Fashion

I Love Lucy

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This little lady belongs to a friend of ours and recently came to spend her holidays with us. She’s a golden retriever and she’s super cute.

With the heatwave the UK has had this week, we’ve had to keep the dogs inside or in the shade most days so that they don’t over heat. So when evening rolled around the other day, we headed out into the sunset to let Lucy stretch her legs. This dress is perfect for a summer evening stroll.

Dress: Therapy at House of Fraser (similar here)
Sandals: F&F (exact ones here)
Sunglasses: F&F

Pictures by: Rachel Orritt

Thank you to Lucy’s owner for kindly allowing me to use her in these photos.

Live in Levis

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The last few weeks have been so fun-packed that I’ve not had much chance to shoot an outfit in a while. This post is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time though, so I decided not to put it off any longer. I read on The Elgin Avenue a while back about the #LiveinLevis marketing campaign and realised that I’d never actually owned a pair of Levi’s. 

Jeans shopping for me is always a trying experience. This is largely because I’m pear-shaped and my legs measure 35″ – which is an exceptionally awkward length to find. But after a LOT of experimenting in the Levi’s store (and no small amount of patience from the store assistant) I managed to come away with this pair: a demi-curve with a 34″ leg. 

They aren’t *quite* long enough if the truth be told, but that works for me as it means they avoid the mud (and in summer I’ll just roll up the cuff and wear capri-style). Unfortunately Levi’s don’t sell anything longer than 34″ which is a real shame, because these are hands-down the comfiest pair of jeans I’ve ever owned. Maybe one day they’ll cater fully to us leggy folk… a girl can dream hey?

(Side note: I also bought a pair of men’s 501s – I wanted something more robust as I spend a lot of my spare time outdoors/working with animals and I needed something that would last me a few years. They’re not quite as flattering as the jeans pictured but the fit was good enough. I’d also recommend trying the 501CT if you have a similar body shape to mine.)

Jeans: Levi’s (exact ones here)

Vest Top (worn underneath): Primark

Sheer Top: Zara 

Shoes: Converse

Sunglasses: F&F

Photos by: Rachel Orritt

Pretty Prints

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I’ve been re-discovering my love of Pinterest recently and it led me to thinking about mixing and matching my prints more. I bought this skirt last summer and I love how the lace border works in conjunction with the busy print on the skirt.

There’s something about lace that just makes me think of summer events and this would be the perfect outfit for a garden party. There are lots of gorgeous little details that just make it feel so feminine and fun.

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Top: F&F (similar here)
Skirt: Darling
Clutch bag: Yumi
Shoes: Primark
Sunglasses: F&F

Photos by: Rachel Orritt

 

Cinderella

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One of my earliest memories is of Cinderella. When I was little my Grandma would often mind me while my Mum and Dad were at work, and sometimes – if I was lucky – I’d get to spend the weekend there too. It was the weekends I looked forward to the most. My grandma knew my favourite movie was Walt Disney’s Cinderella, but she’d only rent it from the VHS shop as a special treat for the weekend. My love for the film has stayed with me (and yes I’ve seen the live action remake and it’s wonderful).

When I pulled this outfit together I couldn’t help feeling it was pulling more from the ‘Drizella’ colour palette than Cinderella’s. Then when we were shooting this post the BEST thing happened.

This path is one of my favourite routes to walk and it’s usually fairly deserted. However, I’d forgotten about the Easter Hols. We were soon passed by a family of 8 (including a muddy and excitable dog). There were two little girls (about the age I was when I discovered Cinderella) with their Dad at the back of the procession…

“Go on just ask her.”
“No don’t Dad”
“Just ask, she won’t mind.”
“Don’t it’s embarrassing.“
“Excuse me, the girls would like to know if you’re Cinderella?”

I should have been cooler about it. I really should have been. But that family totally made my week.

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T-Shirt: Mango (Similar here and here)
Skirt: Vintage (via The Vintage Emporium at Pear Mill)
Clutch: ASOS (Similar here)
Sunglasses: F&F

Photos by @RachelOrritt (see www.rachelorritt.com)

Fashion on Film

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We’re having a bit of a pre-summer-heatwave in the UK at the moment, so I’ve been taking advantage of the good weather recently, spending lots of time outdoors (follow me on instagram to see some of my mini-adventures) and sadly neglecting this little blog. But just incase the weather’s not so great where you are at the moment, I thought I’d put a few trailers together to inspire and entertain you!

I love a good fashion fairytale… so here are some of the best dressed stories out there.

Dior and I – due for release 10th April 2015

Yves Saint Laurent – 2014

The September Issue – 2009

Coco Before Chanel – 2009

 

All Black, Everything

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Way back when I was a student, I spent most of my spare time binge watching ‘The Hills’ and desperately wishing I could move to LA and get a job working with LC and the gang. Then they brought Kelly Cutrone into it and I changed my mind – I wanted to be a tour de force like her.

I’ve always thought her ‘all-black’ dress code at fashion week was a stroke of genius. It’s smart, yet unobtrusive and it’s quick and easy to achieve.

I love this shirt dress from New Look Tall at ASOS. In fact ASOS is doing a stellar job lately of catering for us leggy lovelies.

However, if I’m going to be honest, this is one ‘tall’ item that falls a little ‘short’. In the tall blogging community I’m a bit on the short side at only 5’10” – and this dress only just fits me. But it does fit. Just.

Yay!

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Dress: New Look Tall via ASOS (exact one here)
Tights: F&F
Boots: XTI via ASOS (exact ones here)
Four Leaf Clover Necklace: Orelia
Earrings: borrowed from my mum (sorry mum!)

Soft Focus

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Self-shooting is hard. Sometimes, for whatever reason, it just doesn’t come together like you hoped it would. This is one of those times… I struggled with the exposure and focus on all these images, but I’m taking comfort in the fact that in the 1950s all the images of actresses were in shot in soft focus, on purpose. It was considered flattering. Today people expect more and more of the images they consume. Well… here’s hoping you find this nostalgic and not annoying…

I’ve been investigating and investing in more and more tall clothing recently. This super snuggly cardigan is from New Look’s Tall range (via ASOS). Unfortunately it came out a little oddly coloured in each image – the close up (5th image down) gives a more accurate idea of the colour and material.

But the tall item I love most at the moment has to be my long length skinny jeans from M&S (the unsung hero of many an outfit of mine). In addition to being tall, I’m also pear shaped – so finding a pair of jeans that fits both my waist and my hips is a tricky business… somewhat like self shooting…

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This is my unimpressed face (after seeing the last image)

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And this is my ‘well this clearly isn’t working’ face

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Cardigan: New Look Tall via ASOS
Black Top (worn underneath): F&F
Skinny Jeans/Jeggings: M&S
Boots: Debenhams
Necklace: unknown (gift)
Ring & Earrings: Orelia
Nail Polish: Chanel ‘Pirate’ 08
P.S. If like me you find yourself struggling with your camera, I’ve done a bit of research now and would recommend having a read of Elizabeth’s Tips over on Delightfully Tacky.

Arm Candy

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One of my favourite things about blogging, and following other people’s blogs, is that it opens up a world of style you might never have considered before. I’ve followed Vanessa of Wardrobe Under Construction for a while and I’m always fascinated by her posts because her style is so wonderfully unique and so completely different to my own.

I’ve always felt that my style is fairly ‘classic’, and usually, I feel safer in my style comfort zone. But there’s a growing trend for quirky bags that I can’t ignore… because they are just too damn cute! I spotted them cropping up first on Vanessa’s Instagram but now I find another one to add to my wish list every time I open a magazine. Here’s what it looks like at the moment…

Food Bags

chocaholic

gold

slogans

A Green Thing

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Dress: ASOS | Belt: Oliver Bonas
Tights: tightsplease.co.uk | Boots: Faith

The fashion world goes crazy for fall, but I’ve always been more of a spring/summer girl. I’m learning to love it this year though – and it doesn’t hurt that the sun has stuck around, so I can actually get out and enjoy the scenery as the colours change.

I’ve been spending lots of time with the two critters below – but unlike me they don’t appreciate hot weather. They’re both mountain dogs and they’re much more at home in the cold.

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The Pretty Dress Guide to Packing for a Beach Holiday

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It’s surprising how much goes into packing for a holiday. I’m not one of those people who can just throw a few things in a bag and go, I like to plan.

Lets start with the shoes: One pair of trainers, one pair of nude-goes-with-everything heels, one pair of wedges, one pair of sandals and one pair of flip-flops. I nearly always end up sticking to sandals and flip-flops once I’m there, but I like to know I’ve got all the bases covered.

The easiest and best way to pack shoes is using a plastic carrier bag. I usually line the bottom of my suitcase with shoes and then pack smaller items around them, leaving a relatively flat surface for the clothes to lie on.

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Converse trainers from BrandAlley

The next staple is the little white dress – dressed up with wedges for the evening or down with sandals in the day.

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Dress: Topshop | Wedges: ASOS

I like outfits that can go from day to evening just by changing up the accessories. (Small hard-case clutches are great for hols as you can also use them for transporting jewellery – or anything else that might get damaged in transit). These are also some of my favourite combinations…

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Dress: Zara | Sandals: Oasis | Clutch: Next

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Playsuit: Jovonnista | Shoes: H&M | Clutch: Textile Federation via ASOS

At the beach I prefer light dresses that you can just throw on/off – maxi dresses are great but the best thing I ever bought, I got years ago from Orion. Their kimono dresses are incredibly light and the material doesn’t wrinkle so they can be chucked in your beach bag with no fuss.

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Orion

I love getting out on the water in a boat (motorboat that is… I can’t sail but I like to pretend I can by looking the part) so I’m a big fan of breton stripe tops.

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Top: F&F | Shorts: Warehouse | Sandals: F&F

And lastly: The Bikinis. I live in these things on holiday. You can never have too many right?

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Clockwise from top left: F&F | George | F&F | ASOS | South Beach via ASOS