Ten things I love (and none of them are dresses)

We all know by now that I rely a little bit too much on the whole ‘put on tights, add dress, throw on some shoes, leave house’ approach to getting dressed in the morning. But in order not be quite so predictable in the way I dress, I’ve been trying to move away from that. It hasn’t gone particularly well – mostly, I’ve been wearing more coloured tights (oooh, innovative!) and trying to wear a pair of earrings for more than half an hour before I get bored and remove them – but I’m also trying to stop myself from going directly to the ‘dresses’ page when I’m browsing online. I’m finding myself increasingly drawn towards separates – mostly blouses, skirts and shorts – and great statement accessories. Here are just a few of the things I’ve discovered by making that tiny little change…

Tried & Tested: INES Collection’s plus size prints!

I’ve been sitting on this review for months (literally) because I didn’t want it to disappear in the middle of all the Dressember madness, so please forgive the fact I didn’t tell you all about INES Collection sooner! The brand (available at ShopTranslated.com, who ship internationally) offers affordable plus size dresses and blouses with an emphasis on prints – a great move as plus size fashion is so often black, black, black, and while some people can totally pull that off, others want a bit of colour!

I was sent the Graphic Pop dress ($72) and a ruched sleeve peacock print blouse to try out, so read on for how I got on!

Five shirts, five days: the ‘ladyshirt’ challenge!

The last time I wore a shirt was probably on my last day at school, so when The Savile Row Company got in touch to set me a bit of a wardrobe challenge, it was with slight trepidation that I took it on! They offered to send me a selection of shirts from their surprisingly vast women’s range, which I would then work into my own wardrobe to suit my style. Given that my usual way of creating an outfit involves picking a dress from the hundreds I own and proceeding to over-accessorise it, doing creative things with shirts was going to be tricky. But I’m always game for a challenge, and it turned out to be very interesting to see how these classic pieces can be taken far beyond their traditional home as workwear…

October must-haves: aviators, capes & velvet

My lack of enthusiasm for the new season has finally started to wane. Is it because I’m getting used to the Winter trends, or have the latest additions to the virtual rails been better than what we got in September? Perhaps it’s just the fact the temperature has dropped and I can finally see the need for a beautiful coat or a fabulous cape. Whatever the reason, I’m finally getting excited about what’s in the shops, and have picked out some of my favourites from a range of retailers. Top of my list is Miss Selfridge’s super-glam velvet coat with fur trim. It may not be the most practical piece of outerwear, but it’s definitely beautiful, and the rich, thick, stiff velvet is far nicer than the cheap stretchy stuff that can be found elsewhere…

August obsessions: fascinators, fragrance & frocks

With the sales finally coming to a close, I should be getting excited about new season shopping, but to be honest with you, I’m a bit scared by all the shearling gilets and harem pants, so my mind is still on Summer. With a foreign holiday in less than a week (yay!) I’m still indulging my swimwear obsession and hunting down things to buy in Duty Free, and also looking for some quirky last-minute finishing touches to a number of late Summer wedding outfits. Here’s what’s on my mind at the moment…

Top Ten: even more ‘buy now, wear later’

There’s no real link between these ten products except the fact I love them and I will be investing in some of them ready for when the Sun finally shows its face! This Summer, I’ll be eschewing the more off-the-wall catwalk trends (jogging pants? Leather shorts? I think not…) for something a bit more flattering.

On the relaxed, bohemian side there’ll be an update on last Summer’s gladiator sandals, pretty maxi dresses, nude wedge sandals, 50s sundresses and vintage-inspired doctors bags. For something a bit more dramatic, I’m thinking chandelier earrings, waterfall frills, graphic print dresses and military inspiration. All these items are available now, so get shopping before they sell out…