Outfit | Cobalt Blue and Red Polka Dots

I'd like to introduce my new favourite dress; Matilda, the red polka dot swing-shirt-dress. She's the latest addition to my ever-growing collection of polka dot dresses, and don't tell the others, but she's quickly becoming one of my favourites.

She's one of those dresses that I fell in love with the moment I first saw her, and one I couldn't stop thinking about until I was able to snap her up. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about polka dot shirt dresses that I go crazy for, and this one tops them all. Matilda is the créme de la créme of polka dot shirt dresses, and since she's a Lindy Bop frock, I'm not surprised; their dresses are always so beautiful and high quality.

What sets Matilda apart from all the rest is that she is a swing shirt-dress, so she has an amazing full, flared skirt that gives a gorgeous silhouette, and also has plenty of room for a petticoat underneath, to make it even fuller. Unlike most shirt dresses, she is only buttoned to the waist, which I personally love because there's no worry of popping or losing a button and accidentally flashing your underwear to the world. She's made from good-quality cotton, but the fabric is still light enough to wear during the Summer. It's a sleeveless frock, too, so it's ideal for those hot sunny days. You can be sure that I'll be rocking this dress with pops of yellow when the weather gets warmer!

As it's still a bit early for wearing bright yellow, I've been wearing Matilda with bold cobalt blue, and a little bit of black. The colours of the dress and the blue pieces haven't been captured well in my photos, though. It was a cold and dull, grey day when I shot these photos, and the light kept changing from grey to dull yellow. I took over a hundred photos, but I'm not happy with how any of them came out. To be honest, I'm not pleased with the ones I'm sharing, but I decided to share them anyway, because I loved wearing this outfit and wanted to show you this dress before it sold out. So... just imagine that the dress is a really vibrant tomato red, and the blue shrug, belt, bracelet, and satchel are very bold shades of cobalt blue, because they are in real life.

I had so much fun wearing this outfit, which is just as well, as I had a nightmare with the sizing of the dress. I actually had to order Matilda three times, sizing up once more each time in determination to get the dress to fit! I  loved the dress too much to give up on it. I found my usual Lindy Bop size and the next size up too tight on the waist. They fitted nicely over the bust, but I still had problems with gaping buttons, as I always do with buttoned shirts. While I'm not very busty, I am naturally broad shouldered and chested, so I never get along with shirts. I almost always have to size up a few times to avoid gaping, so it's rare that I ever get to wear a properly fitted shirt. I'm wearing a dress three sizes larger than I generally wear here. It doesn't gape (hurray!), but it's not actually all that loose around the bust or waist. It isn't perfectly fitting, though; sizing up has meant the top button starts over the bust, and the waist is a little further down, but it's nothing that cinching in the fabric belt, and adding a stitch or two can't sort. Just bare that all in mind if you're broad shouldered or chested, and want to buy one. She really is worth persevering for, though!

She's a gem of a dress, comes in sizes 8-26 UK, and a bargain at just £29.99! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll be made in other colours; if she is, then I'd happily buy them all! I bloody love this dress!

Outfit Details

Dress- Lindy Bop // Shrug- M&Co (similar) // Satchel- ASOS // Brooch- Cath Kidston // 

Bracelet- Cath Kidston // Shoes- Fashion World* // Tights- Evans

OOTD: Brown and Yellow Polka Dots

Today's outfit is one I wore back at the beginning of September when the weather was still hot and it still seemed acceptable to wear pastel yellow. It seems so long ago now!

I had been playing dress up that day, trying different colours with my new Lindy Bop brown polka dot Audrey dress. I don't usually find it difficult to pair colours together, but my wardrobe is lacking in colours that compliment brown, like rust, mustard, chocolate, and dusky pink, so I started experimenting with other colours. That's how this unconventional brown and yellow combo came about. 

And... I look like I'm wearing the Brownies uniform from the early nineties! I'm just missing the sash! Does anybody remember how vile the colour of the culottes and trousers was? It looked like bile! I remember always hating them, especially since my Mum made me wear the culottes and not the trousers. What kid wants to wear bile coloured culottes? Seriously? None of them do!

I've not worn culottes since my Brownies days (thank God), and I hadn't worn brown and yellow together, either, until this outfit happened in September... but I actually liked the result! I think the colours look okay together, and it was fun to try out a new colour combination. It seems a waste to leave this beautiful dress hanging in my wardrobe unworn until I buy some pieces that compliment it better. It deserves as much wear as possible; even if the most exciting place it gets worn is the garden and the only person I'm dressing up for is myself!

Outfit Details

Dress and Belt- Lindy Bop // Cardigan- New Look // 

Shoes- New Look // Bag- ASOS // Necklace- Giveaway Win

Would you wear brown and yellow together?

Polka Dots and Vampire Teeth

If you can believe your eyes, I have an outfit post for you today! I'm on a roll at the minute; a slowly moving one, but a roll just the same! I actually have a few more outfits snapped and ready to show you over the next few weeks! I'm spacing them out to make them last, since I never know when I'll have the strength to take some more, or even get out of my PJs long enough to wear outfits worth snapping.

This is an outfit I threw together a few weeks ago while I was waiting on a delivery. I thought it was best I didn't scare the courier by opening the door in my PJs! 

It was about 9am when I took these photos, and I'd only had about two hours sleep, so I look rough as hell in them- and felt it, too. I just had to take advantage of the bright sunny morning, though, and got myself in the garden with my camera while I listened out for the door.

The chiffon asymmetric dress I'm wearing is an old one from Matalan, but it's one of my favourites. I always feel great in it, so I return to it time and time again, as I do with almost all of my favourite clothes. I'll never be one of those girls who won't wear anything twice. One: I can't afford to live like that, and two: even if I could I wouldn't; I get too attached to my favourite clothes, and enjoy wearing them regularly! Plus I live in the real world, where it's normal to wear clothes and accessories again and again, until they fall apart. There's no shame in it!

This outfit, apart from the bag, is actually made up entirely of old pieces. I didn't realise it at the time; I was just focused on selecting pieces to wear that I thought would work with this amazing novelty clutch bag. It's a simple look, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Excuse the nails; I was half way through painting them when I fell asleep!

The best part of the outfit is definitely the amazing vampire lips clutch bag, which I'm pleased to say is a current line. It's one of ASOS's novelty Halloween pieces, and it's without a doubt the best novelty bag I've ever seen (or owned)! The novelty bag trend has become so popular over the last few months, and there are so many great bags to choose from, but what could be better than a lip-shaped clutch with vampire teeth?? Nothing!

It was one of those bags that had me squealing at my laptop screen and there was no question about it, I had to have it. For £20, it's so well priced, and the quality is surprisingly good for an inexpensive high-street clutch. It's well made and sturdy, and the design is just fantastic! There's also a surprising amount of room in it for the essentials. I can't afford a Lulu Guinness clutch, so this ASOS novelty is the next best thing!

If you want to embrace a little Halloween spirit but don't fancy dressing up this year, the vampire lips clutch is the perfect accessory for adding a little fright-night fun to your outfit. It makes a statement on it's own without needing the cape and fangs to go with it! It' definitely grabs people's attention, and it's a great conversation starter, too!

Looking back on these photos, the only thing I think the outfit was missing was a belt or a statement necklace. I forgot to add one or the other at the time, but two hours sleep will do that to you! 

I'm also not quite sure why my hair looks so dark in these photos; it's still the same bright red it's always been since I began this blog! I think my camera's just shit! 

Outfit Details

Dress- Matalan // Cardigan- TU at Sainsburys // Tights- Evans // 

Shoes- New Look // Brooch- Cath Kidston // Bag- ASOS // Glasses- Roxy

How would you style the vampire lips clutch bag?

Thanks for reading!

Lemon and Aquamarine

Hey guys,

This last week has been swelteringly hot here in southern England, and although the sunshine has been heavenly, the mugginess has been almost unbearable. I've resorted to wearing my comfiest and loosest sun dresses and flaking out beneath my fan to cope with the heat.

On Tuesday, I dug out my new aquamarine fit and flare sun dress from Dorothy Perkins and it turned out to be perfect for chilling at home in the roasting heat.

The dress is so bright in colour that it makes these photos appear too over exposed, but in actual fact it's been captured perfectly. The dress is a bold shade of aquamarine with a grey rose print all over it, and it's unlike anything else in my wardrobe. It's such a summery dress, and the colour is an instant mood lifter. I think I need me some more of this colour!  

The dress is also insanely comfortable, made from stretchy cotton that feels almost scuba-like. It's perfect for wearing in the heat without getting too flustered. It has a sweetheart neckline with thick shoulder straps... that have a habit of falling off my shoulders every five minutes, which is annoying but a regular occurrence with me. 

As I don't own much grey, I tried this dress with lemon pieces, and I really liked the colour combination. I dressed it with an old yellow cropped cardi from New Look, my beautiful lemon satchel from ASOS, a jade green floral ring, a cream rose necklace, and a pair of really old silver sandals from Evans. I haven't got a pair of shoes that go with this dress; I'm in dire need of new shoes!

I wouldn't leave the house without leggings under this dress, because bare legs are out of my comfort zone, but at home I just don't care and it's great for lounging around in.

Here's a closer look at some of the details...

The pretty fabric.

And the bag I was using but you can't really see in the photos is the yellow satchel in the photo above.

Sadly the dress doesn't appear to be available online anymore, but it would be worth checking your local Dorothy Perkins branch because it's only a few weeks old and at full price costs just £18. There are also two other designs in the same style dress available here and here in sizes 6-22UK.

Outfit Details

Dress-Dorothy Perkins // Cardigan-New Look // Satchel-ASOS // Sandals-Evans (similar) // 

Ring-Local Shop // Necklace-either Accessorize, Dorothy Perkins, or New Look, I can't remember!

What do you wear to keep cool during the summer?

Recent SS14 Clothing Puchases From ASOS Curve, Alice & You, Dorothy Perkins, and F&F at Tesco Reviewed

Hey guys,

Over the last month or so, I've placed a few online clothing orders on dresses and jumpsuits that I thought looked perfect through my computer screen. It wasn't the case in most instances, and several pieces were returned. 

I know it can be difficult to order online without knowing exactly what the item of clothing is like in reality; the sizing, the fit, the fabric, the quality... there are so many factors to consider when buying clothes that are not always clear on screen. So, today I'm here to share my honest reviews of each item I ordered from ASOS, Dorothy Perkins and F&F at Tesco, which I hope you'll find helpful if you're considering buying any of them.

The Daisy Print Skater Dress by Alice & You

I was so excited when I could finally afford to order this daisy print skater dress from Alice & You (sizes 18-28 UK, via ASOS), because I loved the print and was convinced it would be as amazing as my favourite heart print skater dress of theirs. I was wrong.

This dress is far from the high-quality and perfect fitting dress I bought earlier in the year. The fabric is noticeably cheap, thin, and horrible; it's slippery polyester and just hung horribly on me. It looked awful. It's such a shame because the print was cute, but I sent it back. It wasn't worth its £28 price tag, and there are so many better dresses you could spend your money on.

The Swan Print Swing Dress by ASOS Curve

I purchased the swan print swing dress (sizes 18-28 UK) by ASOS Curve along with the daisy dress, as it had been on my wish list for months. It was reduced to £10 down from £25, and I had a discount code which reduced the price further, so it was the perfect time to buy it. 

The print was lovely, the fabric was of a decent quality and thickness, but sadly this dress wasn't to be. The arms seem to be made for a six year old, (I'm not even exaggerating) and it was equally tiny from the chest up and across the shoulders. It's like they measured the arms and shoulders on a child, and the rest on a plus size body and stitched them together. Needles to say, it had to be sent back. Has anybody else ordered this dress and found the same problem?

The Aztec Print Skater Dress by F&F at Tesco

I recently won a voucher to spend at F&F at Tesco, and the aztec print skater dress (sizes 6-22 UK) was one of the dresses I bought with it. I shared it in an outfit post a few days ago, which you can see and read about here.

It's a gorgeous knee length fit and flare dress, with short sleeves, and an elasticated waist. The fabric is a soft, medium-weight viscose and so comfortable to wear, but the main reason I chose it was for the bold print. It has a fabulous Aztec print in horizontal and vertical stripes, and the use of colour is fantastic. I love all the bold cyan blue! I love this dress. Period. It's a beautiful dress, and I still cannot believe this little beauty was only £14; a bargain price for such a fantastic dress! It's generously cut, so there's no need to size up like I did, but I urge you all to snap one up!

The Lip Print Skater Dress by F&F at Tesco

The lip print skater dress  (sizes 6-22 UK) was the second dress I spent my Tesco voucher on because I was drawn to the funky print and thought it would be a cute casual dress to add to the wardrobe.

I was actually surprised by this one. From the stock photos, I'd expected the fabric to be thin and poor quality, so I was pleasantly surprised to open the packaging to be met with thick, soft cotton. It's brilliant quality for a £16 dress. The print is much nicer in real life, too; bold red lips on a black background- another quirky print to add to the collection! I'd assumed the waist was fitted, so I sized up for comfort, only to discover this wasn't the case and the fabric had a lot of stretch. The size up swamped me, so I had to return and reorder which was a much better fit, but still loose and relaxed. It will be a great little dress for wearing over leggings with studded slippers / ankle boots for a dressed down look.

The Sunflower Print Jumpsuit by Dorothy Perkins

Ah, the Dorothy Perkins sunflower print jumpsuit! (Sizes 6-22 UK). I literally squealed when I first laid eyes on it online. Sunflowers are one of my favourite flowers and the print on the jumpsuit couldn't have been more perfect. Could it be more nineties? I think not. 

It retailed for £35, but with a promotion and a discount code or two, I managed to reduce it down to about £26, and purchased my usual size and the size up to get the right fit.

It's a stunning jumpsuit in the flesh, and the print is just beautiful. The fabric is a high-quality, decent-weight viscose and it feels lovely on. It has deep pockets, an elasticated waist, and adjustable spaghetti straps. It was even the perfect length in the legs and torso, which is a rarity for me with jumpsuits!

I found my usual size was a pretty decent fit in the body, waist, and legs, but it was so loose on top that I had to fully tighten the adjustable straps in order for it to cover my boobs and stay on the shoulders. (I'm a c-cup, and it's definitely been cut with larger boobs in mind). This wouldn't be too much of a concern, except for the fact that in doing so, it didn't leave me with the room to stretch or sit down. 

The size up was rather baggy, and although I had more room to stretch when I tightened the straps, it was quite over-sized on me and didn't look as good as the smaller size. I did decide to keep it, though, but when I went to dress in it a few days later, one of the straps snapped. I had to send it back. I was gutted, but neither size fit me perfectly, so perhaps it was for the best. 

Don't let this put you off, though; this jumpsuit is a beauty!

The Jade Floral Print Sundress by Dorothy Perkins

The jade floral cotton sundress (sizes 6-22 UK) from Dorothy Perkins made its way on to the same order as the jumpsuit. I thought it was pretty and would be perfect for hot summer days. And discounted to about £14 (usually £18), I was willing to find out.

The dress is a bold jade green, which isn't a colour I have much of in my wardrobe, but it's so bright and cheerful, and oh so summer-y. It covered in a grey floral print, which goes beautifully with the green and makes an unusual combination. The fabric is cotton, but it almost has a scuba feel to it, and something about it makes it look a bit like a swim dress. It's quite a light fabric, which will be great during hot days, but it seems thin over the stomach, and although I've been told otherwise, I'm convinced it shows VBL at times. (Which I'm personally not comfortable showing). It does fit my shape well, though; flattering my shape in all the right places.and flaring out from the waist. It sits about knee length on me. 

My only issue with the dress is that the lovely wide straps constantly fall off my shoulders, which is a pain in the arse. It fits me perfectly on top, but for some reason they keep slipping. I decided to keep the dress, though, because I do love it. I think this will be one for wearing around the house on scorching hot days when light sun dresses are needed; annoying straps an' all. I'll let you see it for yourselves in an OOTD soon.

Well, I think this shows that appearances can be misleading, and sometimes we really have no idea what the item is going to be like until we see it in the flesh. I guess that's all part of the fun of shopping- unless we're shopping for an upcoming event and desperately counting on the piece to be perfect; then it's no fun at all!

I hope you've found this post helpful. Would you like to see more posts like this in the future?

Have you ever ordered something online that has been completely different to what you expected in real life?

Pretty Pastel ASOS Bags

Over the last few months, I've been lucky enough to add a few lovely new bags to my ever-growing collection, and it was about time I gave you all a little peek!

Since the start of the year, I've acquired four new bags, and the best part is that none of them left so much as a dent in my bank balance. I purchased them all through ASOS while they were on sale, on promotion, or / and with a discount code and got myself a little cash-back, too, through using Quidco. You could say, they were practically free. Okay, I'm exaggerating just a little bit... but only a  little.

Let's start with the prettiest and newest additions, because I know they're being coveted by a lot of people at the moment...

Aren't these sugary sweet pastel scalloped satchels beautiful? (Try saying that three times fast!) I think they're so lovely.

I purchased them within days of each other a couple of weeks ago after coveting them since they landed earlier this year. The lilac version was high on my wish list all Spring and Summer last year, but I was never able to treat myself and I missed out. So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw it had made a reappearance a couple of months ago, and I promised myself that this year I wouldn't let it get away. Soon after the yellow version made an appearance, and I fell in love with it, too. I decided to wait until a discount code appeared.

The bags were originally a very reasonable £22, and a few weeks ago the price was lowered to £18. I then found a discount code which lowered the price even further, and at just over £14 each, I didn't feel too guilty treating myself to both colours in one week. 

Both satchels are lovely and if you love pastel-coloured bags, they're well worth a purchase. My favourite is the yellow, which is a bright and cheerful shade of lemon. In the stock photos, it looks more mustard, but the colour is a delicate pastel yellow, and I'm so pleased it is. It will be the perfect bag for brightening up any outfit, I guarantee it; just looking at it makes me feel more cheerful! Gah, I love yellow!

The lilac is a very soft and pale shade of lilac, and it's as pretty as I'd imagined it would be. It's going to go so well with the yellow polka dot dress! (Yes, I'm still obsessed with that dress!) I think this is the first lilac fashion thing I've owned since the nineties, when it used to be my favourite colour. I've since shied away from most pastel colours, preferring bold colours, and it's only really over the last few years that I've began to love them again.

The satchels are medium-sized with enough room for a few essentials, and have an adjustable shoulder strap for wearing across the body or on the shoulder. My favourite part is the pretty scalloped edging.

The colour of the lilac satchel is best shown in the photo above. 

The inside of the yellow satchel is the same shade as on the outside, whilst the lilac has a black lining, which is quite a contrast.

You can find the yellow satchel here, and the lilac here. They're both currently just £18.

In January, I purchased this ASOS quilted mint green bunny ears bag with some Christmas money from my Nana. I'd been coveting the forest green version during A/W, but when I saw the mint I knew this was the one for me. Let's just say I wasn't disappointed; it's such a cute and quirky bag, and is going to look great with some of my dresses as we move in to Spring. Give it another month, and this bag will probably be on regular rotation.

The bag reminds me of the white rabbit's house in Disney's Alice and Wonderland, which is a film I've loved since I was really young, so I had to have it. I'm also a sucker for bunnies. I had two as pets for ten and eleven years until they passed away over the last two Easters, and I've basically become a crazy bunny lady since they came in to my life. Some people like cats, I love bunnies!

The bunny ears bag is still available here and is currently £18. (I think I paid about £15 for mine with a discount code.) It also comes in a couple of other colours.

And finally, the fourth bag to join my collection this year is this River Island studded and rhine-stoned bowling bag, which I bought through ASOS. 

River Island is one of my favourite brands on the high street for bags, and I had been admiring this particular one all Winter. I pounced on it when it was on sale from £45 down to £17.50, when there was also a further discount on sale items. I think I paid about £14 or £15 for it, which was an absolute bargain. I'm afraid it's now no longer available. 

It took me a few weeks to decide if the bag looked cheap, but now I'm beginning to really like it. The only negative I have to say about it is that the lining feels and looks horribly cheap, but I guess I can see past that since it doesn't affect the exterior of the bag. It's been a while since I last had a staple tan day bag in my collection. My last one literally fell apart from over use. Every girl needs a staple tan handbag in her collection, and I'm pleased to have found mine without even spending a fortune!

And that's all I have to say about that...

Wow, I do ramble on, don't I?! I'm sorry! If you've made it through to the end, congratulations and thanks for sticking with me! I promise to shut up and bugger off now!

Have you bought yourself a lovely new handbag or two recently?

My Novelty Bag Collection

Over the weekend, I gave my handbag collection a little Spring clean. Just a tidy; not a clear out; I wouldn't dream of parting with the majority of them! 

While they were within reach (read: scattered on my bedroom floor), I took the opportunity to take a few photos so I could share some of them with you. I'm going to talk about my little novelty handbag collection today..

Well, this is my little collection of weird and wonderful handbags. That's if seven can be called a collection.

I suppose it can since it's a collection in progress and growing all the time.

If you're familiar with my personal style, you'll probably have noticed that novelty accessories play a big part in my day to day style. I love them! There's just something about a quirky bag or a kitsch piece of jewellery that sends my heart all a flutter and makes me smile. I guess I'm just a five year old at heart!

I truly believe that fashion should be fun, and a way of expressing our personalities. In my case, I've never really been the conventional type, and I think that shows in my fashion choices- particularly when my handbag is shaped like a dachshund, an owl, or a pair of lips! What's life without a little whimsy, eh? Life's too short to be serious!

I've loved novelty handbags for years, but it's only really over the last year or so that my collection has started to grow. I used to find most affordable novelty bags to be cheap, tacky, and poorly made, but then the trend started to flood the high street a couple of years ago, and I suddenly found myself spoilt for choice.

The oldest bag in this collection is the red lips clutch which I bought in a vintage shop called Berty and Gerty in Camden in 2007/8. Sadly, I dug it out of the landing cupboard to find it covered in black marks, which it didn't have a few months ago. I think they're damp patches, so I suspect that clutch may have had its day. :( One day a Lulu Guinness will be its replacement. One day.

The quilted black heart bag came from Topshop I think around 2008/9. I bought it in the Oxford Circus branch and I remember the shop was so full of people it took me ten minutes to get across to the bag, and half an hour of queueing to buy it. Going home without it was not an option! I only wish I'd also bought it in red. 

The Owl, the Russian Doll and The Strawberry were all from Accessorize's 2013 collections. I was lucky enough to be given the owl and strawberry for my birthday last summer, and I bought the doll a couple of months ago on sale. I love all three, but at the moment, the Russian Doll is my particular favourite. I've used it more than any other bag this year so far. I can't wait to use the strawberry this summer!

The handsome little dachshund is by Mantaray, one of Debenhams' fashion brands and I adopted him last summer. I fell in love with him and as he was on sale, I just couldn't find a reason to say no. I would've bought him full price.

My latest purchase is the ASOS quilted mint green bunny ears bag, which I bought with some Christmas money from my lovely Nana. Reasons for buying it? I love bunnies, I love mint green, and it reminded me of the white rabbit's furniture in Alice and Wonderland! Oh, and of course, I envisioned wearing it with my yellow polka dot dress this summer! 

 My collection isn't huge, but it's still getting started. I'm always on the lookout for new weird and wonderful designs to collect, and I love coming across something a little bit different.

At the moment, I'm currently coveting several new novelties, my favourite being Accessorize's amazing camera shaped bag. I've never seen a bag quite like it before, and I'm hoping to make it my next purchase, when funds allow. I'll be gutted if I miss out on it.

I also love Accessorize's lemon bag and shell bag; this milk carton bag in blue; this popcorn bucket bag in red; ASOS' heart bags in mint and lilac; this Charlotte Olympia jukebox clutch; these wicker Kate Spades'; this Betsey Johnson ice cream cone; Modcloth's watermelon, grapefruit, and bunny bags; and this Motel diamond. And I'm forever coveting all of the Lulu Guinness lip-shaped clutches. I'll never be able to buy most of them, but it doesn't hurt to admire them from afar!

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek at my collection of eccentric handbags. Do you enjoy reading posts like these? 

Who loves quirky accessories as much as I do? Do you have a novelty collection that puts mine to shame?