[Pretty floral tunic from Dorothy Perkins, black leggings from Next, boots from Asda, belt from CS, necklace from Next, watch £2.99 on ebay].I'm off this week so I thought I'd share with you some of my fashion, beauty and bargain hunting advice over the course of the week. Today I thought I'd share with you advice about dresses. I live and die in dresses these days 1. because I'm lazy - in the mornings and 2. it's much easier to reach for 1 dress and some black leggings (a must-have accessory) than worry about coordinating a 2 piece outfit. At the moment I'm working the pretty florals with a twist look (more on that later).
So what dresses are best? It really depends on your shape. I have big boobs a waist and hips so generally anything that pulls in suits me best. Dresses that hang make me look twice the size I really am. People with curvy figures should generally avoid empire line dresses unless they are certain the bust is big enough. Empire line is great though for hiding a multitude of sins (ie, a bit of a tummy).
If you are straight down with smaller boobs, shift dresses look fab and very chic (I so wish I could pull off that look! sigh!).
So where can I get a good dress? On the high street I don't think you can beat Next for a good quality day dress that can work in the office or be dressed down with chunky jewelery and a chunky belt for hanging out with friends. My first stop, however, is always the charity shop. I never have any luck buying tops or trousers, but when it comes to bags, belts and dresses I do exceptionally well. It's very unusual for me to enter a charity shop without finding at least 2 fabulous dresses. Today was no exception - I found a stunning blue and white floral wrap dress from Laura Ashley for £6.99 and a next 60s style empire line dress (it fits perfectly!) for £6.99. I know £6.99 may seem a lot, but I always choose dresses that are from very good shops and either look new or still have the tags. I've bought White Stuff, Phase 8, Next (probably the bottom of my scale), Laura Ashley, Wallace etc. I do wear each and every one of the dresses I have bought, unlike some of the other stuff I've bought from the high street over the years.
So what accessories do I need? I have a stash of black, grey and coloured tights, black leggings (the thin ones that are like tights and the slightly thicker ones), a selection of chunky bracelets and necklaces, and waist and under bust belts.
Here are some of the dresses I have bought recently:
Next dress £6.99 from local CS (excuse the hair - I'd just had a nap!)
1950s summer dress, bought for £7.00 on ebay - If I'd had more than 5 minutes to get ready I would have teamed this with either a pearl necklace or some red, blue or green beads.
Stunning blue Chinese dress - I'd always wanted one of these, but they are quite expensive so I was pleased to find this for £4.99 in the CS on Saturday.
Gorgeous Laura Ashley wrap dress - £6.99 from CS.
Good old plain black Next dress - can't beat it!
