about your dress: fifties summer dresses from Red Herring at Debenhams

Are you guys over fruit on clothes yet? You could be forgiven if you are, as fruit prints are everywhere at the moment and are being done with varying degrees of success. However, I've never been what you'd call a dedicated follower of fashion and I'm rather shamelessly taken with this blue fifties fruit print summer dress from Red Herring at Debenhams.

In real life, the blue and yellow on this dress are so lovely and summery together. It makes this frock almost irresistible. It's a flattering shape too, with a full skirt and princess-seamed bodice. I tried this on in a local branch of Debenhams and I liked some of the detailing too - the back dips down into a flattering V shape, and I like the bow tie detail. In keeping with its fifties shape, the dress has a pretty lapped zipper too - much easier than fiddling around with an invisible zip! It's been reduced to £26.60 in the sale and although only sizes 14 and 16 are currently available online, you have a good chance of finding your size in a store. My local branch were carrying all sizes last week.

If you like the shape but you're not so keen on the fruit, you could go for this black and white polka dot version. It's not in the sale, but at £35 it won't break the bank, either. At the time of writing only size 10 is left online but again, you're likely to have better luck in store with this one.

I'm not usually keen on white dresses but I'm rather taken with this. It's the piping around the neckline that has done me in. Also I think this would work well as a transitional dress too – it'll look adorable with tights and a cardigan in the cooler weather. I'm a polka dot fiend, as you all know, so this one is definitely on my radar.

about your kitchenalia: Dandy Deer tea towels at From The Wilde

I know it seems like only last week we featured products from From The Wilde, but a) it was actually the week before, and b) if they didn't sell so much lovely stuff, we wouldn't have to.  (So it's their fault and you should take it up with them.)  My latest favourite item from their extensive collection is this wonderful Dandy Deer tea towel by Orwell and Goode:

He's so dapper!  And look, he's got a lady friend too:

You can choose the colour of his cravat and her hat; whatever you like, so long as you only like red or yellow.  At a mere £9 each, I'd be tempted to purchase all four options and pretend they were some kind of classy deer secret society.

about your dress: Sindy Doll dress by Collectif at Aspire Style

I think I would quite like to be a sailor.  Riding the waves from the comfort of my vessel, smoking a pipe, and singing sea shanties seems like the Good Life to me.  I'd basically like to be the female Captain Birdseye.  Actually, forget that - I want to be Mrs Captain Birdseye.  And I'm not talking about that young gun they brought in a few years ago; my heart belongs to the original and best:

He's the real deal.  I can just imagine us, living the dream on our very own boat, chowing down on the endless supply of fish fingers he earned from being the face of Birdseye.  Obviously he'd be wearing his uniform, but I would be wearing this:

It's the Sindy Doll dress by Collectif, Aspire Style's newest brand, and at £65* it won't break the bank.  It's such a beautiful colour and shape, the Captain will surely be delighted to have me as his First Mate.

*I say £65, but if you use the code AYDblog you'll get yourself a cheeky little 10% off, AND Aspire Style offer free P&P if you spend over £50.  Bargain.

Nomday! about your shoes: brogue bliss at ASOS

Brogues, brogues, brogues. I know they're all the rage now and maybe in four years we'll all look back and think 'what was I THINKING with those man shoes?' but I love them. I *just* love 'em. They look so sophisticated, daring and just really flipping cool. That's right, I said flipping. 

When I see a pair of brogues that I want, I usually imagine myself wearing them as an extra in Bugsy Malone, casually lounging around Fat Sam's, chewing on a lollipop with my hands in my pockets, ready to splurge gun down any one of you suckers that dares to cross me. I've got a bit of a mean look on my face, like I'm sucking my teeth or something. Sigh. I feel like I'm cool in that little fantasy. So the new season shoes at ASOS, which feature a disgustingly high amount of beautiful brogues that I want to purchase and pretend to be an extra in Bugsy Malone in, have serious designs on the contents of my purse. Or rather, my credit card.  So now my friends, listen to what I'm telling you and listen good. These are the shoes of dreamland.

Look at the state of these Pieces Roska low heel brogues. Grey suede, with a fetching little cuban heel...£35. £35? Yes, £35. They're amazeballs. I think they'd look nice with a mini-skirt and 15 denier tights. Or really thick black tights. Or with some Bugsy Malone style baggy trousers and some braces...

I love this next pair of ASOS MARKY suede traditional brogues. Just £35 spons again and ohmygodlookhowgreentheyare! Is this too Irish? Too Leprechaun? Too Nommie-It's-Not-St-Patrick's-Day? I don't know. I can't decide. Sometimes ASOS has the TK Maxx effect, where you've been looking through so many clothes for so long and your sugar levels are so low and the good bargains are all jumbled up with the bad and you get a little bit hysterical and crazy and come out having spent £120 with a great belt, a good pair of shoes, a nice bag and a zebra print jumpsuit*, thinking DAMN I'm gonna look fabulous tonight!' when actually you just look mental. 

If you like the crazy colour, but you're not down with the suede, these also come in hot pink patent leather and black patent leather (this takes me back to primary school, in a GOOD way). The bright pink is a bit too much for me. It makes me think simultaneously about Pepto Bismol and Rampant Rabbits. And that's just not a very nice mental combo.

And now for the grand finale. These have to come last because the name of the shoe takes a lot of typing concentration, especially after two cans of Strongbow...the Melissa & A Herchcovitch Joy II brogues come in at £60, which, if I'm honest, is more what I'd expect to pay for a good shoe with all of the detailing that goes into a brogue. I mean I'd be shoesy - sorry, choosy - about what shoes I'd pay £60 for, but I'd feel confident that I was getting something that was quality for that price. I heart these so much they get two pictures.

Again with the cuban heel influence! Adds a little bit of leverage, makes the calves look toned, still allows you to feel smart. I honestly can't get enough of black patent leather either. It's so shiny and black and sexy. Those friendly curved toes will make me smile when I gaze down at them. And don't get me started on the perforations. Masterful. This has got to be my shoe of choice, for July at the very least. Might even stretch into September, who knows.

*The zebra print jumpsuit from TK Maxx happened to me. There are a bunch of pictures of me on a beach in Wales on Facebook in it, looking more sheepish than fierce. I also recently tried to wear it at a Naming Ceremony. Both times I've worn it outside the safe zone of my mother's house and a changing room, I've died a little inside.

about your dress: white bunny print belted shirt dress at Topshop

When I was little, I had a rabbit called Rosie.  She met her tragic end when she was taken by a fox, and I was very sad about it because she was my first proper pet (as in, not a communal family one).  I'm thinking of paying homage to her with this white bunny print belted shirt dress, which is £48 from Topshop:

Look at all those little bunnies!  They're having an absolute BLAST.  And for all those thinking 'bunnies are soooooo last season', have a heart.  A bunny is for life, not just for Easter.

about your bag: yellow and grey Harris tweed laptop case by Breagha at Hannah Zakari

Anyone who witnesses me with my laptop never fails to comment on how careless I am with it.  I drop it from heights ranging from 3 inches to 3 feet, I carry it around by the screen, and I'm constantly jabbing at it with greasy little fingers.  Perhaps it's time I showed my poor old machine how much I love and value it by purchasing this charming yellow and grey Harris tweed laptop case?

It's by a designer called Breagha (who does wonders to dispel the dowdy image of tweed by making lots of bright and colourful things with it), and it's a very reasonable £55 from Hannah Zakari.  It probably won't stop me reminding my laptop of Newton's 2nd law*, but it might soften the blow.

*That's gravity, in case you were wondering.

about your kitchenalia: teatime treats

Aah, tea.  It wasn't until I was 18 and my [joint] best friend Rachel and I went on Scout camp (as leaders, we weren't weirdos) that I first embraced the hot beverage I'd been making for my parents since I was deemed old enough to use the kettle.  Rach designated herself tea lady and forced it down my throat, and I've never looked back.  Since then, I've accrued a wide collection of tea-making/drinking paraphanalia, but I'm always on the lookout for more - I'm guessing I can't be the only one, so here's my Top 5 Treats For Making Teatime Even Nicer!

5) If I ever get married, I will be having tea at the wedding.  And what better way to advise my guests of this at the earliest possible opportunity that by using these teapot card holders from The Golden Monkey Tea Company to mark their place?

At £3.75 it might be slightly pricey to have one for everyone present, but I'm either going to marry rich or have a small wedding, so it's fine.  Plus, they could be the wedding favours.

4) I love this Afternoon Tea tea towel by Solitaire, available for £10 from Not On The High Street for one (very good) reason: it reminds me of the 'Be Our Guest' scene in Beauty and the Beast.

I can just see the tea jumping from cup to cup!

3) I have a soft spot for enamel mugs.  I'm not sure why, because I think china's probably a better mug material, but I really like them.  Perhaps it's because we used enamel mugs at Scout camp when I lost my tea virginity?  Who knows.  Anyway, I especially love this Listen To The World mug:

As you may have guessed, it's by Rob Ryan, and it's available from Hunkydory Home for just £8.95.

2) I was mooching around the Whittard website the other day because they were doing a fantastic offer where you got a free six cup teapot for free when you spent £20 (we did Tweet about this - make sure you're following us @AYDblog), when I found these pretty silver plated teapot teaspoons from their Alice in Wonderland range:

Tea drinking is a beautiful part of life, and therefore the paraphernalia should reflect this wherever possible (especially when said paraphernalia is only £10).

1) It is my strong belief that all successful relationships rest on a bedrock of tea.  It's entirely possible that my boyfriend and I are still together because he knows how to make tea just the way I like it (even though he's not a tea drinker), but this has taken many cries of "Why is this so WEAK?!" and "No, MORE MILK!" on my part.  If you've recently entered a new relationship with an individual who inexplicably prefers coffee, why not purchase this perfect tea timer (also from The Golden Monkey Tea Company):

£12.10 is a small price to pay to give your relationship the best possible start.

What items of tea-related loveliness can you not live without?  Let us know in the comments!

about your playsuit: spot print playsuit at Oasis

Look, enough of this rainy silliness.  We all just need to dress like it's the height of summer (which, technically, it is) and the rain will go away.  I'm sure of it.  You can start by donning this awesome spot print playsuit from Oasis:

I'd do it, but as I've said five bajillion times, I cannot wear playsuits.  It is therefore your duty to shell out £50 so you can wear it on my behalf.  Capiche?

Nomday! about your bags: the eternal quest for the perfect weekend bag

The other day at lunch I was having a total mard slight whinge about the fact that I have no one to go on holiday with as all my lovely friends are shacked up or already have their holibobs booked. Obviously the continuous sound of my whining voice pitiable tale of my lack of plans struck a chord with my ever-patient kiwi colleague, who mentioned that she was about to book a weekend break with her boyfriend and a few friends to Budapest in November and would I like to come? Obviously I jumped on that shiz like a podium when Nelly Furtado's Maneater (what? It's my song) is playing and booked it. November baby, Budapest is MINE!

Now though, I have a delightful excuse to scour the interwebs for a weekend bag. I've needed one for yonks but I've never quite found the right one. I'm undecided as to how much I'm willing to invest in this purchase at the moment, so I have selected a mix of scrimp and splurge numbers that I'd love to have your feedback on!

First up is this tropical flower print bag from Asda, which is just £8. I spotted this the other day when I dashed in there for an emergency work birthday cakes scenario (I was desperate and they charge like, I dunno £2 for fify mini flapjacks or something) and thought to myself... 'Oooh! You're a nice size. And I rather like your pattern too, although I think perhaps I might be feeling a bit panicked so I'm not going to outright buy you, but I'm glad to see you're here and so I'll just remember you for the future. Just in case'.

I also rather like this suede Modalu Coralie tote bag from ASOS, which is currently reduced to from £160 to £86 and comes in electric blue, as below, and senape (read yellow).

Also worthy of mention, but not worthy of image as the pictures can't be scraped from the websites without being either minute or highly pixelated are the Perfect Weekend Collection boxy patent leather overnight bag from M&S at £89 (especially in mulberry, I like the mulberry) or the £85 overnight bag from Hush.

Despite liking all of the above very much, I feel that perhaps my weekend bag quest is not yet complete. I have not yet discovered the perfect bag to complement my travel persona (avec massive sunglasses, possibly a headscarf, red lipstick and a slight pout - you know how I like to do things in a totally theatrical manner). So if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments!

about your dress: colourblock dress at Miss Selfridge

I've always had a soft spot for Miss Selfridge shoes and accessories, but it’s been absolutely ages since I bought any clothes from there. Folks, that's stupid of me, because some of their clothes are seriously pretty, not to mention very reasonably priced. The other day I took myself into my local branch to have a browse of the shoes, and this dress stopped in me in my tracks.

Admittedly, the photo isn't super inspiring, but in real life this dress is so pretty that I gasped "ooooooh!" to myself before I'd even realised it. I was surrounded by impossibly willowy and gorgeous and trendy teenage girls, so this was somewhat embarrassing. Still, in real life this dress is gorgeous. The colours are decidedly autumnal, all golden caramel and deep brown, but I like that. I really like the waistband detail as it's subtly curved rather than straight across. I'm what the gossip rags would euphemistically term 'curvy' in that I'm fairly slim but have a bit of a paunchy tummy and shift dresses often emphasise that, so I think the way the fabric gently falls from beneath the waistband means that this dress will actually be quite flattering. The skirt isn't super straight, either. It flares out gently and the fabric is nice and flowing. I like the contrast that makes with the colourblock style.

I think this would make an excellent late summer/early autumn transitional dress. It'll look equally adorable with bare legs and sandals as it will with tights and boots, and all for £45! In spite of the competitive price, there are some really nice design touches, which is something that cheaper clothes often lack. In this case, it's an exposed zip.

This is a design feature I used to turn my nose up at, probably because I got a bit tired of seeing it on wee skimpy floral dresses. It looks great here, however. It's a detail I'd want to show off because it's just that little bit different. It adds to the geometric appeal of the frock, as well. Sadly for me, I have already exceeded my dress budget for this month so I haven't yet made this mine. If it's still there next month I'll be giving it serious thought, though.

about your ring: Foxy Ringo at Temporary Secretary

I know it only seems like yesterday when I last declared my love for the gently fox (perhaps because it was), but when I found this Foxy Ringo ring (£12) at the wonderful Temporary Secretary, I thought that keeping him to myself would be as cruel as cruel as hunting his kin.

Look at how he slinks round the model's finger!  It's like he's giving it a little cuddle.

My nails are nowhere near that nice, but I'd still like this little guy to take up residence on my hand.  I might then go round punching mean fox hunters in the face using said hand, just to be a bit ironic.

about your art: Alice Potter prints at From The Wilde

How much am I loving From The Wilde's collection of Alice Potter prints?  This much, that's how much:

Alice is a London-based illustrator and designer who makes beautiful works of art, drawing inspiration from the natural world.  As someone who goes by the adage 'if it has birds on it, I'll take it' (I care not if some think that's been done to death), I'm a big fan of prints like these two:

But Alice also features some of my other favourite members of the animal kingdom, like the fox...

...the polar bear...

...and the badger (I like them because they're simultaneously cute and vicious, like hippos*).

And best of all, at £8 each they're so cheap I can afford to buy one a month until I have them all!

*Hippos ARE vicious.  They kill more people every year in Africa than lions do.  NEVER COME BETWEEN A HIPPO AND THE WATER OR IT WILL HAVE YOU.

about your skirt: Daffodil skirt at Monsoon

Whenever I visit the Monsoon website, I head straight for the Fusion section, as that's where they keep all the good stuff.  It's a slightly awkward time of year in the sense that most brands are at the stage where they've not got much in the way of decent sale stuff left, but they haven't got in enough of their new season collection to make it worthwhile to have a serious browse - but when did I ever let awkwardness stop me?  NEVER, because I create awkward situations wherever I go.  I am an awkward situation.

Fortunately, this occasionally works out for the best, because I discover objects of beauty such as this stunning Daffodil pleat skirt:

And it's got an exposed blue zip at the back:

I'm not sure if it's new season stock or just part of the remnants of High Summer, but it's still full price at £38.  I think you can rock this skirt for months to come though, and if you wore it into Autumn you'd be sure to remind people of sunshine and bring a smile to their face.  Either that, or its brightness will blind them.

Nomday! about your letters: request a letter and a Polaroid from Call Me Balthazar

Isn't it a shame that most of the time the only post that graces your doormat is from EON or HSBC telling you that you owe them money or that you're overdrawn and you'll have to sell a kidney to get through the next three months? I wish more people wrote letters. I wish more things were beautiful for the sake of being beautiful and made me smile. Don't you?

Well. There's this man, right, and he's an imaginary sailor and a pretend photographer. And he's also like... a letter prostitute. He writes love letters or dirty letters or letters full of nonsense or advice. Any kind of letter really. He writes them for you or you can order one for a friend! And he'll even include a beautiful, sensual, original Polariod that he's taken. Paying $5 for the Polaroid is optional, but let's face it, it would be genuinely rude not to reward such selfless kindness with a measly $5. It's not even £5, I just ordered one on Paypal and it was like, £3.26 or something*. Also, you should think about the fact that it will come with an interesting stamp on it, because it's coming from Madison, in the US of A. AND his name is Balthazar...

In actual fact, Call Me Balthazar is a creative duo, a mysterious twosome of the aforementioned Balthazar and his model, writer, stylist and muse S.M. Kubica. Aren't their names cool too? So go on. Be part of a project and make yourself feel special and get an original polaroid, request a letter from Balthazar.

You can also buy photographic prints by Balthazar on the website here or on his Etsy page.

*DISCLAIMER: EXCHANGE RATES MIGHT WELL VARY.

about your bag: Vintage Parisian Lady handbag at The Thrift Shop London

As soon as I saw this Vintage Parisian Lady handbag on The Thrift Shop London's Facebook page, I knew that I was duty bound to share it with all of you.

Stylish and practical (because you can use the side as a mirror, obviously), this bag is like a little bit of Paris on your arm.  The price isn't too shabby either - it's a very reasonable £30, and don't forget that all About Your Dress readers get a nice little 10% off with the code AYD.

about your dress: Dutch Yellow Shift dress at Anthropologie

As I've probably mentioned before, when I visit the Anthropologie website, I never stray beyond the boundaries of the ever-present sale section.  To me, everything else is just overpriced (and that's not just because I'm massively poor) and driven by hype.  Their sale section, however, is MAGNIFICENT.  It's always full to the brim of lovely reduced clobber, and you can click 'Fresh Cuts' to see what's been added most recently.  I do love a well organised website.

It was during a casual look at the freshest of cuts that I had my heart stolen by this beauty:

Her name is Dutch Yellow Shift, she's £69.95 (reduced from an almighty £128), and she's also a looker from behind:

Check out that bow.

She's only still available in sizes 4, 8 and 18, so anyone between a 10 and a 16 will have to either lose or gain weight to make her fit them, but all good relationships are built on compromise.  She's totally worth it.

about your shoes: Jolt of Sunshine sandals at Aspire Style

I have done something I was not even aware I was trying to do, and I'm very proud of myself.  I have found summer in shoe form:

The beautiful work of art piece of footwear above is the Jolt of Sunshine sandal (it's ok, I think they send you a complete pair) by Poetic License, and it's available for £59 at Aspire Style.  Look at all those flowers!  It's like someone's put a whole bunch on your foot!  I reckon next time someone wrongs you and you think they're considering buying you a floral tribute as an apology, point them in the direction of these badboys instead.  It's basically the same thing, and the shoes won't die.

And don't forget, our readers get a nice 10% off everything at Aspire Style with the code AYDblog!

about your crafts: Sewaholic Lonsdale dress sewing pattern

About a year and a half ago, I bought a sewing machine. I've always been a wee bit crafty and fancied being able to indulge my dress addiction by making my own dresses. Let me tell you, it's surprisingly easy to make your own clothes. It's obviously not as easy as buying a dress, but it can be very satisfying and lots of fun. When you find a pattern you love, you can make as many as you like, in whatever fabric you fancy. There's a lot to be said for sewing, especially when you find a super cute pattern.

The Lonsdale dress is the first dress pattern from independent company, Sewaholic Patterns. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Can you see why?

It's gorgeous! Okay, I know that the impossibly beautiful model (the designer, Tasia) makes the dress attractive, but I love this frock. It has a flattering, flowing skirt. The waist falls at the natural waist, so this dress will look good with a belt as well. It has pockets. Pockets. I am apt to love a dress about 475% more if it has pockets. Also, they're not all that difficult to insert into a dress, so you don't need to worry about the pattern being too complicated.

It's the back detail that makes this dress really special. The tied ends are adjustable, and you can tie them in a variety of ways. This kind of detail is always attractive to me in ready to wear clothes, so of course I love to sew them as well. I'll make this frock in this length, and the pattern itself includes instructions for a full length version of this. Wouldn't it be darling as a maxi dress?

As Sewaholic is an independent company, this pattern isn't the cheapest out there. It's $17 Canadian if you buy it direct from Tasia, which is around £10 at the moment. I still think that's a bargain, however, because included in that you'll get detailed instructions. In addition, Tasia will be hosting a sewalong at her blog later in July. This is like a personalised sewing lesson!

According to Tasia, this dress took her around four hours to sew. Bear in mind she's a professional, and she created the pattern, but that still means this should be a reasonably straightforward project. The unusual straps mean you'll have to wear a strapless bra if you don't want people seeing your underwear, but I think it's a versatile enough pattern to look good with a cardigan or jacket over it. Seamstress extraordinaire and founder of New Blog For Better Sewing, Gertie, suggested turning the skirt into a 50s style wiggle skirt, which I think would look excellent as well.

I think it's really important to support independent designers. Tasia has put a lot of work into launching and developing Sewaholic Patterns and she's trying to create clothes that women feel good in. This is her third pattern, and the previous two have been equally cute and unusual. If you sign up to the Sewaholic mailing list, you'll be able to preorder the Lonsdale dress pattern and have it shipped to you for free. You can be sure I'll be doing this! If you'd like to buy one from a UK stockist, both Sewbox and Backstitch stock Sewaholic patterns. I think this dress would be beautiful made up in candy coloured seersucker, or in a plain red cotton. For a maxi dress, I think it would look amazing in deep blue duchess satin. I plan to crank out plenty of these babies, one for every mood.

Nomday! about your swimwear: navy polka dot layered swimsuit from Laura Ashley

In February I made a promise to myself. I told myself that this year would be the year of the bikini for Le Nom, that for the first time ever I would kick my ass (actually, I have no quibbles with my ass, it's the tummy area that I'm not speaking to) into a bikini-worthy shape and parade around scantily-clad loving myself to the max.

It's now late June. I've been forgoing a social life for ridiculous amounts of exercise involving numerous squats and 6am bootcamp-style classes in parks across London, so my body isn't in a shape which makes me want to scream, but I won't be wearing a bikini on a beach this year. This is partly because I have no beach holidays booked and partly because I have discovered this:

This navy polka dot layered swimsuit is simply scrumptious. The fifties-inspired design is super flattering and means that if people are looking at you on the beach it's only because you look incredibly different from everyone else (that's a good thing!). This would look great with a huge pair of sunnies, a little headscarf or a giant staw hat and a 99 with a Flake. Modesty is underrated anyway.

The swimsuit costs £40 from Laura Ashley. I'll be buying this and changing my name to Dita. Or Marilyn. Actually, I like Nom, so I'll just stick with that.

about your crafts: blackboard flower press at From the Wilde

Ah, flower pressing.  A hobby of a bygone age, before Playstations and Internets and Androids and David Cameron, when I was still a child and I thought the Ministry of Sound was a genuine governmental department. I remember pressing flowers and forgetting about them for months on end, before finding the flattened corpses, not knowing what to do with them, and throwing them away.  But now that I'm an adult and I have craft glue, the world of squished foliage calls to me like a Siren, promising me an endless horizon of cards and framed flowers which I can gift to my nearest and dearest.

But apparently flower pressing is an art form, and not to be scoffed at by some chancer like myself.  It takes timing and know-how.  Fortunately, A Farmer's Daughter (who I hope is actually a farmer's daughter, and not some guy living in Edinburgh pretending to be a farmer's daughter) has come up with this marvellous blackboard flower press, so you can make a note of the flowers currently being having the life squeezed out of them and what date this process began.

Genius.  They're only £14.50 from AYD favourite From the Wilde, which means you could become a serious flower presser for not very much money at all.  And you could keep one by the phone with a space especially for Emergency Notes.