FRIDAY STYLE: CLASSIC MONOCHROME WITH NEW TRENDS

Happy Friday! I don’t know about you but I found that this week just dragged on. Anyway today I am talking about two trends that I see creeping into the shops at the moment for the new season along with a good old classic trend that is always chic; monochrome. Monochrome is always a fail-safe, go-to if you want to look polished. It’s a good option for work or job interviews, as well as nights out or family dinners or special occasions. The possibilities are endless.

I mentioned before that it looks like texture is going to be the next big thing. I see a lot of quilting, appliques, open knit, lace, crochet and crepe or waffle style fabrics coming in. Today I have an open knit top with a soft peplum shape that I picked up in Penneys recently. It is totally see through so I would suggest a top underneath. The plain white vest top I have on is also from Penneys.

This skirt is from Closet and it kind of fits in with another trend I am noticing; fish tail skirts. So a true fish tail skirt would be a pencil (or wiggle) skirt about knee length or a bit longer and it kicks out at the hem like the one I have on here. While my skirt isn’t really long enough for this trend its close enough for me to feel like I am wearing a current style without spending any more money. With things in and out of style so fast, sometimes it’s worth looking to see if anything you already have could work. That way you can wait to see if it’s something that will keep coming back into fashion before you spend your cash on something new.

Keeping it monochrome the shoes are from New Look. I was tempted, as I usually am when wearing monochrome, to wear bold coloured shoes but stuck with the black in the end because these shoes have gold on the heels which ties in with the gold zips on the skirt.

The necklace is from Parfois. As usual I always think a round neck top needs a little something and this necklace ties in nicely with my monochrome theme for this outfit.

Have you noticed the textured clothing and fish tail skirts in any shops yet?

FRIDAY STYLE: TWO FAVOURITE BRANDS

There is nothing better than finding a brand that is always the perfect fit, this post contains two brands that I can always rely on to fit perfectly. I can buy with confidence online or even buy in the sale without trying on and know it’ll be fine. Closet is a brand, whose clothes I can pick up anything in my size and it fits perfect. And for shoes my go to brand is Menbur, their courts never slip off my heel and they are so comfortable.

It’s been a while since I did a post with my new favourite colour for this summer, lime, so I picked this dress from Closet. Navy always works well with strong vibrant colours like the neon lime beading on this dress. Navy can also be more flattering than black on pale Irish skin tones. The beading means you can keep accessories to a minimum so a dress like this can be really handy when you are in a hurry as there is no need to rummage around looking for the perfect necklace. I also love the unusual strap placement on this dress and the way it goes into a V at the back.

You’ve probably already guessed that the shoes are from Menbur. Menbur shoes may be a bit pricey but since I’m a size 4, I often get lucky and find them in my size reduced in the sales. For the price you are getting great comfort. Noting makes me more smug than when my friends decide to move to a different pub when it is raining and I can power walk on and keep up with the boys, while the other girls are struggling and hobbling along behind in shoes they can barely sit in, never mind walk in. The lime may not be a perfect match to the neon beads on the dress but I still think these shoes work fine with the dress.

I don’t have a lime clutch (but I do have my eye on one in River Island) so I was going to use a neutral toned clutch, when I thought, one bright colour deserves another. This coral pink bag was a free gift with purchase from The Body Shop.

Have I convinced you to buy anything lime yet? Have you found any brands that are always your perfect fit?

FRIDAY STYLE: DENIM SHIRT AND MIDI SKIRT

Well we’ve made it through another week, it may have been a short one but I feel like I’ve packed loads in. Anyway the denim shirt is getting another outing. This time it’s being dressed up with a pretty pink midi for a fun evening look.

The denim shirt is from New Look and if you want to see it paired with jeans just check out this post.

The skirt is from Closet. It’s a full pleated midi skirt in a vibrant coral toned pink. Midi skirts are all over the place at the moment. It can be hard to find one in just the right length. The wrong length is when the hem is at the fullest part of your leg. I’m still not sure about this one length wise but I love the colour.

The statement necklace is from Penneys. Penneys have had some really great jewellery lately and at brilliant prices.

The clutch was a free gift with purchase from The Body Shop. It’s a beautiful bright coral toned pink, which is great for summer.

The shoe are my old reliable nude courts from Kate Appleby Knightsbridge.

What do you think of dressing up denim shirts with skirts? Have you bought into the midi trend?

FRIDAY STYLE: PASTEL PEPLUM WITH SCARF PRINT SKIRT

Happy bank holiday Friday! This is more than likely the outfit I will be wearing out this weekend, depending on my mood, obviously. I could just as easily pull everything out of my wardrobe and do a “I have nothing to wear” tantrum, although I am pretty happy with this outfit except for the black tights. I don’t have fake tan on at the moment and I couldn’t find any sheer tights, so in the interest of public safety I thought it best to cover the corned beef stumps I call legs for these photos.

I got this top recently from Closet. The colour is hard to describe and capture in a photo. It’s a pale grey blue with a cream flock pattern through it. The neckline is very ladylike altogether. The seams down the front give the illusion of a flat tummy, happy days.

I had originally planned on pairing the top with a black skirt but when I went to take the black skirt out of the wardrobe this one fell out too, so I figured it was meant to be. This scarf print, midi skirt is from Oasis and it has been getting lots of wear. It works great with any of the colours in the print like white, black or blue but also looks really good with strong bright colours like, lime, red, pink or orange. You can see it with lime in this post.

The shoes are from Dune and tie in with the blue in the skirt but any excuse to wear them.

I kept jewellery and accessories to a minimum in this post. You don’t need a necklace with the neckline of the top. When heading out I’ll probably wear some pear earrings and grab a black clutch.

What are you planning on wearing if you head out over the weekend?

FRIDAY STYLE: CLASSY LITTLE BLACK DRESS

I don’t do the whole “little black dress” thing that often because I love colour and especially colour combinations. So when I do wear a black dress you can be sure it’s not going to be with black shoes and accessories. I was going to wear orange with this dress but those green snake print shoes were looking out at me, begging to be worn so green won and you know how much I love green.

I love how elegant this dress from Closet is and I have expressed my love for Closet dresses before in this post. The fitted top and flared bottom create the perfect A-line. The belt with its lovely gold hardware nips in the waist nicely. That neckline along with the little cap sleeves make me feel very Jackie O.

 

The green snake print shoes with their pointed toes are from Enzo Angiolini, I picked them up on the House of Fraser website during one of their brand reduction sales.

The Michael Kors clutch happens to match perfectly. It’s no accident, I got the bag first and as soon as I saw the shoes I knew they would be mine. I knew it was meant to be when I saw they were reduced.

I picked the bracelet up years ago in a market while on holiday.

The earrings are also a few years old and they are from Pulse Accessories. Pearl earrings would also look class with this dress if you were wearing nude shoes.

How do you accessorise a black dress, with bright colours, nudes, or more black?

 

FRIDAY STYLE: ANIMAL PRINT AND DUSKY PINK

Brace yourselves the bare legs are out. I haven’t done a post without either black tights or trousers in what feels like forever. The milder weather this week along with the sight of lambs and daffodils everywhere has me feeling like hiding away all the bulky jumpers and breaking out the “summer wardrobe”. Don’t worry, I’m not completely nuts, I know that an Irish “summer wardrobe” still requires plenty of knit wear and cover ups.

This is another top that I picked up in Vero Moda while they were having a 20% off promotion. You can see the other one here. I like animal print, especially in soft tones. This is actually a loose and long flowy style top, so it also looks good left out over trousers.

I think the colours of the animal print work well with this dusky pink blazer from Awear (sigh, I miss Awear). Actually pink in any form, soft baby pink, plum pink, or hot pink, look great with animal print.

The skirt is from Closet. Note the gold zips, which is the main reason why I bought it. I really shouldn’t buy anymore black skirts, but the peplum hem and the gold zips sucked me in.

Since it’s not often that I bear the legs, I choose nude courts. These ones have a wedge heel and they are from Oasis. My black pointed toe courts with the gold heels would work well with this outfit also.

I picked this necklace up while on holiday in Portugal. I figured the neckline needed a little something so I chose this.

What colours do you like to pair with animal print?