Showing posts with label dresses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dresses. Show all posts

Friday, 25 November 2011

Sigh, the Monsoon Dress!

Sometimes, it is the little things which put a dampener on your week. Silly, I know but I can't get this dress out of my head.



Sorry, this is the only pic I can find online. Links here to the page and eBay seller (and presumed photographer)

Yes, I know, pretty magical!

When I saw it on the hanger in a local Monsoon Outlet, did I swoon! Probably, quite audibly!! It looked so beautiful as its tens/hundreds of sequins twinkled away at me. As I pulled it off the rail, it was hard to believe this was hanging in a local outlet store. The sequins, the flapper shape, the weight and with a cut which preserves your innocence, made it hard to believe that this lovely little garment really wasn't from another time.

As I looked closely at that dress, all I could do mentally was swoon a little more and tick, tick, tick!

- Glamorous and sophisticated . . , a twist on the little black dress . . , tick!

- On trend. . . sequins, sparkle, metallic, reminiscent of the Metallic Twenties inspired pieces Gucci have being pounding out . . , tick!


- Wearable . . . christmas, new year, special occasion galore . . , tick!

- Good value . . . reduced to forty pounds something and er, just so very divine . . , tick!

Of course, I had to try it on.

And alas, it wasn't to be!!

It seems on my short, stumpy legs, skirt lengths need to be of the extreme, either very short or very long.
Sidenote: Oh yes, I'm not sure if I mentioned this but now we are right on the tail end of the maxi trend, I've only gone and discovered despite my stubborn skepticism, I can work maxi lengths (or the midi which looks like a maxi on me)!
Unfortunately on me, this one fell on that very unflattering point just above the knee and made me look like a murder mystery actress who hasn't quite found her role yet. The beautiful cut on the hanger seemed lost as the dress hung awkwardly on me.

Drat, this dress was (is) so beautiful (and reduced!) but there was no way it was gonna work for me so reluctantly back to the rail, it went, where it awaits one very lucky lady to work it. I've got to say, I've felt a bit wistful thinking about this dress this week. Have you ever found a dream piece that just wasn't for you?

On the plus side, I am now aware just how good some of the Monsoon dresses look. This one was in Vogue.




Continuing with the shopping (or lack of) theme . . .

I'm still trying to incorporate some metallic in my wardrobe but full on sequined numbers just don't seem to work on me and so the best compromise I have found so far is the little silver metallic scalloped number above from Quiz . This is very me but of course, I couldn't find a size to fit properly in my local store. So the search for a little sparkle continues, I guess, this week, wardrobe building just wasn't to be!

And finally . . .
I'm definitely astride the scented candle fad and brought a few too many Yankee candles from a local Hallmark earlier this week, Evening Air, Fresh Roast, Pumpkin Spice, Sparkling Sugar and a miniature of Mistletoe and Fig.

To be honest, the only one I have used so far is the Sparkling Sugar. It is just so delicious, very sweet and I just love how a toned down version of the scent lingers in the air, on my furniture and in my hair. It smells of sugar so reminiscent of birthday parties, cake and all things that make me happy. Really recommend especially since it was on offer in Hallmark for just £4.72. All Yankee Candles in Hallmark seemed to be at least half price.

The Apothecary No 008 one that I blogged earlier in the week smelt pretty much as I described here. However, it seems a bit watered down compared to Sparkling Sugar.

Have you tried Yankee candles? What are your faves? Do you ever go shopping and it just doesn't happen?!

Oh and I'm still on the reading thing, currently still on The Help. I'm really enjoying it (as I progress further, it is almost like the scenes are unfolding in front of me. I actually gasped when I realised Miss Skeeter had left her bag at Hilly's meeting. The characters are so true to their identity and the story that seems to be unfolding) but it is a bit more of a tome then some of my previous reads and therefore is taking me a little longer to get through.

As for the running, I've just finished week 4 of the Get Running app. Yay! I'm finding it easier to motivate myself and then to breathe when I get going but oh, my joints aren't half starting to ache! *Adds proper running shoes to ever-growing 'To Buy' list*

Happy weekend!

X



Friday, 21 October 2011

Lace!

I've always thought that lace is a hard look to pull off. White lace can look great on a bride but on anybody else, lace can be easy to get wrong.
Still, occasionally, I have had a fling with lace.
Take this Top Shop lace dress in cream (Petite collection Christmas 2010).


I took this to the changing room last year for a bit of fun. I had no intention of buying it but was just trying on as many different items as I could in a desperate attempt to find some style.


To my surprise, I fell for this lace dress in cream as soon I tried it on.


It made me feel like somebody else. I normally live in black and neighbouring hues so I found that the cream colour and the delicate look of this number made me feel light and free. It was just after Christmas and all that snow, this dress reminded me that spring was coming and made me crave daisy chains (sad but true). This dress just seemed fun and what is more it seemed to bring life to my face. It felt very right. Although the dress looks lacy and light, it is not flimsy or delicate on any account. The thick lining gives enough structure leaving any 'net curtain' comments unjustified and of course, the cream (a colour so far from white! not, but just far enough!) takes away the whole bridal connotation.

Going on up the lace ladder, the stores are full of lace garments of other colours. Now if there is one thing scarier for me then bridal white lace, it is red; blue; black . . . In fact, coloured lace, in general. I just feel that on me, such items would be unflattering, too edgy and maybe even tarty.

However, recently there has being a lot of coloured lace out there and nobody else seems to be shying away from the look.

Just me.

Really I should man up but lace is so dangerous . . !

Or so I thought until I noticed a couple of Kate Middleton's recent looks.

Image from Google search


Image from Google search

Coloured lace looks!

If it is safe enough for the future Queen then goodness knows, why I'm so worried about the danger of lace?!

Enter one of my new H&M dresses.



I put it on and I liked what I saw. The lace is great and yes, lets face it, it is a lot more interesting to look at then block black.


This particular lace number is not as heavy as my Top Shop one but the fit is structured by the way that the front of the dress is vertically divided in to three. The dress is lined but the sleeves are not. This gives just enough of a lace tease without revealing too much.

The lining is flesh toned and actually quite pale. I fake tanned my top half a couple of days ago (expect a tan review very soon!) and even on me, the difference in lining and face (and arms) can be seen in real life. I actually prefer this dress on me before I fake tanned (typical, until now I have always preferred how my flesh looks when I've bothered to tan!). Pre-tan, the lining was not so obvious and the dress seemed more organic (if a dress can be such a thing!). Pale girls, this could be the one black dress out there for you!



I've paired the dress here with black skinny jeans here and a pair of heels because even if I did like my legs, I'm not sure I'd bare them out for this dress, just in case that swung the pendulum from pretty to tarty, Doreen (Birds of Feather) style.

In my head, I'm actually contemplating knee high boots and volumised (possibly with a slight quiff) hair to style this look. This number has a modern 60's feel about it.

Jewellery-wise?! Hmmm, maybe one large bracelet. What do you think?

I often braid the sides of my hair when I go out but I just think plaits are too girly for this number and that the lace needs to be balanced out a little. I think with lace, it talks for it's self and it shouldn't be played up too much. Who wants to be guilty of overkill?

So what do you think of lace? Do you like dresses with some kind of twist like this one or do you prefer a more conventional 'black dress' type number? I'm normally the conventional little black dress girl but I've got to say I am glad I have added something a little bit different to my wardrobe. Besides I also picked up a more classic black party dress in this H&M haul (more about that soon) so I can't really lose.

Talking of Kate Middleton, did you see the beautiful dress she was photographed in this week?


Image from Google search

A bit more of a 70's vibe and again very colourful but oh so glam. A dress to dream about this weekend, me thinks. I've got to admit lately, I've being style stalking Kate a bit. The 'What Kate Wore' blog is a good read!

Right, I'm off to have a Green Monster (click here to see earlier post about these gems). Over the last couple of months, I've really got back on that bandwagon and it makes such a difference to how I feel. Now if I could just bring myself to start drinking green tea again . . !

You can view the H&M dress here. Have a fabulous start to the weekend!

X

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