A Simple Summer Sensation

Don't you just love it when you are rummaging through your wardrobe looking for something perfect to wear on a boiling hot summers day and you find something that will be just right? I had that exact moment last week! It must have been around 25 degrees which for London is really hot! With very little breeze in the hot and humid capital city and a full day at work I was desperate for something light, airy and most off all, comfortable!

At last year's Definition Of Size Art Exhibition I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Angela at IslandBlue. She told me about the company and their growing collection. It was refreshing to hear about a new brand that are starting to make moves all over Europe with their bold styles and interesting colour patterns. I was lucky to be a recipient of one of these dresses to which I have only worn twice. 

The interesting thing about this dress is that it's actually in their autumn in winter collection of last year. The wrap detail and light fabric for me made this is perfect summer piece. Admittedly I have this dress a size too big but that's actually what I really like about it. In a size 24 (which is a very generous 24) I find the dress the perfect piece for a hot, sticky and otherwise uncomfortable day in London. This is one that will definitely be coming with me when I go away later this year! The burnt orange colours and creamy stripes will look amazing in a hot and sunny country. 

A modest length for the skirt and mid length sleeves makes this one a very easy to wear piece in need of very little enhancements and/or accessories. I may even see how this one fares when we do reach autumn and winter. Some knee high brown boots and leggings might make this one look totally different. If you were to tie the belt the opposite direction to how I have in these pictures and have it tightly knotted across the back it would slightly cinch you in and illuminate the curvature in the waist.

 I think that with the burgundy colours in the dress it can most definitely been worn across seasons but it may be a chilly piece, some thick tights or leggings would be needed to cut the winter chill out of the air. As you can see I wore this one with a simple and small bag and see-through ballerina pumps from Primark. My often worn head scarf and hoop earrings were an added feature also.

Jackson Action - My Take On Billie Jean Chic

When it comes to casual clothing items many people struggle with adding a little style and finesse into their look. It's no secret how much of a Michael Jackson fan I am and I thought that with all the t-shirts I have I need to switch things up a little. My aim was to see what I can do to make some of my tees more feminine and fashion forward.

I pulled out one of my favourites and decided to work with the colours there. Lucky for me black, white and grey were my choices. All MJ fans like to incorporate signature things from his look into their style especially when wearing something with his name or face on. I decided to play around with a style I like to call Billie Jean Chic. I would usually do the easy thing and wear an MJ t-shirt with a pair of jeans so I thought, let me go the other way and pick out a skirt. From Primark, this size 20 tube skirt was my choice. The horizontal stripes in black and white really compliment the t-shirt design and despite my belly being on show I still love the look and feel confident wearing it! I played around with the t-shirt tucking it into the skirt, tying a knot to make it more fitted in it's style and letting it hang over the skirt. In the end I decided I prefer the tee either tucked in or draped over the skirt and knotted. As this is a men's t-shirt in XL I wanted a more tailored fit for my more dressy style. We have recently got this t-shirt in stock over at King Of Shop so if you like it you can pick it up in sizes S-XL. 

Billie Jean as one of Michael's most famous songs sees the king of pop wearing the world famous black sequin jacket. Mine is the gorgeous Veronette Cardigan from Igigi, US Size 22/24. The Jacket comes complete with a sash belt which you can use to close the jacket and fasten it shut, I thought I would wear mine true to MJ's style and leave it loose. XL tights from Primark and a pair or suede high heeled shoes I was more than ready to hit the town in this number! 

I like to showcase the fact that I'm an MJ fan and if I can do that with a little style and fun then I most certainly will! I'm sure you'll see me playing around with some of my other t-shirts soon and you can give me your feedback lol. 

No MJ style look would be complete without mirrored aviators! When I saw this pair I had to do a double take as they are really similar to a pair he wore when I saw him in London for the 2006 World Music Awards. He wore the most amazing pair of diamond framed shades. Mine are of course an imitation but for £3 in Primark you simply can't go wrong! 

Many of us have the odd outfit influenced by a celebrity and for me Michael was the one person who's style I found to be a fun and playful challenge. His look was most definitely his own and as he was not afraid of sequins, glitz and glam I thought it might be fun to add a twist to his look and see if I could adapt it to suit my own. 

I know I'm 2 days late but this month's magnificent 7th challenge was to replicate the style of a celebrity and as Michael's Billie Jean style was created for the stage I thought it best to adapt the look. Check out some of the posts for the others bloggers in the challenge and see what celeb styles they tried out:

Kaye, Becky, Nicola, Gail, Mary, Kathryn, Steph, Charley, Rebecca, 

Leah, Lindsey, Vicky, Nikki, Christina, Leah, Nancy, Beverly, 

Gillian, Katt, Sarah, Hannah, Hollie, Kitty, Emma,

Michelle, Abi, Sarah, Charlie, Sally, Lucie, Natalie

Collectif Dolores Doll Summer Bouquet Review

I have officially fallen in love with the most gorgeous dress, the Dolores Doll Summer Bouquet!

It's no secret how much I love vintage swing dresses. The style is classic, sexy and amazingly fun to wear! When I picked up a Dolores Doll dress last year I absolutely loved the fit, length and cut of the dress. The Summer Bouquet dress was one I really wanted to get my hands on last year but it was often out of stock in my size. The original print of the dress comes in a gorgeous yellow and green floral design. I will be honest when I ordered the dress I expected to get the original print delivered to me in one of those hot pink Collectif packages. So when I pulled out this gorgeous pink and navy print I was even happier than expected, the colours are really nice and I love how they sit against my skin tone. 

The beautiful Georgina Horne from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust modelling the Summer Bouquet dress.

Image Courtesy Of Collectif

 I like for my dresses to cling to all the right spots and hang loose on all the other parts. When I select a dress to wear, comfort is usually my first port of call and then I consider what might work for the given weather or what might best suit the events taking place that day. As I have been creating quite a collection of dresses from Collectif I knew that this one would fit perfectly, and accompany many other items in my wardrobe.

To be totally honest with you every single person I have seen wear these dresses looks amazing in them and I'm not surprised that every time I have wanted one I have had to act fast to grab my size! Luckily for me when I picked this one up a couple of weeks ago the dress was on sale and I got it for almost half of the price, so I guess you could say I was pleasantly surprised twice over!

The stretch fabric is very generous and most women have to downsize in this style by 1 sometimes 2 dress sizes. I wear this style in a size 20 and I tend to pair mine with a petticoat. Available in sizes 6-22 this style is open to many ladies out there. 98% cotton and 2% elastane, the fabric feels great on and is washing machine friendly, never have the colours on any of my Collectif dresses ran or faded so for me I find these an amazing investment. 

I think for me I enjoy the Dolores Doll style so much because the cut suits women of all shapes and sizes. I have found in the past that buying a dress that leaves enough boob room can be a challenge. This style of dress not only is very roomy in that area, I actually don't mind having a heavy cleavage on show when I wear this cut of dress. I feel incredibly womanly when I wear my vintage dresses and I look forward to picking up even more Dolores Doll dresses in the future.

I am pictured here wearing my white petticoat from Vivien Of Holloway. I actually prefer wearing petticoats when I wear my vintage dresses. I like the way that the fabric drapes over the underskirt and showcases the print that little bit more. I decided to wear a simple black bolero with this one and bring out my black platform heels to match. As this dress is all about the followers I thought it would be wrong for me not to wear any in my hair so my trusty white hair roses from Black rose were a must!

Check out my previous post about the Dolores Doll In Polka Dot print here:

For more reviews and styles in this cut check out the reviews by Curvy Wordy and Fuller Figure Fuller Bust.