and Ciaté's polishes are some of the best around, so when I found what I'm about to show you, it didn't take me long to snap one up!

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The website All Beauty have some of Ciate's mini mani advent calendars from previous Christmases on sale for bargain prices starting at £16.95!

Sure, they're not the newest editions; they're not filled with up-to-date colours and new exclusives, but they're still filled with Ciaté's fantastic, high-quality nail polishes in beautiful colours.

As they're a year or two old, I'm not sure what the condition of the polishes will be, but I think if they've been stored in a cool, dry place away from too much sunlight, they should be perfectly fine. For £16.95, I decided it was worth the risk of finding out, so I purchased one of last year's calendars (number 1) the other night, saving about £33! I saved another £1 by shopping through Quidco, and the delivery was free! My order was dispatched yesterday and I'm looking forward to finding out if the nail polishes are still usable, which I'm sure they are.

I can't wait for advent to begin so I wake up to a new nail polish every day and count down to Christmas with beautiful nails!

Will you be buying a Ciaté advent calendar this year?

Wednesday Wish List

Hey guys!

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do a wish list this week, but thankfully I have my laptop back now and it no longer sounds like a washing machine on the spin cycle, so business can resume as normal! I've got my eye on so many new pieces this week, so this wish list is quite a long one..

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Lady Vintage have had a bunch of new dresses in recently. These black and purple floral dresses are all so beautiful. I'd say 1 and 4 are probably my favourites. Sizes start from an 8 and each dress goes up to a 22, with some catering up to a size 26/28. Some of Lady V's dresses also go up to a 32/34, but sadly not these four.

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Aren't these tea cups and cupcakes tea dresses amazing? I can't help thinking how cute they'd be for wearing to afternoon tea dates with girlfriends, although I'd just wear them everywhere. Sadly most sizes are already sold out, but I'm hoping they'll get restocked so I can buy one. Or both.

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Lady V have restocked some of their polka dot swing dresses, and introduced a few new colours. I can't decide which colour I like best, but I want them all! They come in sizes 8- 26/28!

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Just look at these amazing glittery heels from Irregular Choice! I don't know what is is about glittery shoes, but I've always been crazy about them. It's probably down to growing up watching The Wizard of Oz. I'd love to get my hands on a pair of the ruby red, which obviously remind me of Dorothy's slippers. I think all three colours would be perfect for festive season, which let's face it, isn't far away now.

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Lindy Bop have introduced some cute shrugs, which would be ideal for the party season, or for any special occasion that you need to dress up for. They're perfect for covering your arms, without hiding your dress or top under bulky fabric, like a cardigan or jacket. I really like the lace design.

I also love the new Tina swing dress, which would look so pretty with the lace shrug.

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These two Lindy Bop Ophelia bird print swing dresses are absolutely gorgeous. They're covered in blue tits, red cardinals, and other pretty little birds, with a leaf print in the background.

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I love the colour of these two Lindy Bop Audrey swing dresses. It's fair to say I've become a little obsessed with their Audrey frocks; the shape and style is perfect!

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I'm smitten with these two skater dresses from Dorothy Perkins. I love the colours and the patterns. I really need the navy gingham dress in my life.

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ASOS have some lovely new pieces at the moment. The ASOS Curve off-shoulder hummingbird print dress is so pretty, and the lace-sleeved jumper is gorgeous. I also love the set of fine bracelets, and the tartan hair clip would finish off so many AW outfits perfectly.

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I adore these two green satchels from River Island. I have a thing for River Island satchels and already own several, but not in mint or racing green, which are two of my favourite colours. I may have ordered these last night with some money I made selling old stuff, and a handy discount code.

The UK edition of Elle Magazine comes with a River Island gift card this month, with 20% off online or in store. I managed to save a tenner on these two bags! If you're planning to make a big RI purchase any time before October 5th, grab yourself a copy of Elle to save a few quid!

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And finally, I really like this selection of blue rose hairbands from Crown and Glory. The only problem is, I can't decide which one I love best. I'm torn between 1 and 3.

What's on your wish list this week? Which of these are your favourites?

Seasons Change But People Don't

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons to dress for. 

Sure, I adore the Summer brights, Spring pastels, light, floaty fabrics and cheerful prints of the warmer seasons, but as the nights start drawing in I always look forward to wearing the decadent jewel colours of Autumn. I think rich colours like teal, emerald, forest green, wine, raspberry, and dark magenta suit my complexion best, but mainly, I just find them all too gorgeous to resist! I'd fill my wardrobe with these colours if I could!

I've already started wearing rich colours this September, even if it is unseasonably warm and too hot to start digging out my Winter wardrobe just yet. I'll start with dresses and the winter knits can follow later!

Last week, I put this simple look together for, err... a walk around the garden. I used the garden like a hamster wheel and did a couple of laps for physio, I don't feel strong enough to stray from home on my own, but walking back and forth from the tripod for outfit photos soon adds up, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and took some photos, while I was in the garden.

I've been looking forward to wearing this beautiful skater dress since I bought it last month from Dorothy Perkins. I was drawn in by the gorgeous colour, which is somewhere between dark magenta and raspberry. I have a few dresses in this colour, and it's definitely one of my favourite colours to wear.

What I love about this dress is that it's made from textured fabric- which features a floral print- and it adds some interest to an otherwise simple skater dress. It's not too light or too heavy, and the short sleeves are perfect for transitioning in to Autumn. Or if you hate baring your upper arms but don't want to cover up with a cardi.

The dress sits just above the knee and it has some stretch, so your usual size should be fine. It retails for just £20, and if purple isn't your thing, it also comes in baby blue, black, and nude.

I wore mine with black leggings and forest green studded ankle boots. As soon as I tried on the dress for the first time, I knew the green boots would go perfectly with it. The boots were from Simply Be last Winter, but they do have the same boots in black and purple this season, in E and EEE fittings. I have these boots in three colours and they are the most comfortable ankle boots I've ever owned. 

The colour of the dress is much darker than it looks in this photo, but it was the best close up I took. I kept it in so you could see the texture.

You've seen me wearing this necklace many times before, but I love it so much I can't stop wearing it. I won it in Rachel's giveaway last year, and I've barely taken it off since!

Outfit Details

Dress- Dorothy Perkins // Boots- Simply Be // Glasses- Roxy

Leggings- New Look // Necklace- I won in Rachel's giveaway

Have you began embracing Autumn fashion yet this season? What colours do you love to wear at this time of year?

Red and Yellow Polka Dots

Ladies and gentlemen: do not adjust your screens; do not rush off to get your eyes tested; what you're seeing isn't a mirage or a trick of the eye. This really is an outfit post! I might just die of shock!

Today's outfit is a combination of three of my favourite things; polka dots, colour, and novelty handbags. A perfect combination if you ask me! 

This outfit came together organically; and it wasn't until I came to edit these photos that I realised I was channelling a bit of Minnie Mouse with my red polka dot dress and yellow shoes. She's a style icon, so I can live with that.

(I'm not feeling my looks at the moment, so I just wanted to hide away behind the clutch bag.)

I'm not sure if I've ever worn red and yellow together in my adult life, but I had a random urge to try yellow with this dress, and I really loved the result. Who knew red and yellow worked so well together? In my opinion, it's one of the best outfits I've worn in a really long time. I love everything about it; the colours, the patterns, the accessories, and of course, the dress!

This gorgeous red polka dot dress is a Lindy Bop "Audrey", which is one of those dresses I just had to have. Well, you know me with polka dots and full skirts! I was so smitten with the dress, that I visited the website every day until I was able to purchase one, just to check it was still available! Sad, I know. I snapped one up last month, but the cotton is so thick and heavy that I've been waiting for the weather to cool down just so I can wear it without passing out. The cotton is as thick as a medium-weight pair of jeans and it's also lined! While the quality of the fabric is fantastic, it's just not suited to weather above, say, 20'c; less if you get easily over-heated like me. It was about 25'c when I took these photos last weekend and I was roasting. It's definitely better suited to chilly Autumn and Winter weather, and I think it will be the perfect dress to keep warm in when it gets bitterly cold.

The deep, dark red of the dress is also more of a wintry colour; it's more crimson than it appears in these photos. I love wearing dark reds from Autumn to Spring, which is the reason I'm so in love with this dress. I think it would look great with mustard and forest green, but I don't own much of either at the moment. I thought I'd add bright yellow to have one last fling with summer brights before I retired them until next Spring.

The dress comes in sizes 8-26, and it's so affordable at just £29.99! I had to size up twice for a comfortable fit since I don't have a narrow waist, but other ladies say it's true to size, so check your measurements against their size guides! My dress is very loose on top because I've sized up, but I think I've disguised that reasonably well with the cardi. 

I accessorised the outfit with a sunny lemon wedge clutch bag by Monki, and a pair of yellow polka dot ballet pumps from New Look. As it's a midi dress that sits a couple of inches below the knee it would be more flattering with heels, but I have to keep my feet on the ground in flats because of my bad back. I hate the way my legs look, but c'est la vie.

I added my toadstool brooch from Cath Kidston, which I've had for about a year.

My red rose bracelet is also from Cath Kidston. It's one of my favourites.

Outfit Details

Dress- Lindy Bop // Cardigan- New Look // Shoes- New Look // Bag- Monki via ASOS // Brooch- Cath Kidston // Bracelet- Cath Kidston

I loved wearing this outfit and I'm pleased with how it all came together. The colours are so uplifting.

You'll be happy to know I'll be back with some more outfit posts really soon, and this dress will be making a reappearance!

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday Wish List

Hey guys,

I've got some amazing pieces to show you today. I'm sorry there's not a wide variety of brands this week; I had to put the images together over the weekend before I'd had the chance to do much window shopping. 

I sent my laptop away for repair or replacement on Monday, something which is long over-due- the cooling system is buggered and it's been sounding like a VCR on rewind for about a year and a half... I'm using my sister's laptop this week, so I don't have my usual resources. I'm not sure when I'll get my laptop back, but I'll be able to use my sister's until next Monday or Tuesday when she gets back from her holiday. I'm going to do my best to line up some posts, but if I disappear for a while from next week, you'll know why! I will have a few Sunday Favourites posts scheduled for you, just in case. There are so many things wrong with my laptop that I'm just hoping they'll give me a replacement this week and be done with it! Fingers crossed normal service will resume soon!

Anyway, who'd like to take a peek at this week's wish list?

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I adore these cute pin up inspired knitted jumpers from Collectif. I'm not sure if you can really see them here, but these Annie Cherry Tops have openwork cherries all over the bodies! I think they're gorgeous. I'd wear them over dresses, but they'd look amazing with jeans or fitted trousers, too. I can't decide which shade of red I like best.

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I'm in love with Collectif''s selection of pin-up cardigans. The  embroidery and attention to detail on each one really sets them apart from the standard colour-block cardigans every other clothing brand makes. 

I had to buy the Lucy Tropical Toucan Cardigan the moment I saw it; I'm not really a pastel pink person when it comes to fashion, but the toucans applique on each shoulder were too cute to resist. How often do you see toucans on a pretty piece of clothing? It arrived today and the quality of the fabric is fantastic; the cotton is lovely and thick. Going by the size guide and the fit, their knitwear seems to run a size small, so the 18 I ordered is more like a 16. The size is nicely fitted unbuttoned on me, but I wouldn't be able to wear it buttoned. I'd advise sizing up if you can. The cardigan is on sale for under £10, and the largest size left is an 18, which I think might fit up to a size 20-22. Most of Collectif's clothes go up to a size 22, though, so there are lots of other options to choose from if you're a size 18-22 and want a better fit. I'd personally love to get my hands on all of the other designs in this collage, but especially the navy cardi with the flamingo design.

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These Dolores Doll polka dot swing dresses from Collectif are absolutely stunning. A girl can never have too many polka dot dresses! Fact!

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These two swing dresses, also from Collectif, are also real beauties. I'm a sucker for gingham and cherry prints.

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Lindy Bop have had some gorgeous new dresses in this week, in equally gorgeous colours. The two Dottie tea dresses come in black with red spots, and red with black spots, and I love them both. I think the style is a lot easier to wear in every day settings than full-skirted swing dresses, and they'd be ideal for wearing for everything from work to lunch.

I also really want the red polka dot Hetty swing dress, which is now available up to a size 26!

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I love the shape of these two Tara swing dresses from Lindy Bop, which come in black and midnight blue. The colours are perfect for A/W.

Lighthouse print dress

This dress from Modcloth has lighthouses all over it! Come to Mama!

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How cute are these fast-food inspired bags? The Chinese take-away carton bag by Kate Spade is amazing, although a bit out of my price-range. The Eyes on the Fries clutch is from Modcloth, and it looks so bloody cute. I wonder what novelty bags they'll think of next!

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And finally... I love these studded wide-fit ballet pumps from Yours Clothing. I need some new flats in my life and I think these would be perfect for wearing all year round. I really want a pair of the black, but typically my size is the only one sold out online! Waah!

What's on your wish list this week?

Which of these are your favourites?

A Day in the Life: September 2014

I can't remember the last time I did one of these 'day in the life' posts, but it was probably over a year ago, so this post is definitely over due.

Today, I'm going to share some snippets from Wednesday the 10th.

Three of the cheap Christmas DVDS I ordered from Play.com to add to the collection came in the post. I may or may not already be thinking ahead to Christmas... 

I pampered myself with a quick manicure. I removed Barry M's Racing Green and replaced it with Real Red. Both polishes are my all time favourites. You can't beat a Barry M nail polish!

I went for a walk around the garden. My new physiotherapist has challenged me to take a short walk every day this week, and I've been pushing myself to try. I've been far too wobbly and in too much pain to go for a walk in public, so instead I did a lap of the garden! It's about 120 feet long, so I can cover a reasonable distance by walking around the perimeter- and bonus, I don't have to feel self-conscious about limping, waddling, walking slowly, or stopping to breathe through the pain.

I found some apples on our little Cox's apple tree, and picked this one. 

I discovered we have blackberries right at the bottom of the garden! I've lived in this house for seventeen years and this is the first time I've noticed we have brambles! They're ten foot high! To be fair, I haven't ventured down the garden in years. My Mum used some to make a blackberry and apple crumble and it was delicious.

After my walk, I sat in the garden with a drink and chatted to my Dad in the sunshine. My Russian doll bag decided to join us.

I was wearing my chevron-patterned, drop-waist dress from Dorothy Perkins for the first time.

While I was sat in the garden, I couldn't resist taking photos of the butterflies fluttering to and fro around the flower bed in front of me. 

I captured an RAF helicopter in the flawless blue sky flying back to base.

My Dad had to pop out for a minute, so I sat and listened to a couple of songs while waiting on the plumber. Don't judge; I love that song right now!

I then went back to bed and flicked through a few magazines. 

I sat back and relaxed with my Christmas cross stitch picture. 

I completed a creative writing task in the '712 More Things To Write About' book.

I picked up my Q&A a Day journal and contemplated the day's prompt.

I sat and watched The Bake Off. And craved cake! I ate a peach instead.

I edited some blog photos and uploaded them in to draft posts.

And last but not least, I curled up with my Kindle until I fell asleep.

Do you enjoy seeing 'a day in the life' or 'photo an hour' posts? Would you like to see more of them? Let me know in the comments below!