1) First things first, I am buying this t-shirt.
2) I’m visiting Vienna right now but I’ve already started planning my next adventure and I’m sure this guide to booking cheap flights will come in very handy.
3) Crossing my fingers that we have a great summer and I get to experience one of these alfresco restaurants in my favourite city.
4) Being inspired by The Tall Mama to help the Wrap with Love cause.
5) The fact that Ben and Jerry’s now have Cheesecake Brownie Ice Cream.
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.
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.
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…
Dress: Zara | Sandals: Oasis | Clutch: Next
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.
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.
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?
Clockwise from top left: F&F | George | F&F | ASOS | South Beach via ASOS
Photography is still a bit of an unmastered art form for me – I have a fancy camera and every intention of learning how to use it but life/work keeps getting in the way. Added to which I nearly always self-shoot for the blog and rely a lot on the self timer. So I was really pleased with how some of these photos turned out. (Just wish I knew how I did it!)
I wore this outfit to work this week. The shoes are from Dorothy Perkins – sadly they don’t stock them anymore but they do have something similar. The white vest top is from Primark, the sunnies are from F&F and the skirt is one of my favourites – I bought it from Mango a couple of years ago. It’s wrap-around so the waist always fits perfectly and it looks really pretty with the bow detail at the side.
I wore it with my old favourite – my topshop denim jacket (which goes with everything) and I accessorised with my shiny new bag! It’s by Pieces and I bought it in the ASOS sale. I love the rafia look and feel – it’s by far one of the best bargains I’ve found in the summer sales.
Savvy Shopping: ASOS now stock Primark – so if you can’t be bothered treking into the town centre (and it is a bit of a trek from my place) then you can now get it delivered to your door for free!
The dress is another one of Tesco’s finest from their F&F range and is a couple of years old. (Although I’m reliably informed by someone in the know that bird-prints are going to be the next big thing in textiles… so maybe this dress was just ahead of it’s time?)
(Worn with sunnies from Accessorize & shoes from Debenhams)
Girl In The Pretty Dress 