I love trying out new styles as each season rolls ’round but I also love to have a few staple dresses in shapes and cuts that I know will suit me.
On a day-to-day basis I usually opt for dresses. I like to go for skater, smock, swing and as of more recently maxi dresses. Although, a maxi dress can often be a little hit and miss because I’m quite short.
I personally love a dress with long sleeves. I don’t feel particularly confident going bare armed (I’m working on it) so if a dress has long sleeves it means that I don’t have to worry about matching up a cardigan to the outfit. It also means that I won’t ruin a pretty dress by throwing a cardigan over the top – something I’ve been guilty of many times in the past.
Long sleeved dresses are also very easy to throw on and style. We all live busy lives and saving time in the morning or evening is always a good thing. I like to be able to style up or down a dress by simply switching out my shoes, handbag and make-up. If a dress ticks this box I know I’ll get a lot of use from it.
River Island is somewhere I’ve shopped on and off over the years. I always check out their autumn collections but hadn’t ventured into one of their stores for a while. It turns out that was a mistake.
They dropped me an email a few weeks ago asking if I’d like to pick a summer dress from their site. I was delighted to find that they have a fab collection of floral dresses in a wide range of styles. They’ve had some really good styles for the fantastic hot weather we’ve been having.
The floaty dress I’m wearing has been a real winner over summer. I think it’s going to be perfect for the transitional weather we’ll have coming up soon too.
Although the sleeves on the dress aren’t full length, they are a little longer than 3 quarter and have a very pretty ruched detailing. I think this really makes the dress and I also love the loose fit.
So, as I mentioned, I still like to mix things up a bit and push myself out of my sartorial comfort zone.
This dress ticked many boxes for me but there was one usual category that it didn’t fall into, colour. I usually opt for navy shades and this is very much in the pinky peach zone. It’s a colour I’ve never really worn before but one I’m now keen to incorporate into my wardrobe more.
I’ve had so many compliments in person and on Instagram about the colour of the dress. Many people have said it suits me and that makes such a nice change. I can’t wait to try more outfits in similar shades.
I think it’s important to know what styles suit you and more importantly, what styles you feel most comfortable in. However, don’t be afraid of venturing out of your comfort zone when it comes to colours and how you style an outfit.
Rive Island is totally back on my radar and I can’t wait to see what they have coming up next season.