Fun in Blackpool

(Picture heavy post)

Last weekend I went away with my mum for a couple of days.  We both needed some fun time away so decided to have a mother/daughter weekend filled with good things.

I always say that my mum and I could laugh and have a good time wherever we happen to be and that was certainly challenged when we arrived at our hotel to find that it was a country and western themed weekend.  Both of versions of hell!  Typical of us however we managed to have a laugh, whilst being completely mystified by the stony faces of the line dancers.  I thought dancing was supposed to be fun!

Anyhow, we had some fun things planned, the first of which was a trip to the +The Blackpool Tower ballroom.  Here was my outfit, planned with a little vintage edge.  The dress is from Simplybe from last year and the shoes are from Joe Browns.  The bag is a charity shop bargain from Barnardos.

Here are some pictures that I took at the Tower Ballroom, including the delicious afternoon tea for two which was exquisite.  I highly recommend a visit, I paid £37.00 for two which included a table for two around the edge of the dance floor.

Me and my beautiful mum

Four types of sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam and cakes 

(plus a cheeky glass of wine)

A quick photo I managed to get of the stage between dances

Now at this point my post goes slightly awry as I had some lovely photographs of my outfit later that night at Cats with some pictures of the amazing stage but unfortunately, my SD card decided to eat them.  So I have recreated my outfit for you here.

My dress* is from the Scarlett and Jo collection at the House of Fraser and is currently on sale for an amazing £20.00.  Although I usually size down for Scarlett & Jo dresses, I went for my usual size in this one as the dress is lined.

I love the ribbon tie detailing and the textured print of the prom dress.  The length, although isn't shown on the website, I would guess at around 42 inches as it lands just below my knees and I am 5ft5.

I felt like a princess wearing this dress and recreating the outfit, I still do!

So that was my weekend, hope you enjoyed yours! x

Spring Days

Although there has been snow in parts of Lancashire today, thankfully for once not on my doorstep, my thoughts today have been with Spring.  I see it popping up everything and it makes me yearn for those sunny days, sat out somewhere lovely in the late afternoon catching up with my friends with a glass of wine.

So today I am showing you a new dress that I recently bought from +Simply Be and have styled it for that perfect sunny day, hoping that it is not too far away.

Joe Browns Oriental Floral Dress 

+Clarks Wide Fit T Bar Sandals

+DKNY  Bryant Park Shoulder Bag

One thing that I am on the constant lookout for is that perfect evening bag that goes with everything,  Something classic and timeless and that can fit all the essentials needed.  I was recently asked by +Harvey Nichols if I would like to review one of their bags and I chose this DKNY bag * as it fits the bill for that evening bag I have been searching for.

The bag is beautifully made and has the option of using it as handheld as shown above but also extends so that you can wear it on your shoulder.  I used it recently on an evening out and I can confirm that it holds everything essential, including my not small Samsung Note that I cannot leave the house without!

What things are you dreaming about for the warmer months?

New Years Party Dress

When it comes to buying a new party dress,  I am not really one for wearing sparkle and glitz.  Every time I have bought a sparkly dress for Christmas it invariably ends up sitting in my wardrobe for a year until I get it out the next Christmas and decide I need something new.

This year for New Year's Eve I wanted to find a party dress that had a wow factor but that I would still be able to wear to other parties and functions throughout the year.  Enter the beautiful Briar Rose Dress from Taking Shape

The dress is true to size and is 43" in length.  The attention to detail with the finishing of this dress for me what takes it over the edge into special.  The mesh cowl neck insert with beading into the v neck  and the way that the belt is stitched in order to create a perfect bow without having to try; I love it.

I am wearing the dress with some sparkly heels from +Simply Be  (I did give in to sparkle a little) and my gorgeous rose quartz necklace from +Joshua James Jewellery which I reviewed here

I cannot wait to wear this dress when I go out for New Years Eve.  I feel elegant and sophisticated in it and with the lovely swoosh this dress gives when you do a twirl, I may even take to the dancefloor!

* This item was gifted to me, but all opinions are my own.

New Work Wear

Today I have a new dress to show you which I have recently added to my work wear collection for Autumn/Winter.  The days are drawing in and there is a definate nip in the air which calls for a return to a darker colour palette and warmer fabrics.

This Ann Harvey dress ticks all the boxes for me.  I love the baroque print and at just shy of 42 inches, it hits me just below the knee which is my go to length when choosing a dress.  The dress features a wrap around style top which is brought in a the waist with a silver buckle piece which adds extra detail.  Being fully lined, it is warmer to wear on those colder days.

I have worn the dress today with some t-bar wedges from +Simply Be and a three strand jet bead necklace.  When the weather turns colder still I will be adding a long line black cardigan and tights.  

The baroque print dress is true to size and is available at Ann Harvey in sizes 18-32 for the price of £45.00.  Today there is a 20% discount code on the site so if you like the dress as much as I do, head over and grab a bargain.

Checking Out Clarks

I went for a night out with the girls on Saturday so whilst I was all dressed up and ready for a night of dancing, I decided to take a few photographs to show you what I wore.

My dress is the amazing Anna Scholz Check Print Skater Dress  I first spied this +Simply Be dress at Plus North and made frequent visits to the stand to gaze at it.  A sure sign that I was meant to own it.

I love how the bright pinks and yellows combine with the black and the PU trim to the neck, arms and around the waist really give it an edgy detail.  I bought the dress for £50.00 but luckily for you, it is now on sale at £35.00.  Run! Quick! Buy it now!

Now the last time I went out dancing my shoes absolutely crippled me so this time I wanted something that was a little more comfortable, but also added the final edgy touch to the dress.  I decided to go with the Macay Halle * boots from +Clarks 

These boots have a double zip, one on each side with one for fastening and the other as you can see above, which goes half way up, allowing for a little extra room.  One thing that is always important to me with ankle boots is having space to move around my ankle.

These boots goes perfectly with dresses but will work equally as well with lots of different outfits. The block heel isn't too high and the best part for me, strangely I know, is the sole.  I am the human Bambi on ice and when it comes to winter, I need a good firm grip to keep me on my feet instead on falling to the ground.

After wearing them for a night of dancing I can testify that they were very comfortable to wear and will be a firm favourite for the coming Autumn/Winter months.  You can buy them at Clarks here for £69.99.

I finished my outfit with two strands of jet beads and a 50's style roll in my hair.  I hope you liked the outfit!

* Denoted gifted item

Shirt Style Belted Dress

Today I have a beautiful tomato orange dress to show you from the Look Magazine Collection for @SimplyBe.

The Shirt Style Belted Dress* is very simple in style which lends itself to be worn in a variety of different ways depending on where you are going and how you want to look.  The material is 62% Polyester, 33% Visclose and 5% Elastane.  The fit is true to size and the material is just the right thickness for taking you into Autumn/Winter.  

Given that I wear dresses every day, I love finding a dress that I can style in different ways to create alternative looks.  For the photos today I have the dress with the buttons open at the front, with heels and a glitzy belt; worn simply with a large statement necklace and low black wedges and also with a belt added.

Opaque tights will also look great with this dress or styled with some ankle boots for an edgier look.

The dress comes with a dull gold belt that I haven't featured here.  The solid colour and simple style of the dress lets you either wear it as is, or choose a variety of different belts in different styles and colours.  I am tempted to try out a clashing coloured belt to see how this looks too.

You can buy the dress at SimplyBe for £60.00.

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* Denotes gifted item

Joe Browns Rambling Rose Dress

Today I am participating in a blog hop and this month's theme is "Breaking the Rules".

During a meet up with some other fantastic bloggers in Manchester we took at trip to +Simply Be in the +Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre 

I decided to buy another Joe Browns dress (yes another) as I love that they are not afraid of bold prints and bright colours.  I went with the Joe Browns Rambling Rose Dress which is priced at £44.00.  I loved the dusky pink colour and the beautiful floral print.  

The sweetheart neckline on the dress is just right on me and I love the pleating detail to the side and best of all, IT HAS POCKETS!!!  The length is shorter than I would usually wear being above the knee so some may want to wear leggings, but I just went with heels and a cheeky smile.

This dress definately breaks all of the rules that I am supposed to follow (screw the rules) so I thought that it would be perfect for this challenge!

I bought this dress in the summer but I will definately be carrying it through to the winter, I just need to add a cardigan and some tights.  

Another winner from Joe Browns and SimplyBe!

Making Fashion Work For You

Whether it is something to do with the fact that I am now (whispers) 35, but the length I prefer on dresses and skirts has definitely lengthened.

Up until the past couple of years I was happy to wear an above the knee length but now when out shopping I finding myself leaning towards the below the knee and midi lengths.  Myself and leggings have never really taken to each other so they are not an option for the shorter lengths either.

How something fits is equally growing more important as the years go by in that I no longer want to have to compromise on the fit. 

What I think that we all tend to forget, or at least me anyway, is that we don't have to compromise on fit and lengths can be changed according to what you want.  Sewing services are available everywhere and for between £8.00 - £10.00 (Lancashire pricing anyway) you can get items altered to how you want them to look.

Whenever I go shopping now I always bear this in mind and when I see a dress (my go to item as you know) I always kept seamstress services in mind.

This dress for example I bought in a recent shopping trip to Manchester at +Yours Clothing   The dress started out as a maxi dress but straight off the hanger I knew that, on me, it would work perfectly at a just under the knee length.  So I bought it and had it altered to how I wanted (seamstress in this case being my talented mum).

Obligatory pout shot

Having tried the dress on I think we ended up taking about 5 inches off the dress and it really does make a difference.

Have you been making your fashion work for you lately?

South Ruched Sleeve Tea Dress

So I had a spare ten minutes the other day and decided to have a look at the +Very.co.uk to see what they  had going on in the fashion section as I haven't checked it out for ages.  This was perhaps a bad move as I ended up coming away with two dresses...... Oops.

I have one of the dresses to show you today which is a pillar box red tea dress with a blue and turquoise cherry blossom pattern which I adore.  The length is a little shorter than I would normally wear but hey, it is summer after all!

The fit is true to size and I love the skirt to the dress which is very swishy (yes, that is a technical term).  I am 5ft4 for height comparison and I would say that if you are any taller than me then you would definately need tights or leggings.  The sizing ranges from 8 to 24.

I wore the dress with a turquoise necklace that I found in a charity shop, my crochet cardigan from +Simply Be and some Mary Jane shoes from +Clarks 

The South Ruched Sleeve Tea Dress is a lovely dress and for the current bargain price of £25.00, I do urge you to run and get it quick!  

What have you bought lately?

No Crying at Boo Hoo

A few months ago I was allowed to have a browse through the new plus size collection from BooHoo and choose an item.  This particular post has been sat in my drafts for a while now and I stupidly forgot to hit publish!

Surprisingly for me I went for not the usual choice of bright choices and patterns, but instead was drawn towards the Lilly Peter Pan Contrast Collar Dress as it spoke to my earlier years of wanting to be Wednesday Adams.

The dress is true to size and very comfortable, however if you are not comfortable with a bodycon style fit, I would recommend that you size up.  The dress also comes with the opposite colouring of white dress and black collar which would look gorgeous in the summer.

I styled this dress for my photographs simply with a red heart locket and simple black sandals.  You could easily dress it up with some heels and a different necklace for work or alternatively, add some Converse and you can nod to the sports lux look too.

Given that it was a few months since I first checked out the new plus size collection, I decided to have a look and see what was available now and I totally fell in love with this kimono below so I had to share it with you.  

Isobel Neon Floral Kimono £20.00

I absolutely love this kimono.  The colour, the print, I NEED this in my wardrobe.  It's perfect.

What are you loving about the new Boohoo plus size range?