Pale Wildwood Flower

Morning guys,

I hope you're all having a great week. By the time you're reading this, I should be recovering from a minor op on one of my big toes, so I've scheduled this post just in case I don't feel up to blogging. It's nothing serious, but knowing how I felt afterwards last time, I thought it was sensible to schedule this post to take the pressure off me for a day or two.

So, today I've got an outfit post for you. This was an outfit I wore on Sunday just lounging around in bed. Yes, I live a very exciting life...

I'm so happy that it's summer and wearing colourful long flowing maxi dresses is acceptable again. I only own five or six maxis, but I genuinely enjoy wearing them. They're so effortless! They can make your outfit look so put together, even if in reality all you've done is pull the dress down over your head with little thought, and reached for the nearest accessories in complimenting colours. Nobody has to know it took you less than a minute to dress!

And of course, I personally think maxi dresses look pretty on everybody. 

This dress has been in my wardrobe for about two years, and I've only worn it a few times. I used to be adamant that this dress made me look pregnant, even after friends and family assured me it didn't, so it stayed in the wardrobe unworn. I've made myself move past those doubts, because I love the loud pattern, and amazing bright colours. You know how I love my colours! The only part of the dress I would change is the lining; who needs a thickly lined summer maxi dress? It becomes too stifling to wear on scorching summer days and that's when this colourful dress should be worn!

The dress is from Peacocks, and the cardigan was from New Look last summer, although this is the first time I've worn this particular one. It's a very pale pastel peach / salmon colour. I have these cardigans in about seven different colours, and they're great for throwing over dresses in the summer.

And the award for loudest pattern ever goes to...

I wore four accessories with this dress, nothing very exciting.

The bracelet was a gift from my best friend a few years ago. I think it came from Next. I also painted my nails with a lilac Barry M Gelly paint.

The radio necklace is by Accessorize, and it's one I've owned for a few years now. I thought it was cute, but I admit it's quite tacky.

And I also dug out my pink and purple gem brooch, which sadly is now missing one gem. It's too pretty to retire or throw away, and I don't think it's noticeable to anybody but myself (unless I mention it). I think I bought it in Camden Lock Market several years ago on a stall selling lots of vintage brooches.

I was also wearing a pair of daisy studs (which you can see in a shot above), that I recently bought from River Island.

Outfit Details

Dress-Peacocks // Cardigan-New Look // Necklace-Accessorize // Brooch- Camden Lock Market // Bracelet-Next // Earrings-River Island

I'm sorry there's nothing new about this outfit, but I like to show outfits I really wear, and I'm all about recycling my favourite clothes and accessories- especially when I can't afford to buy anything new, like at the moment! Real people wear items more than once, and that's okay!

Have you been wearing your maxi dresses now that summer is here? How do you style yours?

Drip, drip, drop

Just a quick outfit post from me today. I've had these photos stored in desktop purgatory for a week or two, unsure of whether I would actually post them as I don't really like how I look in these photos. I guess I just gave in as here we are.

This was a rare moment out of bed for me. I've barely left it in three weeks as my pain levels have been particularly bad; my back hasn't recovered from being mobile for my last hospital appointment yet.

 I was just heading off to the Doctor's again here, so I took the opportunity to quickly snap a few photos.

It was a reasonably mild day, but very blustery, so I'm a little wind swept. I'm wearing a cute chiffon tea dress from Dorothy Perkins, which I've had for about a year. At first glance, the print appears to be polka dots, but if you look a little closer you'd see that the pattern is made up of multi-coloured raindrops. It's lovely. I wore it simply with black leggings, my turquoise Havaianas, a couple of bracelets with black and silver beads, and a pair of square teal earrings.

Outfit Details

Dress-Dorothy Perkins // Leggings-New Look // Flip Flops-Havaianas //  

Bracelets-Gifts from my best friend // Earrings-Camden Lock Market //

This was an unusually black ensemble for me, but I like the simplicity of an outfit quickly thrown together.

And I think the raindrops are a statement enough on their own!

I'm boring but overcompensate with headlines and flash, flash, flash photography

Apart from a car ride home from my sister's on Tuesday morning, this past week has been spent hibernating in bed.

At first I was advised to rest to allow my toe to recover, but thankfully that's eased considerably over the last few days- although it still hurts to move it, or if anything so much as grazes against it, but it's not a bother. As per usual, my back has been the hand manipulating the strings. It didn't cope well with a two hour hospital appointment, and has been searing hot agony ever since. The worst it's been in a while. I've struggled to move, and even sit up in bed, so have spent most of the week fan-girling over Fall Out Boy horizontally in bed. I'm so excited that one of my all time favourite bands has reunited with new material! And yes, I know I'm twenty-seven!

Yesterday was much of the same, but I had to leave my bed on a quest to find Easter eggs for my sisters; which means I threw an outfit together, and stood up long enough to snap a few photos to bring you this outfit post today!

I bought this lovely red shirt dress from ASOS Curve last Summer, but until yesterday had only worn it once.  I've been itching to wear it this week, so I popped it over black leggings, and wore it with a black cardigan to pop to the shops.

 The dress has buttons from collar to hem, which are hidden by a panel down the centre for a neater look, which is a little different to other shirt dresses I've seen and owned. I like that. I personally love the shape of the dress, and how the skirt flares out from the waist to give a great A-line shape. The fabric isn't quite opaque, so it does show a little of my shape through the fabric, but not enough to cause offence... I hope! My favourite feature is the sweet Peter Pan collar, buy more on that below.

I accessorised with ribbon, a green brooch, lip earrings, and a pair of pink Havaianas. I would have preferred to wear this dress with tights, and a pretty pair of shoes, but I can't wear anything which touches my toe right now... which, with this Arctic weather we've been having lately, has been absolute torture. Having bare feet in freezing temperatures is painful, and not advised!

When I posed for these photos, it was trying to snow, and it was bitterly cold. So cold I managed no more than two minutes of shivering before I dashed back inside with my camera. Winter seems to have gone on unusually long this season. I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever have warmth and sunshine ever again...

And just to mix things up a bit, here's a rare shot of me wearing glasses! This may actually be a Polka Spots and Freckle Dots first! I hate people seeing me wearing glasses, even though I've been wearing them since I was a year old. I prefer to wear contact lenses but Specsavers won't give me any more until I've had a check up, which just isn't possible right now. So, glasses it is!

I tied a piece of burgundy ribbon in to a bow in the centre of the collar, which I was inspired to do after seeing somebody in a street style section of a magazine do so with a thin piece of black ribbon. I really love the way the ribbon instantly changed the look of the dress, and how pretty this little touch is. I know I will be trying this idea again under other collars with different coloured ribbons!

 I guess if I was really trying to impress you, I would have ironed the collar first, but hey, that's not me.

Outfit Details

Dress-ASOS Curve // Leggings-New Look Inspire // Cardigan-Matalan // Flip Flops-Havaianas (Fuchsia) // 

Brooch-Camden Lock Market // Ribbon-local haberdashers // Glasses-Roxy

Dressed Up To The Nine(lives)s

Morning guys,

Last week, the lovely Rachel of A Dress is For Life and I were chatting on Twitter, and we realised we both own the same cat print dress from AX Paris. This isn't really surprising as she and I both share a similar style; she has an even better dress collection than I do! 

Rachel invited me to join her for a little blog post duet, and I was more than happy to oblige. We've both dressed an outfit around our cat print dresses and created separate blog posts to show you how we've styled our frocks. A little post we're calling 'Dressed Up to the Nine(lives)s.' One dress, two different looks, and twice as much cattitude!

Read on to see how I wore the dress this week...

(Sorry about the quality of the outfit photos; the timer on my camera is awful!)

I had a few outfit ideas to mind before I dressed for this challenge, but when I opened my wardrobe doors I had the urge to style the dress with shades of purple, so that's what I did.

I wore it with a pair of opaque berry tights, and my purple round neck Matalan cardigan. I bought this cardigan back in the early Autumn, along with three others in different colours, and they're some of the best cardigans I've ever owned. They're super soft and warm, have beautiful mother of pearl buttons on them, and came in the most striking colours. I haven't worn this purple one much, yet, but I like how well it goes with the coral dress, and will have to try this colour combination again.

My accessories were simple, and a little bit dull. I felt I was lacking the right pieces for the look I wanted to create. I just added a chunky purple beaded necklace, which I think my mother gave me at some point; added two enamel bangles to my wrist, and pinned the purple and pink brooch on to the cardigan. These three pieces were acquired during two separate visits to Camden.

I would have liked to have added a belt to break up the colour of the dress a little, but I don't own one in a suitable colour. I'll have to make it my mission to add a couple of belts in purples, corals, and pinks in to my collection.

If the outfit wasn't colourful enough, I painted my nails mint green because I think the colour goes perfectly with coral. I used a Barry M nail paint in Mint Green, and have three coats on my nails here.

Outfit Details

Dress- AX Paris // Cardigan- Matalan // Tights- Evans // Necklace- a gift from my Mum // 

Brooch- Camden Lock Market // Bangles- Camden Lock Market // 

Nail Polish- Barry M Mint Green //

I can't express just how much I adore this dress, and what a great buy it was. I've so many other outfit ideas planned for it in my head! The dress is still on sale for just £7.99 over on the AX Paris website, and if you sign up as a new customer, you'll get 20% off your first order, so take advantage of it! I bought the dress for just £6.39 this way!

 Make sure you pop on over to Rachel's blog, A Dress is For Life, to see how she's styled her dress. I'm personally looking forward to seeing how she's dressed it, as she has fantastic style. If you love dresses and amazing shoes, you'll love her blog, so give her a follow while you're there, as well!

I've featured this dress in an OOTD post once before, which you can see here if you'd like to see a third way to wear it.

Thanks for reading,

This kitten has a lion's roar

Morning guys,

I've got a rare outfit post to share with you today!

I've been dying to share this dress with you all since it came through the letter box a week ago, but I've not been feeling brilliant lately. I've barely been able to get out of bed in ten days, and have mostly been living in pyjamas. I can hear those little violins serenading my sob story now...

I forced myself to get dressed on Saturday for the sake of my sanity, and quickly snapped a few photos of the outfit before crawling back in to bed in it.

I give you my new cat print dress...

This gorgeous coral-coloured, cat-printed dress came from AX Paris' Curve range, and I had been admiring it from a far ever since it landed on their website last summer. For what ever reason, I never managed to purchase it sooner, even when it went on sale, and even when it was eventually sliced down to the ridiculously pocket-friendly price of £7.99! Financially, it was never a good time.

I was disappointed I'd missed out when it eventually disappeared from the website, but last week I noticed it had returned in several sizes, and was still listed for £7.99! Thankfully, I'd just sold a few things on eBay, so I treated myself to it. Although, not before I'd created a new account to get the 20% off my first order, which brought the frock down to just £6.39, instead of £40.00! Now that is what I call a bargain! Get in there, ladies!

On AX Paris' website, the dress was shown as quite a short frock. I'm not confident with showing much thigh, but I ordered it anyway and hoped it would be a little longer- thankfully, it was! The dress sits just below my knees, which is the perfect length for me. (I'm 5'6'' FYI). It's also a lined dress, and good quality for a polyester number.

I sized up, as I always do with dresses with fitted waists, and the fit is perfect everywhere. It's almost like this dress was made for me. There's only a little fabric spare at the arms, the waist is fitted without being restrictive, and there's plenty of room for the girls with room to spare. If you're busty, you shouldn't have a problem fitting in to this dress. I'd advise you all to size up once, though, if possible.

I'm a sucker for prints, especially ones with quirky animal designs, as I'm sure you can tell, but until now I didn't have any cat motifs in my collection. This dress has a lovely cat print of elegant white kitties, some accessorised with complementing black bows around their necks. I think the print is really cute, without being tacky or too child like, and I'm pleased I got to add it to my collection.

So, all in all, I adore this dress! I'm in love with the fit, I'm in love with the shape. I'm in love with the cheerful coral colour, and the sweet kitty cat print. And I am most definitely in love with the price. It was such a brilliant bargain buy, and I only wish it came in other colours so I could buy them, too. I wonder if this dress would dye well?

I have so many different outfit ideas for this dress; mostly involving pastel colours and white, but I thought it was perhaps a little early in the year to dress it in such a way. Here I was being a bit lazy and boring, and just wore it with comfortable black New Look leggings, and my coral Lovedrobe shrug.

I accessorized with my Cath Kidston rose bracelet and heart friendship bracelet again, and dug out an old brooch to wear on the shrug. I bought the brooch in Camden Lock Market several years ago, from a stall selling hundreds of beautiful vintage brooches. I have no idea if this one really is vintage, but I don't mind. I think it's really pretty old or new. Sadly it's lost a gem, though, and I really should try to repair it.

I was also wearing purple eyeshadow and lilac nail polish to compliment the coral.

Outfit Details

Dress- AX Paris // Leggings- New Look // Shrug- Lovedrobe via New Look Inspire // 
Rose bracelet- Cath Kidston // Heart bracelet- A gift from a friend // Brooch- Camden Lock Market

The dress is currently available in UK sizes 16, 18, 20 and 22, and you can find it here. If dresses and quirky patterns are your thing, this is probably the dress for you! Trust me, you won't regret the purchase!

Thanks for reading,

I'm dreaming in red, just drifting away...

Would you believe I actually have an outfit post for you today? No, me neither, but it's true! Before we go in to, I'll give you the story behind today's outfit.

 

After an upsetting hospital appointment with the pain clinic yesterday, I left upset, and to clear my head my Mum and I had a wander (or in my painful state, waddle) around a couple of shops in a nearby town. We ended up wandering in to M&Co...

 

I hadn't been in an M&Co since I was eleven or twelve and I'd always presumed the shop was frumpy and aimed at ladies in their Autumn years. Of course some of the lines are, but I was surprised to find some really pretty patterned dresses, tunics, and tops. If your style is quite feminine, I would recommend having a browse next time you're in town. I was also surprised to see they have a plus size range with quite a large selection, and plenty of colourful, fitted, and patterned pieces!! I saw sizes up to a 28. My Mum left with a gorgeous colourful tunic, and she bought me a dress, and a top to cheer me up.

 

Introducing my lovely new red polka dot tea dress...

 

I was watching Titanic (again). My DVD player has just gone to gadget heaven, so I'm making do with connecting Dad's portable DVD player to the TV.



My brooch kept falling off. I've no idea why I was grinning here!

Ta-da! Another polka dot number. I seem to have a habit of finding polka dot pieces where ever I go! I can't help it, they're just so pretty! This dress was the last one in the store, in my size, and on sale for just £15 instead of the rrp of £40! I waddled over to the changing rooms and fell in love with it the moment I tried it on.

 

The dress has a red slip underneath and is made of chiffon. I guess the pattern could qualify as Dalmatian instead of polka dot, as the spots are different sizes and shapes. The waist is elasticated, but thankfully doesn't cause discomfort and regular adjusting. I love tea dresses- they're just so retro and feminine, and I feel great in this one. The cheerful red fabric definitely plays a part in that.

 

I'm really struggling today with the pain and very limited mobility, but I forced myself to dress to get myself out of the doldrums. It has helped my mood a little. My fringe currently falls over my eyes, so I used the straighteners to curl it to add some volume, and pinned it back in to a little quiff. It's not often that I'm seen without a fringe! Hello awful eyebrows!

 

The dress came with a skinny red belt, although it's a little too short, so I've worn it with my black patent Dorothy Perkins belt instead today.



Today's accessories...



The owl necklace is a new addition to my collection. My older sister bought me it back from Disney World, of all places, this week! I love owls!



I bought this vintage brooch from a brooch stall in Camden Lock Market a couple of Winters ago. I can't remember how much I paid for it, but I fell in love with the green stones.



 

These adjustable rings were part of a set I bought in the ASOS summer sale.

 

I painted my nails with two purple Barry M colours on Monday, although it's started to chip off, so excuse the chipped nails.



 

Dress: M&Co

Belt: Dorothy Perkins

Leggings: New Look

Brooch: Camden Lock Market

Rings: ASOS (part of a set)

Necklace: Gift from Sister, bought in Disney World, Florida

Nail Polishes: Barry M in 303 Bright Purple and 161 Vivid Purple

 

As well as the dress, I came home with an orange polka dot tunic, which I think I can get away with for Autumn. I also fell in love with a swan print top, but it was more than I couldn't afford.

 

I picked up a few new storage containers earlier this week for my dressing table, which you can see in the outfit photos, (I'll do a post on that soon) and I returned my furniture to it's previous state as I hated the layout. Fingers crossed I'll get mon pere to decorate the room soon.

 

Have you ever shopped at M&Co before? Do you like their clothes?

 

Are you a fan of tea dresses?