Necklace: ASOS // Bag: Purchased in Sorrento // Picnic Basket: Fortnum & Mason
Hi Everyone! Sorry I have been so MIA again. The weather has been so beautiful this Summer that I have been busy making the most of it and since Sean actually has some evenings off in the Summer, sitting at my computer when I get home from work has not even been an option I have though about!
At the end of June my Mum & sister organised a surprise picnic birthday brunch for me and they took me to these gorgeous hidden gardens in the centre of Norwich. I just realised when uploading these pictures that we didn't get many photos of the 'garden' itself, I was too busy obsessing over these beautiful steps! Oh well we will just have to go back again and take some more! With all the sunshine we've had it really felt like we were somewhere in Southern Europe for the morning. And how cute it the little Fortnum & Mason basket?! I had been eyeing one for a while and they picked one up for my birthday for me!
I know I am am the worst blogger ever! I have been meaning to stop by here and say hi again but just haven't had the time! I have so many posts I want to share with you all and I haven't forgotten my June Faves, they will be up soon.
I thought I better share my Summer To Do List with you all before Summer is over. We have been having some beautiful weather here recently, I don't know what has happened to England but I am not going to complain! I've already started to check a few things off my list and can't wait to do the rest over the next couple of months.
Who else loves to buy some new dresses for summer each year?! This girl certainly does and this year Zara have so many gorgeous choices in a huge variety of styles so I wanted to share a quick little try on review of some of my faves and what I loved/didn't love so much about them!
Sorry the picture quality isn't the best as I took them on my phone and I also didn't steam anything, it all came straight out of the box, so a lot of these would look a lot better if they were ironed!
I thought that I would start with a dress that was a keeper and it was also the dress that I went to order when I ended up finding so many cute designs. I first spotted this dress on Monika on her Instagram stories and thought how adorable it looked. You'll notice I am loving button front dresses this year and I have a couple of the spaghetti strap versions from Urban Outfitters, and I had thought about getting the white version. I ended up going with this one as it had sleeves and as I burn pretty easily I do like to keep my shoulders covered sometimes.
The top half of this dress is slightly sheer but the bottom half isn't which I love because no one wants a see-through white dress. I ended up with a size small after ordering 4 of these dresses. The first two both had defects (a hole in the pocket and a weirdly stitched seam). If the first two hadn't have been faulty I would have kept the XS but the second one pulled a bit across my chest so I kept the small.
I really liked this dress, the green checked pattern is super fun for summer and would be perfect for a picnic. The straps also tie so you can adjust them. The fabric was nice and light and it zips up at the back but this one was very slightly lose in the back on me and as I have a blue and checked dress already I decided to pass on this one.
The dress runs huge so size down at least one size, two if you can. I really liked the colour of this one and when I belted it, it looked pretty cute, but without the belt it is totally shapeless. This was a really thin airy material and would be a great fabric to wear on a hot summer's day, I think it old crease easily though. I would be tempted to pick this up if it went on super sale but didn't love it enough to keep it.
The material of this might have been my favourite from all the pieces I ordered. I saw this dress on Stephanie and thought I would order it to try but they only had a size medium left and it was too big for me. It needed to be more fitted through the waist which I'm sure If i got my normal size it would be. The fabric was super stretchy making it really comfortable. I'm just not sure what bra I would wear with this as it shows in the middle. I returned this dress but if I saw it in store in a smaller size I would try it on again!
This was Sean's favourite dress on me. I loved the fun tropical print dress and it was the only dress I ordered that wasn't midi length. I loved the length on this actually because it was shorter but not too short on me like a lot of dresses can be. It also had pockets which is always a plus in my books. I would add another button to this dress or a clip, because it was a little low cut for my liking. This was another dress where I was really impressed with the quality of the fabric. Unfortunately I couldn't keep all the dresses I ordered and there were a few I loved more, but this would be next on my list if I did invest in another dress.
So this style of dress is hands down my fave this year and I would love them in every colour but I just don't have space or the budget haha! I loved the colour of this one, a beautiful pale blue for summer and I love it paired with a white tee underneath. I felt it had a very Belle-esque look to it. This was a piece I wasn't 100% sold on the fabric, although it was super soft to the touch It's another one I feel would be wrinkled with minutes of putting it on. It does have adjustable straps which is something I like, as I often find straps too long on things for me.
This dress is another keeper and was originally my favourite. I would size down if you are in-between sizes. I have already worn this to a baby shower and I am obsessed with the floral print. It's a lovely light linen, so nice and cool for those warm days, and can we talk about how sweet the little ties on the sleeves are?! Although I feel like the white dress I kept is the most versatile piece, I feel like I will be reaching for this one more often.
I know this was meant to be a dress try on but I wanted to share this top too because I who doesn't like a little pompom action. This piece is super pretty but runs big so I would size down and it's also pretty sheer too so you might want to wear a cami underneath.
Now this dress was something I threw in my cart last minute because I was so undecided about it and they only had XS left in stock and I normally would have ordered a small. Once I opened the box this one jumped out at me straight away and as soon as I put it on I knew I was keeping it. I love the mix of colours of this dress and the cute tie waist under the ruffle. The straps aren't adjustable on this one and I think on a small would have been too big for me. It also has pockets so it's a winner all around. You might see it appear in an outfit post soon because I have already worn it and I'll probably be packing it for my trip!
Have you found any pieces in Zara lately that you have been loving for summer?
I've linked so similar dresses below to the ones featured in this post in case you don't have a Zara nearby.
I had been eyeing up this Free People dress all summer but with buying a house and lots of bills to pay adding to my closet has been bottom of my priorities and this dress was way out of my normal budget anyway. But when one pops back up in your size and on sale for 60% off it's meant to be right??
This dress is absolutely gorgeous and I am so glad I had a little splurge because I know this will be in my wardrobe for years to come and it is SOOO fun to swirl and twirl in!
We finally got a mirror for the house, it just needs a little DIY make over now.
My beautiful fabulous friends.
Pretty little corners in my closet.
Ice Creams in Southwold.
I am so glad the Bank Holiday weekend is here. Hopefully we are going to get a few more things finished around the house over the next few days. The other thing the Bank Holiday means though is summer is almost over, luckily I have a few exciting plans organised for September and I've already been stocking up on my candles for those autumn nights.
On a side note who else is counting down the days until Taylor Swift's new album is released??
