Harrumph.

God these are hard.  I only remember this when I actually try to buy one.  And I usually only try to buy one when I NEED one.  As they are so pigging hard to buy.  

Of course, I can think back and recall at least a couple of dresses I've tried on and I've really liked.  But I didn't buy them as I didn't need them.

Well I'm a tool.

As now that dress season is literally around the corner, I am starting to go into panic mode. 

And I understand that I'm not the only one. 

Oh we've been here before - we're here all the time.  The nightmare that is the Dress Purchase. 

It should be easy.  The shops are full of them.   Bursting at the seams with them.  So theoretically none of us should have any problems at all.  And no, I wouldn't have a problem if I didn't mind looking like Auntie Brenda at a wedding, circa 1996. 

It's really hard buying a dress at 42 when, in your head, you still think you're 28. 

Except that when you try a dress on that you would have worn at 28, there's more than a hum of Lady of the Night about you. 

Darn it.

Now people always say to me that it must be easy to buy a dress being 5ft10 and a size 10 (ish).  It's not.  They are either too short or cut off at the wrong (and always frumpy) length.  They're often not long enough for me in the body or are too tight across the shoulders yet big on the hips.  I have no waist yet I do have a stomach (I've just ordered 30 day shred which will either have me looking like Elle McPherson in a month or make a great coaster) and lots of dresses are gifted at making me look like a barrel.  Oh and I have no boobs.  But I'm pigeon chested.  

So as you can see, it doesn't matter how tall or seemingly slender you are, it can still be hard. 

What exactly am I looking for?  At the risk of sounding like a broken record - a dress that I can wear out at night with heels, that I could wear to a smarter occasion and that I could also throw on for the school run with flats and a blazer or a denim jacket. 

How hard can that be?  Did I mention machine washable?  Now I know that these exist as I do have a fair few of them from last year and the year before.  Which, yes I could wear and I will wear but I need - my version of need...- at least one more.  (ok so this is one more than the one I have found.......this so makes sense in my head)

I do have a shortlist but there has just been a drop of new season goodies so I'm going to see if there are any that we can add.  I will then bring you the chosen shortlist once I've ordered them all and we can see if any of them are winners.  

You need a selection as we've all thought a dress would look amazing on, tried it... and wept.

To demonstrate how easily this can happen and how good dresses can go bad so so easily, here are pics of me in two earlier this week. 

In my head, I would look like I was wearing Isabel Marant. 

Yeah.  About that.....

Starting with a dress I've had on my short list for a while now.  A perfect example of why you should try things on as they *might* not go to plan.....

Somerset by Alice Temperley Tie Waist Tile Dress £160 



To be fair, it doesn't even look all that on the model.  And no, this would not be my choice of footwear......  Like I said, I was thinking Isabel Marant, not Bugsy Malone.



And here I am looking like someone's tied an elastic band around a balloon.  Admittedly I do have my jeans on underneath but they made precious little difference, I promise you.





Next up, another lesson learnt at Mango.  If a dress looks too short, then chances are, it's going to be too short. 

Floral Chiffon Dress £59.99




To say I looked wide round the middle was an understatement.  I looked like a smoked bavarian cheese.  In red print.

Slightly less Ms Marant and more Ms Piggy




However there's one more from Mango that I'd like to try (learning a lesson?  Moi?)  

Ethnic Print Dress £34.99 - clearly if I *hope* it's not that short, it won't be.  In a world where *hope* is of the hem lengthening variety.....and pigs fly.








Now just down from Topshop at Bluewater is Monsoon.  And I'm not going to lie - I don't often/ever go in there.  My perception is that it's expensive for what it is and it never fits me. 

But this was right at the front of the shop and in the flesh, it is stunning. 

Daisy Shirt Dress in yellow from Monsoon £99  Only slight issue that I have is that it says dry clean only and it's viscose which I think is the trickiest fabric to deal with.  Silk you can normally always hand wash but viscose is a different story....






The other one I saw which is also from the same collection created from the collaboration with the Royal College of Art.  Now, it's not something that I would normally go for but I'm very drawn to it.... Although I have to say the one above would be my first preference.

Sunray Printed Dress £99






Online, have also found this which I think could be very useful, especially if you are a navy fan - there aren't that many navy dresses out there (obviously, every dress I come across now is going to be navy....) 

Betty Embroidered Dress from Monsoon £89  Alas there aren't any washing instructions under the Care tab online.  Irritating much?  Why yes Monsoon...... 





Speaking of being near Topshop, I found probably my favourite dress of the day there.  But alas - there in lies the issue with being tall - it just didn't fit me properly.  I do find it strange that in the same shop, sizes can differ so much.  Whilst the size 10 in the jumpsuit fits perfectly, the size 12 was on the short cut side in the dress.  Balls.  I absolutely love this and am gutted that it doesn't fit properly.  Just two more inches in the body and I'd be fine.... 

Shadow Leaf Print Shirt Dress from Topshop £42  a really lovely silky jersey fabric as well. 





However the biggest surprise of the day for me was at M&S. Yes there are some absolute howlers but oh my lord there were some total total gems.  

I'm not sure I recall seeing this one but I am definitely ordering it.  Just so pretty and so so easy to wear.  I'm just not sure if I have any shoes that go with it...... *cue new blog*

Oriental Floral Tunic Dress £45




Floral Tunic Dress from M&S £45  This one very much reminds me of a blue version of my Sportmax one from last year - with heels or even birkies for dress down chic, I really do think this could work.




Now this might seem on the more Autumnal side but if you have a day like yesterday - cold and wet - this will seem like a god send.  Plus you can always keep it for the actual Autumn.

Zipped Pocket Striped Tunic from M&S £45





If you do have a more hourglass figure, then this from Boden as well would be amazing.  

Rebecca Dress from Boden £79  I think it's more Milly than Boden....



Now I have managed to find one absolutely perfect dress that I have already earmarked for the 8yr old's First Holy Communion, black tux blazer for church, with snakeskin LK Bennet sandals and matching bag.  

Triange Dress in Antique White £65




This is also a great dress if you prefer your shoulders covered - and I do have it on good authority that you can handwash it.  

Daisy Dress from Hush £65 in grey and also in a biscuit shade.



Hush also have a flash sale of 20% off 20 pieces which makes the Astrid dress a total bargain now. 

Astrid Dress from hush was £45 now £36



Whilst we're talking bargains, I can't not mention this one from Next.... So.... the shirt dress that I have been umming and ahhing over which is certainly on the sortlist... this one:-

Charcoal Geo Print Shirt Dress £38



Well here's a random thing.... click on this link and it takes you directly through to the Clearance section where the dress is only £13... the identical dress.

Weird, but good.  Very good.  And even better, another loophole I've discovered.  Order something to be delivered to store, which is free.  Then when it takes you through to the confirmation page, on the right hand side of your screen, there's a little box that proclaims, fear not if you've forgotten, click here and you can get free delivery.  So order the exact same thing again but this time have it delivered to your home for next day free delivery.  *stares at new dresses that have just been delivered from when I ordered them last night at 10pm*.

So these aren't your smart smart dresses (although to be totally honest with you, this is as smart as I would get.  I would just change the look with accessories as I am such a total skinflint I can't stand to buy a dress that just sits in my wardrobe) 

Having said that, I do have a couple that get dragged out when I need a Proper Dress and have been eminently useful and every wardrobe needs them.  These are frocks that absolutely cannot be worn on the school run - think Ball, think super smart wedding.......  I've been asked more than a couple of times for these so I will be looking at them shortly.   What a chore......

Finishing with outfit from yesterday. 



White linen tee - Zara
Ankle zip skinny jeans - Boden
Black bat sweatshirt - Zoe Karssen
Black tux blazer - hush
Charcoal Dakota flatforms - Seven Boot Lane
Harker hands free bag - Anya Hindmarch

Can't believe it's only Thursday... so so so looking forward to the weekend.  Am clearly surreptitiously ignoring the abysmal weather forecast.... 

This time we're at Warehouse and we've got 25% off courtesy of Grazia - code before I forget it - WHGRAZIA25.

So today - well obviously I had to go back to Topshop to pick up the khaki jumpsuit, especially as this morning I woke up and it was totally out of stock (bar a size 4....).  And I managed to snaffle the last 10 instore so pretty much over the moon. 

I also had a minor panic as somehow it's May next week and that means that I have more than a few dressy things coming up.  Whilst I decided a while ago that I didn't need any dresses - clearly, I've earmarked all the existing dresses I have and have a rather big night in two weeks time and have nothing to wear (yes, this is the female version of "nothing to wear" as opposed to the literal meaning.  We are all singing from the same hymn book on this aren't we?) 

I then get an email from Warehouse telling me to to check out my Grazia as there's 25% off. 

Well, frankly it would have been rude not to hot foot it immediately and see if I could solve my problem with a 25% discount.  (clearly knowing that I wouldn't be able to but would no doubt see something else that I loved....) 

So starting with dresses.  Firstly - as I've mentioned before, our Warehouse is crappola.  It tries but.... well, there's a whiff of 1980's Etam about it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when you're 14 and it's 1987 but at 42, I'm sort of looking for something a bit different.  

They do have new stock at the front of the shop before it turns into retail purgatory and there were a couple of dresses I thought looked lovely. 

Tropical Palm Shirt Dress £45 - now this is a really good quality linen mix (well that's what it feels like anyway - I will fess up that I didn't check....) and comes up very big.  I'm trying the 10 on - the colour is gorgeous, I'm just not sure if this sort of shirt dress is "me".   I would love it to be, I really really would and with 25% off, I may really give this some thought.  Looks a lot more expensive than it is. 




But it doesn't *quite* work on me... colours?  Length?  Style? 


They also have a blue version.
Jungle Palm Shirt Dress £45



The blue is definitely definitely better. 


But do I love it enough?  So moving very much more into my comfort zone now.

Striped Shift Dress £50  They also did have this (crammed away somewhere at the back, looking like a neglected beach towel at first glance) and it was really gorgeous but they didn't have my size. 

This is definitely being ordered as the more I look at it, the more I love it.  I've said it before but just to reiterate - Warehouse is definitely one of those shops where the stock looks infinitely better online.  Their styling has improved beyond measure and it's so so easy to miss a gem in their overcrowded, dated shops. 



Didn't see this one instore but I really like it - I've liked it before but now I think it would be perfect with tan heels and flats for the Summer.  Another looking winner.

Pampas Leaf Cocoon Dress £38




I will admit I did pick this next one up as a dress - well that was never going to work.... But it's the ideal beach cover up.  Perfect for matching with a whole host of coloured cossies. 

Tropical Placement Print Tunic £32





Love love love this - it's not cheap at £55 but it's far more palatable with the 25% off.  And if you are lucky enough to go away then just make sure all your bikinies/cossies match this and you'll get a whole week's wear out of it (or two weeks.  If you go for two weeks, I do NOT WANT TO KNOW)

White Embellished Tassel Kaftan £55   I actually have nothing at all like this in my wardrobe.  I would happily wear this over denim cut offs on a sunny day in this country (which is handy seeing as that's where I'm holidaying this year with the kids!) 

This is the S/M on me.





I then went slightly off piste.  Ok so I don't hate it but I'm just not sure how much wear I'd get out of it. 

Let's show you the evidence first. 

High Neck Satin Back Top £36


Pocket Satin Back Culotte £42 



And here I am in the outfit.... it's just not what I'd usually wear.  "It's different"..... (top and culottes - size 12) 

I think the colour could actually grow on me and would look significantly better with a slight colour (I am lily white at the moment).  Plus, you can separate the outfits and wear with black - or cream, or snakeskin, or leopard print.... I think it would look amazing with snakeskin shoes. 




But, let's face it, I'm never going to wear it.  Top hopes and on the order list are the stripe tunic, the pampas dress and the kaftan.

Finishing with something I had high hopes for.  Well that was slightly moronic, wasn't it.....?

I thought I could perhaps look like this:-



Snort.

I appreciate the slightly psychotic look on my face isn't helping.




My one downer (well, apart from my issue with their retail spaces) on Warehouse is that, at times, their website can be painfully slow to load.  So to be fair to M&S et al, whilst their online styling may ming and there's never your size in stock, at least you can be disappointed quickly. 

Warehouse has a much slicker look to it and generally their stock levels are good.  You might just lose the will to live waiting to see.......  Anything that catches your eye?  Please do tell me if I'm missing out on a gem.  I'm going to have a good peruse of the website later, just in case......

So outfit from today 

I am a booger for this.  Finding something you love and then totally overdosing on it. 

So today - according to the 8yr old who was looking over my shoulder as I was typing earlier and said in disgust "Mum, are you going to buy a Onesie?".......no it's not a onesie but it's a "joined up thing" (which is what he called them when I said it wasn't a onesie.  "so it's a joined up thing".... err....ish....)  

Yes, I'm talking Joined Up Things.

I am currently in love with my dungarees but also my jumpsuit.  All of which were bargains - the dungarees were £10 and £14.99 each from H&M and the jumpsuit was half price from Kin at John Lewis. 

Have to say, I am more surprised than anyone at how much I have loved them, how versatile I've found them and how comfortable they are. 

Therefore I'm not surprised that I'm not the only one.  Cue this article I found the other day online at The Pool, entitled, In Praise of Jumpsuits. 

You know when you see a pic and think, I.  Need.  That.  (ignoring the fact I'm not Christy Turlington.  Minor, minor thing).  Admittedly I wouldn't wear these shoes on a night out but, like I said, I'm not Christy Turlington. (I am coming to terms with that for those of you how might be concerned)



In the article, they basically summarise what I have said and have wholeheartedly bought into.  They are flattering, they are comfy, they are versatile and they are so so so easy.  No tops to match, no muffin on show (ok so they might not have mentioned this but everyone who works in their office is probably about 12 and genuinely still thinks a muffin is something that comes in either blueberry or chocolate options) and perfect to dress up or dress down. 

Now the jumpsuit they were all cooing over, wasn't in fact a denim one but a khaki number.  From Topshop which I went and tried on today and totally fell in love.  

Utility all in one from Topshop £55



And here I am in it.  Obviously though, I had my sensible head on and thought, no no, I've just bought the new khaki chinos (which were all of £20) and therefore I don't need a khaki jumpsuit and so I left it. (me and my stupid logic that I take shopping with me.  I'm leaving that sensible cow at home next time.)

Of course now I can't live without.  So can I order it online....  NO AS IT'S OOS IN MY SIZE.  Will I ever, ever, ever learn.  I am a buffoon.



Of course I was all over the denim jumpsuit but as soon as I've come home, all I can think about is the khaki one. That'll be right.

However, fear not, for I manage to locate this one. 

ASOS Khaki jumpsuit £55



Which... of course is also sold out in my size.  GAH.

I have also discovered this one at Mango which I do love but now I officially Must Have the Topshop one.  I am a proper cretin.

Long chest-pocket jumpsuit from Mango £69.99



So, leaving the khaki one aside, let's look what I uncovered of a denim nature.  Firstly, they need to be of a tencel/chambray fabric for me in these slightly warmer temps. 

I fear this one might be slightly too thick but I do like the look of it. 

ASOS soft denim jumpsuit £55 I have to say though, I'm not convinced by the belt....



I am ignoring the fact they call it a boiler suit - this one is worth a look. 

Daisy Street Boiler suit £34.99



Lighter now in colour but I had my heart set on the Christy darker indigo one..... I do think with a paler blue the leap to babygro is a step closer.  Although to be fair, this one is pretty darn gorgeous.
Selected Katrine Jumpsuit in lightweight denim £75



Denim Jumpsuit from Selected Femme £75  Ok, so I might be sold now... Navy blazer anyone?




Now La Redoute.  Discount code for 25% off your order - 8509 or 8511.

Denim Jumpsuit by Soft Grey £49 pre discount 




Finally finishing with a couple of ringers.  Which don't exactly fit the brief but I still think I could make good use of.  Starting with a print one from Next - the same print as the shirt dress which is still on my list of maybes for the Summer.   I love love this print.  With a black or cream jacket - even a denim one, this would be great.  Dressed up or down, a wardrobe staple.

Charcoal Geo Print Jumpsuit from Next £48



And a classic navy from Mango. 

Zip Long Jumpsuit from Mango £49.99 - this is almost identical to my Kin from John Lewis one and would be a lovely addition to a wardrobe.




Now am I barking up this tree on my own or have I dragged anyone else down the "joined up thing" route?  Have you succumbed to the jumpsuit or even dungarees?  

I fear I am on a slippery slope to a wardrobe full of them.  Until the sun comes out and will I then be looking for a playsuit?  Oh dear lord, the mind boggles.  Imagine what the 8yr old will have to say about that.

So outfit from yesterday. 



Yellow Breton - Zara
Flared jeans - Zara
Black military jacket - Zara
White cracked leather Stan Smiths - adidas
Harker hands free bag - Anya Hindmarch

Guess where I'm off to tomorrow?