Dressing Up...

Wearing: Dress Chi Chi necklace Primark shoes Vintage

It's in typical fashion that after I need a red-carpet worthy dress, I find a really lovely one. As it turns out, when I attended the BAFTAs with Adrian a couple of weeks ago, I wore a really beautiful lace sleeved number from French Connection. But it's always nice to get dressed up, so when I received this pretty lace "Kellie" dress from Chi Chi I didn't need much of an excuse to give it a whirl!

I've featured a dress from Chi Chi before and I seem to remember I had nowhere to wear that one, either! This lace covered beauty was actually under the 'day dress' section of the website, and it's not easy to see the pretty detail of the bonded lace online. In reality, I would maintain this is too smart of a dress to wear in the daytime; notwithstanding the casual vibe of the cute peter pan collar, the look is re-formalised by the lace detailing and the flouncy skirt.

I must admit that this dress isn't my usual style, I do love a skater skirt and I adore a peter pan collar but I almost always pick looser fitting, slouchy dresses; 'bodycon' isn't my thing at all and whilst this dress isn't super fitted, it's much more form fitting than I would usually choose. However I don't think that's a bad thing; I think that's another reason I would definitely put this dress in the 'night out' or 'formal event' category.

I always really enjoy getting ready to go out; often more than I enjoy the actual event I'm going to! It's so nice to get dressed up and wear something really fancy and pretty, get the heels out, put your perfume and lippy on; there's a definite routine there and that can be either charming and enjoyable or super stressful (how many times have you tried to go out straight from work, only to find the look you had in mind just didn't work once you put it on?!)

If you like this dress you can shop it here and also have a look at the other pretty dresses Chi Chi have on their website.

XO Amie

Instagram Week #10

Illustration of me // Evening in the city // ASOS White amazingness // Harvey Nichols window // Chocolate BAFTA // Sounding off in Grazia // Sunshine // Throwback Selfie // More illustrations

Well, last week was a busy one and I managed to cram a lot in, including two blogging events; I know, isn't it funny-they're like buses; nothing for ages and then two at once. The second event I attended (the #BrizBlogMeet being the first, read about that here) was the Harvey Nichols 'Beauty School Drop Out' event. I went along with my friend and fellow blogger Dulcie and had a really wonderful evening, I'll be posting about it soon but the highlight of the night for me was meeting Helen Adams from Big Brother 2 who was randomly there too! Amazing. There were some wonderful art students there illustrating people and I was lucky enough to have both of them draw me!

The weather was so lovely at the end of the week (Sunday in particular) that Adrian and I went for a stroll which turned into a 4 mile walk, with a picnic thrown in; it almost felt like summer and it felt strange but very pleasant to not have to wear a coat! I couldn't remember how long it had been since I felt the sun on my face! It reminded me of being away on holiday, which was almost a year ago! Definitely time for some more sunshine, please! We stopped for an ice cream which wasn't very nice at all, I think as we've both been raised on Hockings, nothing else compares! (if you're from Devon, you'll understand!)

I finished off the last of the chocolate BAFTA confections that I'd been given after the BAFTA awards ceremony Adrian and I attended a couple of weeks ago. They were delicious! I was going to keep them, but I thought I'd probably end up just throwing them away when they went bad. So I ate them instead! 

XO Amie

Friday's Want: ASOS White

ASOS WHITE leather wrap front top here

I have definitely blogged in the past about ASOS WHITE, the premium collection from ASOS which incorporates clean styling with luxurious fabrics in inspired cuts. It's not a brand I shop at full price; I have shopped a piece or two at full price when I've absolutely fallen for it but more often than not I wait for the sale because, as most people know, the ASOS reductions are stellar. The introduction of the 'saved for later' list on the site sees me updating mine to include pretty much the WHITE collection in its entirety; there's rarely a piece I don't covet and grouped in my saved list I can keep an eye on any reductions and also watch to see if my size is selling through.

The piece that really caught my eye from the latest drop was this navy leather tie up top. I thought the leather panels on the front were really unusual, and I like the fact that they're navy blue, not black. I have a leather gilet already, but I find it quite uncomfortable to wear; it's quite chunky and heavy and this one is so sleek; it really feels like something I should have in my wardrobe, (well, this entire outfit is actually!)

The top was priced at £125 which was more than my budget allowed and even when it went into the sale for half price I was still unsure about spending out on it; but today I got an email from ASOS stating that there was a further 20% off all sale items which made this £50. So I treated myself! I hope it's as nice as it looks!

Have you bought from ASOS WHITE label before? What do you think of it?

XO Amie

Simple Satchel

Tan leather satchel from Pieces

I am the absolute worst person at filling a handbag to the point of bursting and then carting around a load of stuff I really don't need, all day long, to the point of giving myself a real pain in the shoulder from toting all but the kitchen sink around with me. The problem lies in the size of the bag; if it's sizeable, it will just be filled, so to combat this and actually just take the essential items that I need with me day to day, I've invested in a simple and chic envelope clutch with an added long strap.

When I first got my hands on this clutch I thought it would be miles too small. It is, by anyone's standard, bijoux; I can just about fit my Moleskine notebook/diary in it and my phone and keys, possibly also a lippy and a credit card holder. Out goes the makeup bag, brimming with products I rarely use; and likewise the oversized wallet, carrying a plethora of cards and out of date vouchers. It's forced me to streamline what I carry around, and my shoulder is thankful for it!

The colour of this clutch is a light tan, which is something that never seems to date and, more importantly, goes with everything. It's made of a soft leather which will get better with age, I haven't wanted to stretch it out too much by cramming it too full but it will stretch with wear; of that I'm sure. I love the simple envelope shape and the chic press stud fastening.

What do you carry in your everyday bag? Would you use a bag like this?

XO Amie

#BrizBlogMeet

Wearing: Pull & Bear dungarees Gap shirt Topshop shoes Pieces bag. Dulcie wears skirt from Dahlia

On Sunday, I spent a delightful afternoon in the company of some wonderful bloggers at the Bristol Blog Meet. Arranged by Emily of Pretty Please and Phil of PhilMcCormick events, I was thrilled to meet up with a couple of my blogger friends, notably the gorgeous Dulcie of La Dulcie Vita and Emily of Emily's Elixir. I also spotted Lyzi from Being Little but I never seem to manage to speak to her for any length of time at blog events! I hope this will change!

The venue was Bristol's Vodka Revolutions which has gone under somewhat of a rebrand since I last visited. In place of the dark, after-hours club decor, chintzy fabrics and potted plants abounded, which sat well next to the mismatched table and chair settings. This is a place in which you could happily enjoy afternoon tea or a bite to eat after an afternoon shopping, without feeling at all as if you were in a nightclub!

The afternoon started with cocktails and nibbles and we were able to network and chat to each other which was lovely. I spoke at length with the ladies from iamsociable and met the creatives behind BritFash Blogs as well as having a good old chinwag with Dulcie about what she'd been up to since I'd last seen her. A raffle followed, with the proceeds going to charity, and Dulcie and I took some time to chat to the Lush representative who was on had to talk through some of the latest product ranges they'd launched. 

Emily closed the afternoon following the raffle with a sweet vote of thanks and then it was off home generously laden down with three goodie bags! Talk about treats! I had such a fantastic afternoon, it flew by and I wished I had been able to talk to a few more of the bloggers there but it was time to say goodbye all too quickly!

I really wasn't sure what to wear for this event, and I ended up deciding on these black dungarees from Pull & Bear that I bought recently. They were £7.99 in the sale and I had wanted to try dungarees for ages but didn't want to spend too much, so they fitted the bill perfectly. I paired them with a white shirt, red lipstick and statement necklace; channeling a bit of Alexa Chung androgyny (in my mind haha) They weren't that comfortable unfortunately; nothing would stay tucked in and the straps kept slipping down, I sort of wished I'd worn a dress by the end! However I think they look good as a statement piece and I had change from a tenner-so can't complain!

Have you been to any good blog meetups recently?

XO Amie

Instagram Week #9

Sunny Selfie // #asseenonme // Nice wheels // Spring sunshine // Breakfast // New music // Daily essentials // #BrizBlogMeet // Outfit post

Last week was so changeable in terms of weather, at the start of the week I was wearing a much lighter weight jacket but by the end my greatcoat had come back out again. I am so sick of winter clothes now, but I am also cold most of the time, so until the weather turns properly, I'll have to make do!

I attended the #BrizBlogMeet on Sunday and it was such a great event; there were so many bloggers there, some whose blogs I read and some who I hadn't heard about before but am now following! I'm actually going to dedicate an entire post to this so keep checking back!

Speaking of posts, I also thought I'd do an updated 'what's in my bag' so that's going to go up soon too. I got this really simple satchel from Pieces, which is just lovely but really, really small; you can't fit hardly anything in it but it's making me streamline what I carry around with me on a daily basis (and is a step up from my Primark dog tote bag!)

Hope you had a good week too!

XO Amie

Textural

Crepe shift dress from Topshop here

I have a Topshop storecard, much to my detriment, which I haven't used in a little while. I recently got a letter from them stating that if I didn't use the card, it would be cancelled as it had been inactive for some time. So of course, this was as good excuse as any to go shopping! (dreadful I know!)

As regular readers will know I've got a real thing for texture. I love luxe fabrics; silks, boiled wool, velvet, jersey. Topshop have had a small capsule dress collection in store made of crepe, which I clapped my eyes on with glee because I love this fabric. I love the feel of it, and the way it hangs and drapes. I wasn't certain about the colour; on the Topshop website this dress is called 'red' but it's a much more vibrant, orange hue. Which suits me, because I don't really ever wear red; it's one colour I've never worn, I'm not sure why, I just don't feel it goes well with my colouring. So I actually prefer the orange! It does come in a lot of other colours, if brights aren't your thing!

This dress cost £45 but it was on offer for £30 which was why I bought it. I think it will look really nice for an evening out with heels and a blazer or dressed down with my chelsea boots. The back zip detail and the dip hem shape make it a little more special, and the fit is so lovely.

Would you wear something like this?

XO Amie