Frills 'n' Spills

Even though I have a lot of clothes, I don't have much from the high end of the high street. A few Hobbs pieces aside, the majority of my clothes are from places like H&M or Tesco (I have absolutely no issue with picking up my clothes in supermarkets!) I don't tend to venture to the 'expensive shops'- even Topshop or Miss Selfridge are too expensive when it isn't sale time but I have been trying to add a few more hard wearing pieces to my wardrobe, Primark just doesn't cut it for me any more. I completely blame Gem and Sarah for my recent foray into the Jaeger sale, they are very good enablers and very bad for my willpower! ;) Strangely enough,  this outfit manages to combine Tesco, Hobbs, Primark and Jaeger in one. Not bad really, especially considering I didn't pay full price for any of them...

Do you ever venture into the expensive shops? Who are your enablers?

Man, early mornings really aren't kind when you haven't had much sleep! Luckily this t-shirt dress from Monki is such a lovely bright colour that helps to brighten up my face when I am looking a little bit grey around the gills (a stinking head cold and a busy week are never a good combination!) I wouldn't usually go for something so unstructured, but when it comes to Monki, I am powerless to resist their slouchy oversized pieces! I was planning to wear this with some black flats but I really love the contrast of the green with the pink shoes and it definitely makes the outfit more interesting. 

I added this necklace as I was running out of the door to just jazz it up a bit and I really liked how it tied all of the colours together. This necklace is getting quite old now as I got it as a gift for my 18th but I still love it as much as I did nearly 6 years ago...

What brightens up a dull day for you?

It comes to something when even I, with my literal mountains of clothes, can't find anything suitable to wear in the summery weather. My work wardrobe isn't really summer appropriate and I have been finding it particularly difficult to get dressed each morning. I was recently contacted by a  lovely PR lady from Surfdome to see if I was interested in doing a review and when I saw just how much stuff they had on their site (hint: loads) I jumped at the chance. I have a real soft spot for stripy tops and I will never give up on my quest for the perfect Breton tee. This one was from Billabong - a brand I associate with willowy, blonde, tanned surfer girls (clearly not a category I fit into!) and I was surprised by how much I like it.

This mint waistcoat is another of those items that I can't bring myself to get rid of. I definitely went through a 'boho' phase when I first started uni (think lots of chunky wooden layered necklaces) and I thought it would be the perfect match for the more relaxed style of top. I like the fact it also adds a bit of colour- I'm not very good at sticking to a strict monochrome palette! This paper-bag skirt is really difficult to photograph- it is a weird almost crepe-like material and has a strange sheen which the camera can't seem to pick up properly. It may be a pain to iron but it sure looks pretty!

This top definitely has that super relaxed, oversized fit in the body but the sleeves are ridiculously tight. At first I had trouble getting my arms into them but after a bit of wriggling, I managed to adjust them to be comfortable. I'm never convinced that batwing tops are that flattering on me but I will be playing with the proportions to see if I can make it work with skinny jeans or trousers. 

How would you style a batwing top?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Surfdome

OK, so I lied in my last post, so far this is the last post with my old hair! Deciding what to wear in the heat has been utterly unbearable but this gorgeous monochrome Emily & Fin dress has been a lifesaver. I bought it from Ruby Cotton back in about March (check out their closing down sale for some bargains) and have been wearing it a lot over the past few weeks, there's nothing better than a really swooshy skirt! Emily & Fin are one of those brands that I absolutely love but can never find, the prints are gorgeous and best of all, the lengths aren't ridiculously short, never a bad thing in my book! I am always jealous of Sarah and her rather extensive collection, I just wish I could fit into it ;)

Who can resist a giant bow on the front of their dress? Not me, that's for sure! I really like the pattern on this dress and weirdly it makes the humongous bow more subtle as you can only see it at certain angles- definitely something worth dancing about!

I love the soft pleats on this skirt and I'm not even fazed by the midi length which is unusual for me! I probably should have worn a little block heel with this skirt but I loved the bright pink with the monochrome and comfort was definitely the order of the day. These Clarks shoes get a lot of wear but have worn really well, even though they are suede- no mean feat when you consider how clumsy I am! 

This may be the very last post I have of my old hair before I went and got it all chopped off! This weekend it was all go chez Fallon, I had 3 inches chopped off the bottom of my hair, had a near death experience at the pub at lunchtime and ate my body weight in ice-cream (never a bad way to spend a weekend!) It was a roasting 30 degrees (!) here over the weekend and a maxi dress was the only thing I could bear to wear. You know I can't resist a lace dress and this is perfect for the summer. This dress from Monki is whisper thin (luckily it is fully lined!) and the length makes it perfect for wafting around in. A white lace maxi could have been quite bridal but hopefully the accessories gave it more of an edge!

When I was getting dressed, I realised that I have had this belt for 6 years which may make it the oldest thing in my wardrobe. It is pretty ostentatious for a belt and I have considered getting rid of it quite a few times over the years but there's something about the turquoise buckle that is impossible to resist, I just need to work out what else I can wear it with now so it can justify staying... 

Simple sandals have been my saviours in this mini heatwave and despite making me feel like Jesus (especially paired with the white robe!) these sandals are ideal for when I want something slightly less harsh than black. Tan brown is definitely my summer colour!

I hate to be a cliche but I am not a fan of hot weather. The combination of pale skin and a body that is always warm does not make summer a very pleasant experience for me. Weirdly enough when I was in Italy I was OK but here, I just melt- perhaps it's the humidity that I have a problem with?! Unfortunately I can't use my time-tested method of lying in a cool dark room and eating ice-cream during the week so I have to find suitable outfits for work, never an easy task when it is 27 degrees outside! For me, sleeveless dresses, leggings and sandals have been the perfect combination in the heat this year. I last wore this mint dress back in May last year and I couldn't believe how short it was when I tried it on again this week. I am all for comfort but without leggings, I think this would be far too short to be decent!

How do you dress for the heat?

Who would have thought that 12 years (!) after I left primary school I would be looking back to my uniform for style inspiration?! I spotted this beautiful dress when I was on holiday in Cornwall a couple of weeks ago in the window at Seasalt (a brand I am loving recently!) and I fell in love. I love gingham and midi dresses are all I want to wear in the summer. There's nothing better than lots of material to swoosh around in and to help me keep cool! I also like the fact that they are more work appropriate than a lot of my summer clothes, I never know what to wear to work when it's warm!

I am a big fan of Seasalt clothing, their generous sizing gets a double thumbs up from me and I like the relaxed nautical feel of all their pieces. I have always found casual difficult to pull off (see this 2011 post for proof!) but I think I am starting to get the hang of it, what do you think? 

Are you a fan of Seasalt? How do you 'do' casual?

Guess what? It's another burgundy jeans/striped t-shirt combination! There's something about burgundy and navy together which I love and when these beautiful shoes arrived, I knew that I would be pairing them with these jeans, I can't be the only one who plans an outfit around a pair of shoes right?! I love wearing sandals with jeans and trousers as you can show off your new shoes whilst avoiding that awkward 'bare legs at work' scenario. I never feel comfortable with bare legs unless I have a midi dress on, it just feels too exposed otherwise!

Any tips for breaking in my new heels?

I love the bright blue stripes and paired with my favourite orange-y  lipstick, it felt very summery. Thanks to the sunshine I have a bunch of new freckles and my hair is looking pretty light here too, you can really see my gingery tinge!

I have taken matchy-matchy to a new level with these shoes! I don't wear them as often as I'd like but I really should as they are probably the comfiest shoes that I own!  From looking at these photos you can see that the leggings have gone massively saggy around the knees.  I really need to invest in a half decent pair but I'm not sure where to start looking, any ideas?

There's nothing nicer than going on holiday (except of course, coming back home) and the week I spent in Cornwall with Mark and his family provided a much needed break from both work and blog deadline. I have to say, I was a bit worried before I went as all of Mark's family (luckily excluding Mark) are keen walkers and I'm...not, but despite my worries, I really enjoyed myself and even went on a few walks (shock horror). It was a completely different trip to my holiday to Italy last year (it wasn't as warm for one thing!) but I wanted to see more of the UK this year and so far I am doing quite well, any ideas for where I should visit next?