More first date fashion...

Hi Guys!

Sorry this has taken me a little while to put up, had a busy month of birthdays and weddings! As you know, myself and Charly from 30datesblog.com have a little first date series going on where she gives me a date scenario and I come up with a couple of outfit ideas for it! Loving it so far and the second installment is the summer sporting event. I know so many people who love a day at the races or down at Wimbledon so I hope you all like this one and love to know what you think!

This is a light, pretty look for spending all day in. You’re probably going to be eating and drinking, and from my experience of a day at the races, bodycon is not the road to go down!

Do yourself a favour and keep it comfortable. This dress is a great example of how you can make a loose, relaxed fitting dress look glamorous. It’s a nice respectable length for a day at the races, polo or a regatta and a pretty print in fresh summer colours.

The shoes are a great summer investment, you will get so much wear out of a pair like this and the wedge is perfect for grass based activities… no danger of heels sinking into the ground!

The handbag is a great colour, I love cornflower blue in the summer and it picks out the blue tones in the dress. With a vibrant dress like this you don’t want jewellery that is going to compete with it or the look ends up slightly crazy, this gold necklace is really simple but just adds a little extra touch of glamour to the outfit.

The dress is the star of the outfit here so everything else is there to complement it rather that outshine it. Lastly, because we all know the way the British summertime likes to surprise us, a lightweight blazer is there to stave off the evening chill. Keep the colour light, anything dark will look too heavy and out of place with the soft palette of this outfit.

For those of you who aren’t dress people, a jumpsuit is a fantastic alternative to a dress and great for anyone prone to the odd wobble in heels!

This is a really lovely floral print and it’s got a bit of a vintage-esque feel to it. Again, great summery colours and I’ve continued the white theme with the heels and fascinator. I really like this fascinator, it’s really soft and simple and while it’s a focal point, it doesn’t distract from the jumpsuit.

With so many components in this outfit, I always find it wise to stick to a colour scheme to keep the outfit looking co-ordinated. Having said that, it is nice to inject a pop of colour in some way, especially with this outfit, to break up the blue and white. I therefore went for a pale orange clutch. It goes really well with light blue and it’s a striking colour but in a muted tone in keeping with the rest of the outfit. I can personally recommend these shoes as I have them myself, they’re nice and comfortable, not too high and are a great addition to a summer wardrobe!

Lastly, I recommend a slick of tomato red lipstick for a striking makeup look to complete this outfit perfectly.

Sian xx

First Date Series

Hi Guys!

Very excited to say I am collaborating with Miss29 herself, the lovely Charly from 30datesblog! I will be styling a series of outfit ideas for different first date scenarios! Really excited about this little series and I hope you enjoy what we have come up with!

To kick start, Charly decided to embrace the sunshine with a picnic date. I came up with 2 looks for this, one very girly and another more laid back. I hope you like them and keep checking back for more first date fun!

x

This is a really pretty summery look for a picnic.

I’ve gone for a floaty midi skirt because it’s both beautiful and feminine, and also because it’s also practical when you’re potentially sitting on a picnic blanket in the grass! No-one wants to be fiddling with a mini skirt or too-short shorts trying to protect your modesty on a first date!

The actual outfit is really easy and comfortable, perfect for a day of picnicing but the pretty prints give it a nice summery touch. Don’t be afraid to mix prints – done well, clashing prints look really eye-catching.In this instance I’ve kept it quite muted, the skirt is the main focus and the shirt picks out the blue in the skirt to complement it.

With all these prints the accessories need to be quite neutral so I’ve stuck to soft colours and walking-through-field friendly shoes! This type of look will suit most body shapes but is really easy to adapt. Girls blessed with a bigger bust can easily swap the printed top for a plain colour if you feel the print is drawing more attention than you’re comfortable with. The skirt gives you loads of colour options, you can go for simple cream/black or pick out any of the colours in the skirt, pink, green, yellow or blue.

This second look is for those of you who aren’t into floaty florals or prefer something a little more laid back.

 I really like the easy, stylish feel to this outfit.  It’s got a bit of a riviera vibe going on, perfect for a picnic by the river! These shorts are again practical for a picnic date as they’re a nice length and comfortable to sit in while still avoiding inappropriate flashing! I really love a stripe and neutrals combination, it’s a classic that works time and time again and is a great fail-safe option for a first date.

As before, this look will suit most body shapes and contrary to popular belief, horizontal stripes will not make you look bigger! However, if you’re not used to wearing stripes you can always try smaller stripes in softer colours for something a bit more subtle. Additionally, if you prefer a little less leg on show this would look great with a peach high waisted midi skirt or some on-trend culottes, just make sure you go for a soft fabric and light colour to keep the look feminine.

Cruise Fashion Competition - Virgin Holidays

Hi Guys!

So I was recently asked to take part in a styling competition with Virgin Holidays. The brief was to create a day to night look for a cruise holiday. This was so much fun as I've never been on a cruise before but always have these visions of gorgeous ships and stylish people shmoozing around on deck looking fabulous!

I wanted to tell you a bit about how I came to decide on the looks as I love the whole day to night thing. Being able to transform an outfit to create two different looks is great and a fantastic way to save money by really making the most of what you have in your wardrobe!

So my instinct when I heard cruise was nautical stripes but I decided that probably everyone was going to go down this route as it's so cliche for sea and beach looks, so I chose to go more on my instinctive reactions of luxury and sophistication. I decided to keep it on topic by choosing a gorgeous blue mix dress from Topshop. I trawled everywhere and had a massive selection of outfits but this one stood out to me straight away, it's elegant and versatile and I can see this on people of all different ages on a cruise ship. The important thing when choosing a piece that you want to take you from day to night is to pick a blank canvas, something that you can build on and accessorise. If you go too casual it won't work but at the same time you wouldn't wander about in a ballgown during the day!
I immediately saw the day look in this dress, the relaxed, easy shape can be thrown over a bikini, keep you cool and airy while still looking stylish enough to go to lunch in. I completed the look with a ribbon detail floppy straw hat, some gorgeous and bang on trend sliders and a straw beach bag. I went for a gold beach bag as a nice way of picking out the gold straps of the dress. Throw in some sunglasses and you're good to go!
The evening look I love because the dress is so easy to transform into a gorgeous dinner or cocktail outfit. Again, the relaxed shape means you can dance the night away while looking elegant and comfortable. The shoes are amazing, I wanted to pick out the gold feature again but didn't want to make the outfit look over the top so they strike a nice balance between that. As a side note, with a dress like this you really need strappy heels, closed shoes don't work as this dress is so summery. Due to the print and gold straps you need to be careful with jewellery and you can easily go way over the top! I decided a nice gold cuff bracelet would add to the grecian feel of the dress and the hair chain is a great way to jewel up if a necklace is not an option. Lastly, I decided on a pop of colour with the orange clutch. With all the gold and blue I wanted to break it up and add another focal point, orange looks fantastic with gold and also works really nicely with blue for a summery, tropical feel.
I hope you all like these looks as much as I do and I would love it if you could vote for me! It's really easy to do and you can vote through Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Just follow the link below :-) xx

http://www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk/cruise-fashion.phtml

Dress - Topshop £60

Day Look

Straw Hat - Oasis £20

STraw Bag - New Look £12.99

Bikini - Topshop £30

Sliders - River Island £28

Sunglasses - Mango at ASOS £17.99

Night Look

Hair Chain - ASOS £20

Bag - Aldo at ASOS £35

Gold Cuff - ASOS £10

Heels - Steve Madden at ASOS £75