Tag Archives: clothes

Summer party dress decisions…

Posted on by Abi

Wedding season is well and truly upon us. As brides up and down the country are counting down the days until their special day, wedding guests (particularly women) up and down the country are wondering what on earth to wear??

First of all what colour should you wear? White always seems like a no no, for starters most brides have the monopoly on white, plus there’s always the chance that the bride is wearing Ivory (as I did) and the last thing you want is for your crisp white dress to make the bride’s look dirty 🙁 Jewel colours are a favourite of mine and perfect for evening celebrations, but what if the service is starting at 12 or 1, will your colour choice hold up for both day and night?

Then there’s the style or cut, too short may not be decent for a wedding. Too long and you might be accused of pretending to be a bridesmaid. Too casual and you might look like you can’t be bothered, too formal and you’ve gone too far. It’s a minefield!

Or at least it is for me, I’ll admit that my habit of over thinking things is probably to blame. Especially considering that my own wedding was attended by those wearing the decidedly informal New Rock boots though to almost ball gowns and I was completely unfazed. I was more agreeably engaged with my own dress and how the church and reception venue was decorated 🙂

Just in case anyone else finds these kind of decisions as hard as I do, I thought I would share my current favourite wedding attendee dress choices. You could of course wear a skirt or indeed trousers, but weddings are a great excuse to go all out feminine and wear a dress so I usually do.

I think all of these dresses are gorgeous and perfect for taking you through from day to night (if you have the time to change though two dresses is always fun!) They are all from reiss, which has long been one of my favourite stores. They seem to bridge the gap between high street and designer perfectly and while some of my former favourites have wavered over the years (usually due to a change in design direction) Reiss has stayed right up there!

What are your wedding picks this year?

 

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Summer Party Fashion for kids (and me!)

Posted on by Abi

It was recently my twins birthday and you wouldn’t believe the hard time I had finding appropriate party clothes. So hard in fact that I thought I’d share my successful finds in case any of you too are struggling.

Perhaps it’s just me, but I am quite anxious that my daughter in particular does not grow up too fast and enjoys her childhood being a little girl. But as soon as I entered the shops I was faced with teenage styling, short skirts, skimpy tops and shoes with heels 🙁 When my daughter’s brief had been ‘a pretty party dress’ none of this came even remotely close to fitting either her ideal or my own.

Thankfully H&M finally came to the rescue with this gorgeous Sky Blue Empire Line Dress, amazingly it only cost £12.99 and came in several colours. We even found a cute little bolero for £4.99 and a pair of sparkly ballet pumps. My daughter couldn’t have been more pleased and she looked perfectly at home skipping around the Georgian town house where her party was held.

My son was somewhat easier as boys clothes don’t seem to suffer from the same shortening of lengths etc. He just wanted a ‘cool’ shirt and we found this wonderful striped number at Polarn O. Pyret (one of my favourite kids shops) for £22. It’s hard to see in this picture but the stripes go in different directions.

As for myself…. 🙁 I ran out of time and didn’t get any new clothes (Boo!) but then I wasn’t the centre of attention at their party. Although if I had the time again I think I would have opted for a gorgeous lace dress like one of these from New Look. In fact I still might treat myself (parties are hard work!)So if you’re like me and just want your daughter to look her age and your son to look like a cool little chap, don’t give up there are still shops that offer good choices. Or if all else fails, sew something yourself!

I bought all of the clothes from Westfield Derby 🙂 my local shopping centre, but all the shops above also sell online.

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Boden Press Day Spring Summer 2012

Posted on by Abi

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited along to Boden’s Press Day, to preview the Spring Summer 2012 collection. You are probably all aware that as well as this blog, I also write for the Boden Community. If you’ve not taken a look at their site yet do pop across and check it out, there are many wonderful posts on a wide variety of subjects. For today though, here is a brief taster of what Boden has in store for us next year.

The upcoming collection has been inspired by world travel, even the board outside welcomed us in with a giant airmail letter! The whole room was festooned with maps, globes, signposts and doors. It was a visual treat before you even began to peruse the clothing.

There were three stories within the collection:

Globetrotter – a more subtle direction for Boden. The prints were delicate and refined, think of a gorgeous watercolour painting. There was a real touch of classic feminine glamour.

Breton Charm – I adored this collection of clothes, nautical inspired prints with a classic Britishness that was hard to resist. Perfect for a Spring picnic beside the lake, these clothes were wearable, classic and relaxed.

Secret Mediterranean – The holiday collection, beautiful vibrant colours that instantly transport you to a world of bright blue seas, golden suns and hours spent on the beach. The summer dresses really stole my heart here, easy, comfortable but with little touches that really made them stand out.

Even the men have been well catered for, here I am busy flicking through a lookbook and admiring some wonderful summer shirts.

If I had to pick one must have item, it would be this stunning Purple Satchel bag (also available in tan and red). Although it seems I wasn’t alone and everyone I encountered was coveting it too. I’m sure that’s a mark of good taste 🙂

The Mini Boden collection was absolutely stunning, I particularly liked the pieces that employed a mixture of applique and traditional print.

The Boden team are a really happy, helpful bunch and are genuinely enthused about this collection. They know the pieces well and really believe in the vision they are creating.

So whether you’re looking to be smart, casual, classic or bright, Boden has something for all the family next year. I already have a shopping list of must have pieces for all my family (it’s rather long), I’m genuinely very excited!

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