Even though the weather may not feel like it right now, summer style is everywhere to be seen in the shops right now. Every year there are some landmark details that come back around; floral prints, brighter colours and floaty dresses. I always thought I was a self-confessed winter dresser. I never really embraced those trends and like many people, black was my safety net.
“Fashions fade, style is eternal” – Yves Saint Laurent
Now that I’m in my 20’s I think my sense of style is developing and I’m not afraid to try new things. Trends are great and they keep things fresh and exciting. But now I know what suits me, my shape and my colouring so I build the trends around my style, instead of letting them take over my wardrobe.
I think because we are in the summer season now, I’ve been dipping into a brighter palette and I’m gradually leaving the black safety net in the back of my winter wardrobe. Gradually being the key word there, as you can see from this look that I put together over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Bank Holiday Weekend
My friends and I had a much needed night out together. It’s hard to find the time to get the whole gang of us together so when as many of us as possible can, it’s a treat, (Poppy, you were missed 😭) We went to see Corner Boy perform in Enniscorthy for the 50th Strawberry Festival and then stayed out on the town. So the first dilemma was ‘What do you wear that’s appropriate for a concert AND a night out?’. Then, given the unpredictable weather we had last weekend, there was another dilemma! ‘What do you wear that’s appropriate for a concert AND a night out AND it could be lashing ran OR possibly really lovely and sunny?!?!?!’
I settled on this frill hem dress by the label Cameo Rose. We carry this label in the New Look store in Wexford so I just picked it up on my lunch. It looks nothing on the hanger but I had the vision in mind for it. The floral print and yellow colour is fun and summery. I added the corset belt, which is a huge trend right now. This also defined my waist and gave the look more shape. On my build, the dress on its own wouldn’t have done anything for me. The belt gave it the touch it needed.
Festival Feet
Knowing that we would be standing at the concert, I wanted comfortable shoes. I also wanted something that would be dressy enough for going out. These River Island beauties came to the rescue and I’m so glad now that I bought them. I got them on a whim for the Bruno Mars concert recently but I just knew that I would get lots of wear out of a block heel like these. The height of the heel is comfortable and the ankle strap means there’s no fear of walking out of them.
I finished this look with an oversized denim jacket from New Look. Thankfully it didn’t rain so the jacket was ideal for the open air concert. It’s a really relaxed, dressy casual look and would be suitable for a summer BBQ or holiday. The dress could also be styled with a light cardi and sandals or trainers for a casual look too.
Dress – Cameo Rose at New Look – €22.99
Corset Belt – New Look – €11.99
Denim Jacket – New Look – €44.99
Embellished Block Heels – River Island – €87.00
Summer Style
Lately I have been drawn towards yellow, a colour that I wouldn’t have dreamt of wearing before! For the Glitz and Glam Masterclass in the Riverside Park Hotel last month, I wore this cold shoulder midi dress. I suppose we all have bits of our bodies that we’re conscious of and mine is my upper arms. The sleeve on this dress was just perfect as I was more comfortable in it but not too covered up either. The sun was scorching that day, so this dress was suitably summery. I hosted the fashion show segment during the event so I thought the bold colours would look really well under the lights also. This dress has a tie waist, which I tied to the back. Again, this defined my waist and gave me a better shape.
Top Tip
It’s a midi length dress but I had it taken up to the knee. The dimple in your knee is the best place to finish the hem of your dress or skirt as it’s a narrow part of your leg. This creates the illusion of you looking taller and slimmer than if the hem finished on your calf. It’s a small change to make but it’s so effective to the overall look. I finished this outfit with wrap around sandals from the River Island Studio Collection. I picked them up in the sales maybe a year ago? This was their first outing and while I knew that they’re totally clashing, I thought it was edgy to pair them with the dress. There is a yellow accent at the back of the tan heels so that complimented the printed dress.
Dress – New Look – €34.99
Shoes – River Island – Sale, Not in Stock
Pastel Tones
The last look is much softer. I wore pastel pink hues to a race night in Enniscorthy last week. I was asked my the Strawberry Festival committee to help Strawberry Queen, Rebecca O’Connor judge the best hat on the night. It ended up that the hats were actually creations by the pupils of Glenbrien National School. It was great to see so much creativity and the winners were absolutely delighted.
Culottes are one of my must-have summer style pieces. My wardrobe isn’t complete without a couple of pairs each year. They’re easily dressed up, like I did for this look, or can be worn casually with trainers and a t-shirt. They’re also extremely comfortable which is an added bonus! These printed trousers sport a floral print once again. I also had them altered as they were a bit too long. Culottes should ideally finish mid-calf. If they’re longer than that, they draw the eye down and out. I’m only 5’7″ so if I had of left them at the length they originally were, I would’ve looked stumpy. A couple of inches off and viola!!
I liked how the colour of this cropped bardot top picked up on the pink in the pants. The top is one I had bought around New Years from Missguided. I finished the look with some chunky platform heels which have seen me through lots of summer occasions. They’re a couple of years old from River Island. This look would be equally as nice with a court heel and little headpiece for a wedding or special occasion.
Top – Missguided – Similar Here
Cropped Trousers – New Look – €24.99
Platform Sandals – River Island – Not in Stock
That’s a little catch up on some of the outfits I’ve worn recently…
If you have any questions at all, do comment below or you can get me on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. I’m looking forward to sharing more of my summer style with you this season. I have lots of outfit planning to do for upcoming events including the Irish Beauty Blog Awards. I’m nominated in 4 categories, (Best Design Blog, Best Fashion Blog, Best Beauty Blog and Overall Blog of the Week) and would really appreciate your votes to help me on to the shortlist. You can cast your votes for Holy Chic by clicking the link here – the shortlist will be revealed on June 19th.
Please Note..
As always, you can shop my style from this post or from the Shop page here on my blog. I update it as often as possible with direct links for you to shop from. (Please note that these are affiliate links too. It won’t change the price you pay at all, I will just earn a teeny tiny % of sales from these links. If you’d prefer not to use affiliate links, I’ve mentioned above where each item is from)
