I’m enjoying the cold shoulder trend this year, and when I knew I would be attending a special event this summer I decided that a new dress was in order.

I was aiming to combine my love of a floral design for summer months with either a bardot or cold shoulder look. Choosing to look initially at Dorothy Perkins website because it’s my go to high street store, I found several dresses that I liked the look of.

On their website I found this stunning white dress with detailed flowers all over it, these add little patches of colour into this pale beauty. It immediately went into my basket and once checked out I eagerly awaited its arrival.

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.

My final review on this beautiful dress is;

Design 5/5
Quality 5/5
Value 4/5
Appearance 5/5

I hope you liked my review of this pretty dress, and if you’re looking to purchase something from Dorothy Perkins yourself here is a link to their website http://www.dorothyperkins.com

✩ Sabrina ✩

When I saw this beautiful dress on the Dorothy Perkins website I knew I just had to have it. If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know how much I adore striped clothes, and this is no exception. Paired with a delightfully cute belt bow this dress is everything I love about nautical feminine dresses.

The cold shoulder trend is something I’ve only recently been trying out, and actually I really like it. It allows me to feel a little bit sexy without being cold (I get that it’s called a cold shoulder but you don’t actually feel cold while wearing it).

The dress is made of good quality material that will wash well because it’s made of 96% cotton. I found that it’s a flattering fit and very comfortable to wear due to the soft material used. I think the length of the dress is excellent for the style, I prefer to purchase knee length dresses for my height and found this perfect for that. The soft belt that can be tied into a bow is a lovely accessory to the outfit and allows a focus point between all of the stripes. I paired the dress with my white flat shoes with bows but it would also work with a variety of footwear dependent on the occasion.

I would accessorize this dress with lots of bangles on my arms, shoulder length earrings and a hair piece to keep the nautical theme going. If I needed to layer for an evening I would choose either a black leather jacket or a white cardigan.

My final review for this beautiful piece of clothing is:
5/5 for comfort
5/5 for durability and quality
5/5 for style and appearance
5/5 for value

For anyone interested in purchasing the dress here is the link http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/product/dresses-203543/view-all-dresses-2523253/stripe-cold-shoulder-dress-5383365?bi=60&ps=20

One trend I liked the look of for SS16 (but have very little of in my own wardrobe) is the check/tartan designs. When I saw this dress from Dorothy Perkins I knew it was the right style for me. I ordered this in the hope that it would become my staple check piece.

I love layering, and this dress is perfect for that. Crop tops with no sleeves or t-shirts with full sleeves both look good underneath this pinny dress. I chose to show you a version of me wearing this dress with a crop top, because with any luck we’ll soon know better weather (in the UK) and can enjoy wearing less layers.

I hope that this item will last me throughout the year, paired with boots and layers for the cooler days, and wearing the dress (with at least a crop top) as it is with flats in the warmer months. The quality of the material is good, it’s thick and seems durable.

Pro’s and Con’s for a dress this style depend upon your shape. I’m slim but not very tall, just above a petite, so I find I can get away with wearing petite clothes at times. This dress was available in both, a petite and a regular, but I chose to order the normal length.
A pro is that the actual dress as a whole is the perfect height for me, it ends at my knees and I wouldn’t want it much higher than that. The pattern is lovely and I think most people can wear this style without any problem.
A con though is that the straps and neckline hang quite low on my chest, which isn’t good, I would always choose to wear something underneath it, for both a modesty and a comfort aspect. The same goes for under the arms, as you can see in my photograph below, the dress hangs low at the sides, another reason to wear a thin top beneath it.
Another pro has to be the awesome large pockets on the front. Great for the summer months when you wouldn’t be carrying a coat with you, they can hold small items such as a lip balm, a packet of tissues and some change no problem.

Over all I think this dress is a nice piece that I would definitely wear throughout the year. I wouldn’t say that this style suits my figure entirely, but I can work around it by wearing a top underneath the dress and therefore boosting my confidence to wear it. It certainly isn’t my favourite purchase of this year so far, but it is a trend that I didn’t own, and now do. The dress is wearable, and comfortable but I only felt confident once I had made changes, such as the layering beneath it. Honestly it reminds me of when I had dungarees as a child, without the shorts part, they were so baggy you always had to a wear a t-shirt underneath. Ah the carefree memories…

My final review for this piece of clothing is:
4/5 for comfort
4/5 for durability and quality
3/5 for style and appearance
3/5 for value

Here is the link to the Dorothy Perkins website for this dress if you’re interested in looking at it any further.
http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/product/gingham-check-pinny-dress-5264298?bi=0&ps=20&Ntt=pinny

So I decided to pop into one of my local Dorothy Perkins stores over the weekend to have a look at the ‘New In’ stock and to try on some items I had been browsing online. While in the shop one dress in particular really caught my eye. This beautiful striped number has buttons on the neck and chest, and is a lovely thick material. The dress has a collar which gives it a touch of sophistication and the buttons are proper working buttons too.

This dress was both stylish and comfortable, and could be worn with leggings and boots, or with a nice pair of shoes and bare legs with a jacket. In the pictures below including myself (yes I realise I bought another dress with stripes on because I absolutely love stripes). You’ll see that the dress is a great length. If you’re taller than 5 ft 4″ though the dress will end further up your legs than it does on mine. (For me it was knee length). This is a perfect piece for a Spring transition when you’re not sure how warm or cold it’s going to be. Pair with a black jacket and boots for a perfect ensemble.

As you can see the dress is not only flattering but the nice detail with the collar and buttons make it a staple item for most women’s wardrobes. I’m fairly certain you could make this piece your own by adding a belt on the waist and perhaps pairing it with some large earrings. You wouldn’t be able to wear many types of necklace with this dress, so you need to think of other ways you can enhance the dress with jewellery. Large bangles on your arms will distract from all of the stripes.

I tried to find this piece online so I could put a link up for you all, but it’s not on the website yet! So you’ll have to search for it in a week or so once the site is updated. They had so many nice pieces it was hard for me not to buy the whole store!

My final over all review of this piece is;
5/5 for comfort
5/5 for durability and quality
4/5 for style and appearance
4/5 for value

When I first saw this style of clothing come into fashion it reminded me of the poncho I had when I was a child… A warm and stylish (at the time) piece of clothing that I would often pull over the top of any manner of outfit. But times have changed. Blanket Capes are now all the rage! And I just had to get one.

So why this one? Well I love Stripes! (See my SS16 post for more stripy buys!)
The style and colour of this particular one from Dorothy Perkins really caught my eye. And once I had my whole DP outfit on I was more than impressed.
Below is a selfie of me wearing my cape with my lace tee and my soft eden jeans from DP’s too.

The quality of this cape is great, due to the nature of the material it will snag though if you aren’t careful with it. And it needs to be washed on a woolen cycle. But other than that I have no other cons about it.

I’m relatively petite and I was worried about the cape drowning me, but because of the half length sleeves this piece flatters the figure rather than hides it.
Over all I think the blanket cape makes a statement and keeps you warm on these relatively still cold Spring days. It’s a staple piece for everybody’s wardrobe, and I think it would be great for the cooler Summer evenings as well. And if stripes stay in fashion you’re looking at a piece that will become a regular wear for 2016.

My Overall Review for this item of clothing is;
5/5 for comfort
4/5 for durability and quality
5/5 for style and appearance
4/5 for value

Dorothy Perkins have lots of these types of clothing now in stock, and if you go to your favourite high street website, type in either ‘cape’ or ‘blanket’ to see what is available.
For anyone who wants to see this item on the Dorothy Perkins page then the link is below.
http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/product/horizontal-stripe-blanket-cape-5183147