Monthly Archives: September 2013
What accessories to wear with a blue dress
Blue has always been a particularly influential colour in the fashion world and it has often frequented the red carpet on celebrities such as Kate Middleton and Kylie Minogue. So why has blue been a colour which has stood the test of time amongst fashionistas? The answer is simple – blue is powerful, regal, commanding and uber-stunning! Blue is also a fabulous colour due to it’s versatility; being a colour where there are unquestionably hundreds of different shades, it would be truly impossible to be unable to find a hue of blue which suits you!
One question which has often cropped up is what accessories go with a blue dress? One thing I would like to say is to make sure that you are not over-doing blue, a blue dress with tonnes of blue jewellery can render you looking rather smurf-like – a BIG fashion faux pas! Instead, opt for a complimentary colour, as blue looks great with a variety of colours, you can be fairly flexible when it comes to accessories.
Midnight blue full sequin dress
This gorgeously stunning full sequinned dress in midnight (or navy!) blue with black lace trim is gorgeous if you want to wear a dark colour to your event but you want something a little softer than black. Features of the dress include adjustable straps at the back to ensure perfect fit with full support and a thigh high split for that sexy-but-classy look. Being sparkly, this dress is pretty versatile when it comes to accessories. You could compliment the dress and offset the black lace trim with some matching black accessories. If you are going to go for black accessories make sure you stay away from anything too chunky, instead opt for black strappy sandals and delicate black crystal earrings and a bangle to keep in line with the elegance of the dress. Another option with this dress is to wear silver sparkles to really bring out the shine of the sequins. If you are going for silvery sparkles, make sure that you opt for delicate silver shoes accordingly.
High neck backless dress in royal blue
This undeniably beautiful royal blue high neck backless dress (pictured right) is the perfect dress for a black tie event or prom. With it’s silver sparkly rhinestone neckline and back, there really is only one option for this dress when it comes to accessories – silver. Couple this dress with glitzy silver shoes, a silver diamanté bangle and some diamanté twinkles in your ear lobes. With this dress it’s probably best to stay away from a necklace as it can make the neckline look too cluttered. If you do want to wear a necklace, choose one with a thin chain and a very long drop and wear it in reverse so the drop cascades down your exposed back for a real top celebrity, red carpet look!
Stretchy blue long sleeved pencil dress
This dress is a really lovely desk to dinner dress, and due to the fact that it is plain (but beautifully cut!) you can really have a lot of fun with the accessories and really go over the top. Quite simply, there are countless ways to accessorize this dress, if you are going out for the evening in this dress and want to look particularly glamorous, team it up with silver or gold sparkles and a pair of dramatic earrings. However, if you are wearing this dress in the day time, I think this dress looks particularly funky with neon coloured accessories, in particular a bright pink. If you do decide to go 80’s neon with the accessories, choose chunky jewellery to make a real statement.
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What’s in fashion autumn 2013?
After a short stint away from the boutique I am absolutely delighted to say that I am now back. And just imagine my excitement on my return to see the boutique positively full to the brim with brand new sumptuous gowns with sequins galore! As much as I will always adore full sequinned gowns, what has really held my interest is the batch of new printed party tops and cocktail dresses. This season’s catwalks have been overrun by geometric patterns and prints, and, on viewing the new collections from top designers such as Givenchy and Cavalli I can confirm that patterns and printed outfits are IN this season!
Party Tops
I do concede that it may not be wholly appropriate to go out to a semi-casual evening dinner donned in full on ball gown (as nice as the whole concept may be!), so a glamorous top with a nice skirt or pair of trousers means that you can still stay classy and chic in your more casual attire.
Versace style print top
Unicorn and bling zebra off the shoulder top
I adore this gorgeous long sleeved Versace inspired shirt (pictured left) made of satin and chiffon with tails. This shirt utilises a modern mirror print technique perfectly and uses a vibrant colour spectrum of burnt oranges, ruby reds, shimmering golds, turquoises and my favourite – animal print. The style of this top is so versatile and can be dressed up with a pencil skirt or pair of trousers, or you can dress it down with leggings or your favourite jeans. With it’s fantastic feature lace up back you can guarantee that you will have a perfect fit, even if (like me!) you are different sizes on different parts of your body!
Pictured right is a truly unique, whimsical, mystical printed top with unicorn and gorgeous little bling bling zebras. This carefree, easy to wear modern top has a little bar across the back of the neck to ensure that you get none of that annoying ‘slippage’ from your shoulders. This top looks fabulous when teamed with a pair of skinny jeans or black trousers.
Printed dresses
Versace style mini dress with mesh back
Printed dresses are also really in vogue this season, this particular mini dress to the left has uber-modern, ultra-cool features such as a mesh back and darling little studs around the shoulders. This dress has all the opulence of fashionable prints and colours at the moment plus a bit of biker chic with the leatherette sleeve features, giving it a fresh, unique look and makes it the perfect dress to take you from day to evening.
Sleeved knee length printed dress
This stunning Cavalli style knee length sleeved dress pictured right is a fabulous way of keeping in line with the current print fashion trend and it’s sleeves are great if you are an arm hater! Being more subtle in the colour department with it’s earthy colour tones of golds and greens it reminds me somewhat of a Raphaelite painting, and, just like a Raphaelite painting, it is a true masterpiece. This dress gives you a great figure hugging fit with it’s super stretchy fabric and the low open back gives a touch of sexiness whilst still remaining classy.
Accessories to go with your new printed dress or top
With patterned outfits I usually suggest simple jewellery, however, I am prepared to do a complete U-turn with this fashion trend and recommend that you wear grand, statement pieces. The opulence of this look screams out for some sumptious and regal jewellery. Think chunky necklaces and bangles in golds and burnished coppers along with matching oversized earrings.
We are offering these distinctive, creative dresses and tops at super value prices to buy, or if you are on a budget, don’t forget that you can also hire them for a fraction of the cost!
What wedding dress would suit me?
If you are looking at this blog post you are probably getting married, so the first thing we would like to say to you is ‘Big Congratulations!’. Choosing a wedding dress can be quite a daunting task and it can feel pretty overwhelming, so I’d like to give you a few pointers in how to approach the situation to make it a little easier, so you can concentrate on the most important thing when choosing your wedding dress: having fun!
Do your research
Before you hit the bridal stores have a little look on the internet to see what styles of dresses there are on offer. There is a whole wealth of information on the World Wide Web which you can access for free, so take full advantage of Google image search and bridal discussion boards. Put pen to paper and write a list of how you want your whole day to be. Don’t limit this list to ‘the dress’, instead consider all factors such as the venue, where your photographs will be taken, the season the wedding day falls into and most importantly, your personality. By way of example, you could make a list with words such as: spring season, princess gown, fairy tale wedding, beach wedding, whimsical, grand, simple, vintage, etc. Once you have finished your list you will probably have a much better idea of not only what kind of dress you would like for the day, but also how it will fit in with your whole wedding experience.
Decide on the shape of wedding dress you would like
At the boutique we like to have a good spread of different shapes and styles of wedding dresses so brides can experiment with what style will suit them best. There are so many different styles to consider, so even if you are a bride who is particularly under confident with your figure, there simply MUST be a style which will suit you and will make you feel fabulous on the day. Our friendly team of in-house stylists are always on hand to offer you advice, and as we have seen so many different types of figures in wedding dresses, we know which will suit you.
Ivory ball gown wedding dress
Ball gown wedding dresses
Ball gown wedding dresses are the perfect way to achieve that fairy tale princess look. With their full, flared skirts and the usually fitted bodice suits most types of body shapes (but may be a bit too full on a small slim bride – see the next section if you are one of them!) and looks great on a bride who has a pear shaped figure. This style of dress has the advantage of hiding the bottom half of the figure if you are concerned about your thighs and/or rear and emphasises the waist dramatically.
This stunning wedding dress to the left is in typical ball gown style, made out of ivory taffeta with a fitted bodice and corset back and full netting under the skirts. The gorgeous silver embellishment breaks up the ivory colour perfectly on the front and the embellishment on the back around the corset adds interest for those nice over the shoulder photographs.
A-line wedding dress with feature lace back
A-line wedding dresses
An A-line dress is similar to the ball gown dress but is a little less full in the skirt. It falls naturally from the waist, again to emphasise the tiniest part of your body and falls in an “A” shape. If you are a small and slim bride a ball gown wedding dress may swamp you a little too much and an A-line wedding dress will probably suit you better. These dresses are great if you are petite but you still want to get that full fairy tale effect!
This gorgeous A-line wedding dress to the right is perfect for the bride who wants a more subtle fairy tale wedding. The vintage style lace feature at the back demands to be shown off, so an up-do hairstyle with this dress is a must!
Mermaid style champagne wedding dress with feature bow
Mermaid wedding dresses
These dresses are also known as fishtail wedding dresses and trumpet dresses. The fishtail dress typically has a figure hugging fitted bodice that goes right the way down to the mid-thigh and then flares out to give a kind of mermaid tail shape. These dresses look great on brides who have an hourglass figure and who are well balanced at the bust and the hips and who have a proportionately smaller waist. These dresses tend to fit very closely to the body and will give a true silhouette of your body shape, so if you are under confident with your shape, it’s probably best to stay away from this style.
This elegant mermaid wedding dress has a gorgeous feature bow at the front and darling little buttons down the back. It’s figure flattering rouching will ensure that you feel confident on your big day and will really show off your curves. This mermaid wedding dress is now in our sale for under £300!
Champagne one shoulder empire line wedding dress
Empire line wedding dresses
These wedding dresses a have a high waistline with the skirt starting from under the bust. They tend to be made out of a light, floaty fabric such as chiffon which falls very elegantly to the floor. This style of wedding dress looks great on most body shapes and is probably one of the most forgiving wedding dress shapes. They are fabulous if you are concerned about showing off your mid-section, providing you with a bit of extra coverage, and still giving you the ability to achieve that whimsical, elegant look. Empire line dresses make stunning maternity wedding dresses and they give that little bit of extra space around the waist if baby decides to grow dramatically in the run up to the wedding. These dresses have also been extremely popular at the boutique for a casual wedding or look gorgeous on a beach if you are having a tropical beach wedding. They also have the benefit of being floaty and light so you can keep cool and pack them in your suitcase easily.
This whimsical champagne coloured wedding dress pictured right is absolutely stunning and extremely flattering, even if you have some bits you wish to hide! The gorgeous lace bust has a few sparkles, so you will be able to twinkle and shine well into the night!
Celebrity column wedding dress in ivory
Column or sheath wedding dresses
These dresses are also known as sheath wedding dresses. This style of wedding dress runs virtually straight down from the shoulders to the floor with no flair and are typically narrow and slim. These are easy to wear and are great dresses if you are having a less formal wedding. These dresses look great on most shapes and also look fabulous on small brides because the shape tends to elongate a small bride perfectly.
The beauty of this column wedding dress pictured left lies in it’s simplicity and a really beautiful cut. The figure flattering rouching is perfect if you are concerned about your mid-section, and the feature frill partially obscures the side slit so you can add a touch of sexiness to your wedding dress whilst still remaining a classy bride!
When you are trying on wedding dresses make sure you don’t put the blinkers on and disregard all other styles other than the one you are determined to have, the trick is to try on many different shapes of dresses and to bring your friends and relatives with you and sit down and explain to them what kind of look you are going for at your wedding. When selecting which friends to bring with you remember that it is of absolutely no help if you bring a friend who is going to say that every dress looks wonderful on you! Instead, bring a friend who is going to give you a really honest opinion, and try not to take it too personally if there is a dress they do not like on you. After all, if they are a true friend, they are only trying to help you look fabulous on your big day!
Whichever style of dress you go for, just make sure that you love it and feel comfortable and confident in it. Remember that you will show your wedding photographs to all your family and friends and any potential grandchildren you may have in the future, so make the right choice for yourself so you can feel proud every time you look at the photos of wedding day.