Maximise With A Maxi

Do you ever find yourself searching for a specific kind of garment? Maybe you want something for a particular event or season? In my case I was on a quest for the perfect maxi dress. It seems that having a good maxi dress is just as important as having the perfect LBD in your wardrobe and with the holiday season here and the temperatures soaring, my eyes have been well and truly open as I scoured websites and stores looking for a dress that was just right!

I wanted something that would suit my style, needs and my taste in colour and fabric. The lovely Hanna from The Wardrobe Challenge showed me a dress by Lovedrobe that she had recently gotten which I instantly feel in love with! The length was just right; adequate to wear with flats, wedges and heels. The silky soft fabric was light, airy and flattering on her and I knew this was one I wanted to pick up for myself. 

One of my concerns was trying to find a dress that I felt supported my breasts. So many maxi dresses have halter-neck ties or elasticated stretch material in that area, which is fine and looks good with the style. In my case I like to feel a dress mould around my bust and provide a little extra support. The thin straps are adjustable, giving you the option to wear the dress in a more fitted fashion (as I have in these pictures) or looser for comfort. The built in cups sit nicely against my shape giving me a full and elegant look.

I really wanted a dress with splashes of colour and this black maxi with splattered print in coral, pink, yellow and peachy tones is something I would wear out and about for drinks or enjoying myself in the sunshine. The waist detail and side ties pull you in at the middle giving a nice lift to the bust and comfortable sweep of the skirt. I picked this dress up in a size 26 as the area around the cups is rather fitted and it would have been too tight had I selected something smaller. Depending on the size and shape of your bust you may be able to downsize in this one as the skirt of the dress is very roomy.

I last wore this dress on a seriously hot day and despite the base colour being in black I felt really comfortable. The light fabric made this a perfect selection for such a sunny day in London. The interesting feel about the material of the dress is that I know I could have worn this dress on a cooler evening and still felt comfortable in it. To me the fabric of the dress feels rather adaptable and would be a comfortable wear for most temperatures during the summer and early autumn. 

I wanted to wear a simple shrug with this one. This was in an effort to avoid gaining thick tan lines from the straps of the dress and my bra. If I were to wear this out one evening, I would most likely wear a light jacket in black to compliment the fabric and offer a little additional coverage. 

For a dress with such a bold print I wanted very light and simple accessories. I played around with the colour pallet of the dress and so I opted for the Raffia Clutch from Simplybe and netted ballerina shoes from Primark. Feathered jewellery added those finishing touches I like and I feel that they worked well with the print in the dress.

The great news about this dress, it's on sale! You can pick this one up at Evans where I got mine at an amazing £30 reduced from £50. If you like this one I would definitely recommend it. It feels amazing on and the style is simple and elegant. With just the right amount of colour this is one that works perfectly for the current season. I look forward to taking this one with me on holiday where it shall make an appearance at the beach! 

Remember what ever you where, feel fabulous in it and where it with a smile! 

Tribal Chic - A Lovedrobe Review

When I entered a recent give-away being run by the lovely Becky from The Ramblings Of Mrs Bebe I was stunned when I received an email saying that I was the lucky winner. The prize was to select a dress of my choice from Lovedrobe. I spent ages going back and forth trying to decide on which item I would like, so many of the dresses were just gorgeous and I will be honest it was so hard to make a decision! I decided that the best approach was to select something totally different to everything else in my wardrobe. I was lacking in fun casual styles and when I saw the tribal print dress I knew that was the one I wanted to pick. 

Instantly I knew that this was one I could have a lot of fun with and already had accessories to go with the style. 

A common problem I have is trying to find items that will sit comfortably around my bust line, I had to size up in this dress. Where I normally go for a 20 or 22 I actually got this one in a 24. The fabric is light, airy and so nice to wear, but it has no stretch at all and is quite tailored in the chest area. The cut of the dress is similar to that of a skater cut but a little less fitted in the mid section.

I love the fall of this dress and the way it lightly skims my frame, it feels so nice on and would be great as an individual piece or worn with other garments. As you can see I chose to wear this one with a pair of simple black leggings with a rouched hem from Yours Clothing. I have also worn this one with a simple black shrug as the spring weather here in the UK does tend to have a slight chill in the air. 

When it came to accessorising this outfit I was lucky in that area. The dress comes with a thin black buckle belt which perfectly fit me. It does tend to slip under my bust at times though so in my case it's a discreet addition to the piece. 

Tucked away in my accessory basket I have had a black beaded necklace that I have never worn! Finally I have something that I can match it with! 

I have always worn scarves over my hair (especially when I'm having one of those dreaded bad hair days we all experience...) this black and white patterned one is another accessory that I have owned for several years now and to my luck it worked fantastically with this dress. The look was finished off with my simple black platform shoes that I love so much. 

If you wanted to add sharp bursts of colour to this look you could stick with tribal theme and work with deep reds, oranges or even greens. 

Bangles, beads and acrylic jewellery could work as well as sandals for footwear. 

To see what other fabulous looks are available from Lovedrobe simply click here!