I know I'm jumping the gun here posting about Summer clothing in March, but I'll let you into a little secret - Pete and I have been together for five years and never gone on holiday outside of the UK. I'm kind of making it my mission to get us out of the country this year to somewhere warm cause that's what my man bear likes - relaxing beach holidays somewhere hot and toasty. That however, is not my kind of holiday, but I lurve him and don't want him to explode from stress so we're gonna go somewhere he can relax on a balcony drinking cocktails and readings books. As long as there's wifi. Ahem.
Now, I like and have always gone on city holidays where I can zip around all day going to museums and restaurants and go shopping, so I don't really have any experience of buying beach holiday clothes. I have therefore made it my mission to find some pretty sunny holiday outfits that I don't feel intensely uncomfortable and unglamorous in, and the wonderful team at Yours Clothing very kindly sent me this lovely outfit to dip my toe into the world of dressing to enjoy the sun.
Naturally I don't want to sacrifice looking glam just cause I'll be in a country with actual weather, and I think this dress fits the bill perfectly - it's not only beautiful and covered with darling painterly flowers but is light, airy and comfortable. The stripes to the waist and skirt bottom are a nice little detail and are accented with a pretty stripe of crochet edging, as is the bust. The back of the body of the dress is gathered and elasticated which I really like - it adds comfort to this non stretch cotton fabric as you aren't restricted when you sit down, I hate the feeling of being squeezed to death by your clothes when you sit down. The pattern reminds me of the beautiful flowers painted on barge boats or gorgeous old gypsy caravans and the black background makes them stand out so wonderfully. I think going with a mainly black outfit was as good way to try my hand at this dressing for heat thing as an entirely pale coloured outfit would have scared me a little I think. I'm still not feeling 100% comfortable having my upper arms on display but I know with a few more wears I'll be cool with it, I just need a little more time to get used to it.
I've always wanted a big floppy summer hat since I was small and saw photos of Brigitte Bardot flouncing around on the sand in one and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I sadly don't think I can pull it off quite as well as the lovely Brigitte but it really helped keep my face and neck protected from the sun even if it was only the now and again flashes we get here in old Blighty. I adore hats and wish they would come back into fashion for every day wear, I think sunny weather is a great excuse to rock a pretty head piece!
The sandals I have on here are definitely going to be a favourite footwear piece for me in the heat - they're so comfortable and I adore the snazzy metallic gold band over the toes! There is a slight wedged heel which is nice as I always find a teensy bit of lift nicer to walk on than a completely flat sole and as they are an EEE width fitting there was no worry that my chubby feets wouldn't get through the straps. They fit absolutely perfectly and because of the straps that cross over the bridge of the foot and wrap around the ankle they don't feel like they're going to slip off if you're walking on uneven ground - there's nothing worse than walking down the street and accidentally leaving a shoe a few steps behind you!
