Wednesday 16 July 2014

The White Dress

Today I bring you a post that's connected to my holiday in Santorini, in the sense that this is one of the outfits I wore while I was there. I had big ideas - I often have big ideas - of taking these photos "in situ" against some of the stunning backdrops I showed you last Thursday, but unfortunately it just didn't work out like that. Life is not like the movies, (although, as Katy Perry sings, maybe it should be), and the blogging stars don't always align the way you want them to at exactly the right moment. This is something I'm learning! So here I am in my back garden instead.

I have been loving the white trend that seems to be so popular this summer. While in Greece, I couldn't get enough of the little white smock dress I had on in my previous post or the dress I'm wearing here. The smock dress was my favourite daytime look, and this was my go-to for the evening. It's from Topshop. I didn't get it that long ago, but I can't seem to find it on their website. Perhaps it is still available in store? In any case, the website has quite a few similar dresses, so I have linked to some of my favourites below. In the meantime, here's mine.





I love everything about it. The scalloped detailing, the sheer panels, and of course, the colour. White in the summer is just so crisp and fresh-looking.

My initial ideas when I first bought this dress involved dressing it up to the nines. I've worn it with nude strappy heels and my favourite red wedges, and both of these shoe choices lead to a much dressier result. That's how I was planning to wear it on holiday, but the roads on Santorini were not particularly heel friendly, so I tried to stick to flat sandals whenever I could. To be honest, I wasn't sure that they would work with this dress, but I tried these sparkly ones from Accessorize and really liked the combination. So the dress has turned out to be a lot more versatile than I thought it would be, and that makes me love it even more. :-)

There's only one drawback with the white trend as far as I'm concerned and that's the impracticality of it. If you're like me and tend to wear fake tan and/or leg makeup in the summer you just can't avoid the dreaded dirty hem. Even plain old sun cream seems to leave a mark and the stain removal is a bit of a pig. Still, I reckon it's worth it!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Santorini gets pretty breezy in the evenings and it can feel positively cold at times, so a cover up is a must, especially for wimps like me. I kept the casual theme going by adding my trusty denim jacket. I also took along this yellow clutch that I picked up in the Zara sale about a week before I went away. In fact, I used this bag every day on holiday. It holds all the essentials, you can carry it hands-free and it goes with just about everything.






 Dress - Topshop (similar styles herehere and here), Jacket - Topshop (I bought mine a couple of years ago, but this one is pretty much identical), Sandals - Accessorize (these are very similar), Bag - Zara (similar here) 

This is the makeup I wore - a classic red lip paired with a clean sweep of black eyeliner.







On my face:

Skin - Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation in Cool Bone, Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Fair, Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Peach Glow, Benefit Dallas bronzing powder (love this!)

Eyebrows - Benefit Brow Zings brow shaping kit.

Eyes - A wash of the palest pink shade from L'Oreal's Color Riche Quad in Eau de Rose all over the lid, Collection Extreme 24 Hour felt tip liner, Lancôme Hypnose Star mascara - a recent purchase which I badly wanted to love because it is supposed to curl your lashes, has glitter on the packaging and is by Lancôme, but I'm not sure it's any better than L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes, and it's a lot more expensive.

Lips - YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipstick in 13 Le Orange.

What do you think of the white trend? Would you wear this dress? If so, let me know how you would style it!

Kate x
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25 comments

  1. I really love that dress...this is one of my favorite looks so far! Couldn't have styled it better..
    I would love to wear this dress and the only change I would personally make is wear it with pumps or sandals as I find it difficult to walk in open heel flats..although I must say those flats look absolutely gorgeous on you!! Perfect look for summer.. :)

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  2. The first thought that popped into my head when I saw your photos was 'wow, absolute stunner!'
    Loving the dress, such a pretty and unique design. Yellow is such an essential right now, (Zara always have the best sales!) I've never really considered it or worn much of it in the past but your clutch is an example of just how gorgeous and vital it can be for summer days <3

    I'm really liking the white trend too, so clean and fresh! So many possibilities, and I'm really enjoying white varnish as well. Loving your sandals, oh so cute! xo

    Sophie | soinspo

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Sophie! I have to say, I had no idea I would love bright yellow bags so much! I'm coveting the yellow Zara shopper now that has all the holes cut out of it, if you know the one I mean. They just seem to go with everything in summer. Who knew?! x

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  3. you look amazing! <3 What if we follow each other? Let me know, sweetie!

    SIMONA | LIVEINFOXWORLD.BLOGSPOT.COM

    ....

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Simona! I will definitely check out your blog. x

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  4. I never get cool holiday shots either, mainly cause my man is rubbish at taking my photo. This is such a cute little dress
    Lauren
    livinginaboxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol! Why can't we have professional photographers on standby at all times? It's not fair! X

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  5. What a cute dress! love the cut out in the middle. Great pieces like this are awesome because you can dress them up or down :) you looked beautiful in that dress!

    I invite you to visit my blog and let me know if you would like to follow each other.
    XOXO

    Milu
    www.hellolupi.blogspot.com

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  6. This is such a lovely white summer dress! I really want one now, too! :)

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  7. You look gorgeous!! I LOVE the dress and especially when teamed up with the denim jacket!! :)

    Layla xx

    www.sprinklesofstyle.co.uk

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  8. Wow, what a lovely white summer dress! I am so jealous you have been in Sontorini, I am sure you had a fab time!
    Thank you for the lovely comment!
    Kiss,Alena | meet me stylish

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  9. Stunning outfit! I'll be keeping an eye out for that dress for my holiday next month, love a good white dress to show off my tan ;)

    Great post!
    www.theblossomcart.co.uk
    xxx

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  10. gorgeous dress & it looks great with the jacket!

    xx fameliquorlove // bloglovin // instagram

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  11. A white dress is the best wardrobe garment for summer!
    xo
    Anastasia
    http://natbeesfashion.blogspot.co.uk/

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  12. Woww...the dress is stunningly beautiful, also love the sandals! You look gorgeous, Kate! Thank you so much for stopping by, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you, but I've been insanely busy. Hope you have a fabulous week ahead<3

    x♥x♥

    "Saúde & Beleza - Health & Beauty"




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  13. Beautiful! I've nominated you for the Liebster Award: http://www.beautyblogmark.com/2014/07/the-liebster-award-nominees.html

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    Replies
    1. Aw thank you! I've actually already done it, but I appreciate the nomination. x

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  14. you look great. that is a nice dress.

    www.simplymee89.blogspot.com

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  15. That dress it beautiful. You look absolutely gorgeous as well. Lovely blog :)
    www.hcozens.blogspot.co.uk

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  16. I love the scalloping in the dress! xoxo
    purelybeingher.blogspot.com

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  17. Your dress is gorgeous! I love the scallop trim. I'm in love with yor bag though, especially the colour!

    Ayesha xxx
    Http://alycheeaday.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete

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