Recently I received a voucher for Next and I wanted to purchase a new dress. Every summer I buy one dress that will be my statement piece for the year. I do my research and try to purchase a style I don’t already own, or a variation on a particular trend that will suit my top end of petite figure. I usually go for darker colours but this time I wanted something bold, bright and summer inspired.
Searching on the Next website I decided to look for an item that was on trend but not something too occasion wear related. A dress that I could casually throw on in summer days, and not something that was only wearable for an event.
I chose this lace beauty, a bold statement in yellow, with incredible details. This skater dress is very flattering and has features that could easily be dressed up with to encourage its elegance. It already has its own belt, so you can pair it with a gorgeous pair of neutral shades or white shoes and some statement chunky jewellery to contrast the finer features. One of the strongest characteristics of this dress is its flower stitched pattern. Layers of delicate stitching contrasts the bold strips of yellow. The dress combines a yellow slip underneath which ends just above the knee, this allows for the finer material over the top to allow light through the final strip adding another aspect to its beauty.
I love the fit and the neckline, this Mela London dress is both sophisticated and flattering. Sleeveless and perfect for summer, a piece that can be used in a variety of ways to dress up or dress down for a variety of occasions.
The one and only issue that I have with it is just how delicate it is. I couldn’t let my cat anywhere near me while wearing this dress in fear of snagging the stitching features. You would need to be careful if you wear long nails and rings as well while touching the fabric so as not to damage any threads. It would also need care while washing, and finally it needs a cool wash. Other than that though it’s such a beautiful piece, worth the price and the care.
My final review for this stunning skater dress is;
Garment Design 5/5
Quality of Item 4/5
Value for Money 5/5
Appearance 5/5
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Here is the link to this stunning dress which is still available on Next if you are interested in purchasing one for yourself http://www.next.co.uk/gl7286s10#l43444
✩ Sabrina ✩
Not only are these tops good for summer but you could also layer them in the cooler months. I would utilise them by putting one underneath a pinafore or a variety of other dress styles.
Here is a photograph of me wearing a New Look ensemble including the white cardigan and the red striped tee shown in my image above. I have paired them with a pair of my New Look skinny jeans to keep the red/purple theme running through the outfit.
In this shot you can also see the sleeve length of the jersey striped top. I really like the style of this tee on my figure and was happy with my purchase.
When it came to trying it on I first noticed how flattering the shape was, a sown waist line allows the skirt of the dress to fall in a flowing manner. The design sees thick shoulder straps and a high round neckline, which leads on to the cold shoulder sleeves. The skirt is knee length and the dress is of reasonably thick material. I found the piece to be soft and comfortable to wear because it is 96% cotton. The botanical print is highly detailed as you can see by my image below.
It’s been some time since I’ve been to Primark, and by that I mean I haven’t shopped there since about October last year. I would usually pop in every quarter of the year to look at the latest trends and update my wardrobe. But due to circumstances beyond my control I have had to wait several further months before I could get any true retail therapy in there.
I will now outline my favourite pieces from my haul, and I’m throwing in some photo’s too for a little outfit inspiration!
Dress-tops, as I like to call them, are a staple in my wardrobe. I haven’t had many new ones in the past year though and when I saw a pair with a dip hem back I just loved the style. I wasn’t sure how they would look on me because I’m classed as the top top end of a petite, just shy of standard height. I usually have issues with lengths of clothing especially jeans and things. But I loved how these tops looked on my figure and were perfect on my shoulders. They were only £7.00 each which I thought was a decent price for the length of them.
There were two styles, one white with a black pattern that reminded me of a Buddhist mandala. And the other was black and had the pattern of the moon cycle and read, ‘Crescent Moon, Half Moon, Full Moon’. I was and still am a huge twilight fan, so although I wasn’t looking to buy anything black I loved the idea of this design, so I tried on both, and loved both.
Along with all of the items above I also bought a long yellow t-shirt that had a nice rounded hem, and I also had a t-shirt that had a ‘Hogwarts’ design, I grew up with the Harry Potter books and so I thought it was about time I had something to express my joy of them. Another tee that I loved was a plain white one with tiny hearts on it, I had a pinafore dress at home that I wanted to wear over the top of this one. And we cannot forget the hat I spoke about earlier.
Outfit 1. Skinny Jeans, Owls T-shirt, short sleeved Lace Cardigan and Black Boots.
Outfit 2. Skinny Jeans, Flowing Dip Hem Shell Top and Black Shoe Boots
Outfit 3. Skinny Jeans, short sleeved Bold Print T-shirt and printed Dolly Shoes.
Outfit 4. Skinny Jeans, Patterned Vest Top and Dolly Shoes
Outfit 5. Skinny Jeans, Striped Jumper and Black Boots
Outfit 6. Grey Jumper Dress with black skinny jeans and boots.
Outfit 7. Skinny Jeans, Statement T-shirt and Dolly Shoes.
As you can see in this image the dress is a lovely length, it ends just above my knees. The material is soft and is not too thin (I was worried about it being see-through) and it’s a flattering shape even on my thin frame. Even the cat liked it (she sat behind me and gave me a meow of approval).
When it came to picking an outfit for the 2015 Christmas festivities I was underwhelmed by what I had in my wardrobe. I just wanted some new and of good quality material so I wouldn’t have to layer up if it was cold.
When the dress arrived I was so pleased with the quality of the fabric. Not only that but the feathers were so intricately sown on it looked far more expensive than its price tag. As you can see from my photograph, this dress has a lot of pretty sewn on white feathers, which almost look three dimensional from a distance. The dress itself was a thick material, especially the skirt part which started from the waist underneath where the mesh/lace with the feathers ended.