Nautical (bargain) Dress and *The* Shoes of the Moment

Dress (only £27!): Wal G c/o Topshop. Shoes: c/o Topshop. Earrings: Dior. Sunglasses: Prada.

Alright, so I'll admit that the word 'bargain' doesn't always have terribly pleasant connotations. I certainly don't mean it in the 'bargain bin' sense. What I mean is, this dress was an absolute steal. I picked it up on my recent spree c/o Topshop, and whilst totting up the total of the things I'd chosen I was astonished to find that this dress was £27. TWENTY SEVEN POUNDS. Sure, it's not actually Topshop, it's Wal G - a concession sold in Topshop, and sure, it's also possible that I have a totally unrealistic idea of what a bargain actually is, but this is without a doubt my favourite piece I picked up on that day, so I'd have been willing (and was expecting) to pay more. It fits perfectly, the material is light enough to keep me cool on a warm day, but not flimsy enough to see through in the light or to blow up and flash everyone in the slightest breeze - I tested this theory by taking it for a spin (quite literally) around the rose garden in Hyde Park. So, thank you Topshop and Wal G for making it possible for me to meet my favourite new summer dress! (Oh and thank you to Becca for being my photographer!)
If you like this dress, you can take a look at it here, or click on the image below. (Oh as the dress comes in S/M/L rather than regular sizes, it might be helpful for me to tell you that I'm a UK size 10 and I'm wearing it in a size M!)

Blue Skies and Wisteria (ft. Rupert The Pug)

Coat: Zara (old) summer-friendly alternative here. Trousers: River Island (old) alternative here. Earrings: Dior - alternative here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley. Top: Topshop (old) alternative here. Bag: c/o Davidoff - alternative here. Sunglasses: Miu Miu - alternative here.

Hello internet friends!

In case you weren't all already 100% done with being bombarded by photos of pink blossom - ready yourselves for a colour scheme change; it's wisteria time (and to be honest - I can't understand these people, who could get sick of looking at completely beautiful albeit slightly repetitive flowers?).
These photos were snapped during a stroll around Knightsbridge with Becca and Rupert the Pug. They often seem to be involved in my outfit photos recently - in fact, Becca has become an expect at taking them, which is excellent as I feel sort of bad asking 'real life' friends who aren't involved with blogging to take outfit photos for me when I'm with them. It's like 'here, can you just take 100 photos of me standing outside this house that isn't mine?' It's all a bit odd, and I appreciate that it probably seems bizarre to non-internet people.
I also feel I should address the fact that I'm not wearing my coat properly... I'm not actually sure if this way of wearing coats is even allowed outside of fashion week, where everyone suddenly forgets how to use sleeves. To me it was a sort of noncommittal 'it is too hot and I regret my decision to bring this coat but goddammit I will involve it somehow' pose... either way, I hope you like it.

Dogtooth Coat (feat. Actual Dog) - Cherry Blossoms in Kensington

  Coat: vintage; borrowed from my mother... - alternative here. Faux fur collar: ASOS. Shoes: Russell & Bromley - alternatives here. Earrings: Dior - ASOS alternatives here. Trousers: Topshop. 

In case you hadn't already noticed, I'm quite the coat fiend. I have an impressively (read; embarrassingly) vast collection and yet frequently struggle to find one that 'goes', and with this hoard of outerwear, today I present to you, one that isn't even mine. This giant dogtooth piece 'technically' belongs to my mother. I say 'technically' because I'm definitely going to hang it up on my coat rail and hope she doesn't notice it's absence from hers... 

I wore this on a gloriously sunny Monday, where Becca, Rupert the pug and I caught up over cake. Blossom trees are without a doubt one of my favourite things about spring, and the cherry blossom trees are starting to bloom in London and so of course this required copious photographs and much oo-ing and aa-ing. My eyes are now pointed expectantly towards the bare, twiggy blossom tree in my garden. 

The idea of borrowing my mother's clothes aged 23 would've likely horrified me as a teenager, but now as an 'adult' (cough) myself, I can really appreciate what a stylish mother I have. Do you often borrow clothes from friends, sisters or mothers? Let me know!

Black Cape / Graphic Print Trousers / Embellished Point Courts

Cape: ZARA (New Look alternative here.) Trousers: River Island. Shirt: Urban Outfitters (old). Shoes: Dune. Earrings: Dior (ASOS alternatives here.)

Why, hello!

Continuing my resolution to make more use of clothes I already own, I'm wearing another trusted but slightly neglected favourite today - this ruffled white blouse from Little White Lies. My favourite features are undoubtedly the frilly, old-fashioned style collar and the frill-heart across the front of the blouse - which proved hard to photograph without me holding my cape open like an unusually demure flasher, so you'll just have to trust me on that one. It's unusual and lovely. 

I'm also wearing one of my more standard outerwear choices, this black cape from Zara. I've worn this cape to utter death, usually combined with some kind of bow - but on this day I threw a few blouses around my room and settled on the frillier option. I do enjoy a good frill!

I recently picked up these graphic print, monochrome trousers from River Island. The fact that they're monochrome means that they're easy to style and pair with colours, but the modern pattern also serves to 'edge-up' my outfits that might otherwise look a bit too... prim? Not that there's anything wrong with looking prim at all. What do you think? Do you enjoy mixing old and new styles, or do you just stick to one? I'd love to hear! 

P.s. You can also see my Cape Lookbook on YouTube here. I put it up about a month ago and completely forgot to 'advertise' it here - I'm thinking I should, seeing as I'm such a cape ambassador!