So after
the last week spent celebrating hubby’s big Four-0 I’m continuing with the theme of celebrations seeing as this
year we seem to have a whole round up of special birthdays including a 21st,
two 40ths, two 50ths, a 60th & an 80th!
Now I
don't know if you're like me but when you first have children the need &
occasion for dressing up seems to go right out the window & most days
getting out of your dressing gown is a real achievement (although of course
this might just be me!). However, several years down the line & after most
days of just being grateful to have some form of clean clothing on as opposed to sleepwear or
sick/food splattered clothes, a miracle happens (which I believe goes by the
name of pre-school/reception class) & you suddenly have a little 'me' time
to be able to think about what you want to wear as opposed to just grabbing the
first clean & not necessarily ironed (again may just be me) item of
clothing that comes to hand!
Whilst
the need for full on glam & glitz is generally not an everyday requirement
(well not for me at least) when you do get a reason to dig out your special
little number there is nothing quite like the feeling dressing up brings. Of
course in my case it might originate from far too many hours spent playing with
the clothes in the 'dressing up' box & wearing my Grandma's best hats,
shawls & jewellery as a child but I think most people enjoy having a
special occasion to dress up for.
Of course
finding the PERFECT little black dress or outfit is another thing all together.
Is it just me but generally when you have an idea in mind of the kind of
dress/colour etc you want you can't find anything like it despite walking past
hundreds exactly like the one you have in mind just a few weeks before you knew
you'd have the reason (excuse - in my case) & occasion to wear one?!!!
For me
when looking for a special outfit not only do I want it to make me feel
special, it also needs to not be too far out of my comfort zone, have a classic
edge so as not to go out of style by next season & also be something that I
can dress up or down & wear at other times than just for special occasions.
So as you can see I'm not asking for too much, just the perfect outfit!
So with
an impending 60th birthday bash fast approaching & the dress code listed as
'dress to impress' I set out on a mission to find my perfect LBD. Now it seems that now isn’t the best time to probably start a search for a LBD as it appears that a lot of the dresses out there are in lovely bright colours for summer (if it arrives!) but
I have decided to stick to my guns & get a black dress as I feel I’ll get more use out of it all year round & with
different accessories I’ll be able to wear it for all
the special celebrations we’ve got this year. So after some online browsing these are some
of the dresses that made it onto my shortlist.
I love the lace & three quarter sleeves of this dress, very pretty.
A great dress for dressing up with heels or dressing down for daywear with some fab sandals.
And
here's the one I finally decided on.
Now I'm
sure most of you won't be surprised that my purchase was from Zara, as I have
said in the past I really should have shares in the company. However, even I
will admit that the picture on their website really doesn't do it justice, although I have noted that they've now changed the shoes the model is wearing as the previous ones were absolutely hideous & totally wrong for the dress. In fact as I'm typing this I'm realising just how much of a Zara addict I am that I've noticed this :S
In my
mind this dress ticks all the boxes plus it wasn't a fortune to purchase (£39.99) & for me
has the added advantage that it will look great with heels but can also be worn
with my new Zara Studded Leopard Print Sandals & some chunky
jewellery in the summer to wear in the daytime & also on holiday.
So just
to give you a glimpse of how I would accessorise the dress here's a few pictures of me wearing it, which hopefully look a little better than the Zara
photo!
Necklace - Zara
Belt - Zara
Shoes - Zara
Necklace - Zara
Bracelets - Handmade
Shoes - Zara
Necklace - Massimo Dutti
Bangles - Banana Republic & Mango
Sandals - Zara
Finally pictures of what I've been wearing over the last couple of days including casual outfits & layers for walking at the Malvern Hills & a very early & cold start this morning for our hot air balloon ride, which was stunning, amazing & tranquil.
Outfit One
Necklace - Zara
Top - Zara
T-shirt - Zara
Jeans - Massimo Dutti
Studded Belt (not shown) - Massimo Dutti
Boots - Zara
Outfit Two
Jumper - Zara
Bangle - Mango
Jeans - Zara
Studded Belt (not shown) - Zara
Shoes - Zara
Outfit Three
Striped Jumper - M&S
Long Sleeved T-Shirt - H&M
Scarf - M&S
Jeans - French Connection
Animal Print Pumps - Boden (not worn for walking but thought I'd spare you the glamour of my hiking boots!)
Outfit Four
Fur Stole - H&M
Jacket - Barbour
Jeans - French Connection
Boots - M&S
So what
do you think? Have you got a LBD that you always wear for special occasions or
do you like to wear something more colourful? As always I love to hear your
thoughts & comments x
The Zara one looks great and you can dress it up or down for any occasion. I love the Hobbs one too,I am totally the wrong shape as have tree trunk waist and big shoulders, but you are so petite you would look like the model. It strikes me as one of those 'proper' dresses in which there would always be just a little misbehaviour!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping I'll get a lot of use out of the dress but love your description of the Hobbs dress being a dress that's associated with misbehaviour :) x
DeleteI LOVE the Hobbs one so much too - I do not love the price so much!
DeleteFiona
Yes it's a lot more than the Zara one but a real classic that would no doubt be worn many times over the years.
DeleteDo you realise that you went TWO WHOLE DAYS when you weren't wearing something from Zara, lol!!!! I'm not an LBD person myself (bloody psoriasis put paid to that) but am sure that you'll get lots of wear out of the one you bought!
ReplyDeleteLol Helen, I nearly got the shakes from withdrawal symptoms!!!!! x
Deleteright that's it - I'm buying it - I have seen this on someone else and they looked amazing too
ReplyDeleteDONE BOUGHT THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Can't wait to see you in it :)
DeleteThat's the Zara dress which I keep putting in the bag and taking out again. You make it look awesome. It is one of those under the radar dresses and that's why I love it. Could I ask how tall you are by the way? One of the reasons I hadn't purchased yet was it looked quite long online but not so much on you?
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue. I just love the simplicity of this dress and the way it hangs, very understated but perfect for dressing up or down. I'm 5'7" to give you an idea on the length of the dress x
DeleteLove the Zara dress on you. You always need a LBD in your wardrobe.i also love the mango dress.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo. Have to admit to having several little black dresses! In fact I go one similar to the Mango dress last year and wore it loads as again it looks great dressed down with sandals x
DeleteLove the Zara dress & I love the 3 ways you have styled it! The Hobbs one is a total classic & very Audrey Hepburn but I think you defo made the right choice! Andrea x
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea, yes the Hobbs one is a definite Audrey Hepburn dress, would look stunning with loads of pearls x
DeleteLove the Zara dress (number 4) on you with flats - tres chic!
ReplyDeleteAw thank you :) Just need the hotter weather to start wearing it in the daytime x
ReplyDeleteI think it time to the woman enjoying having an special occasion to wearing a black gown dress.Thank to your post.
ReplyDeleteYou can't beat a little black dress to make you feel special! x
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