Graduation Ball Dress Dilemmas

Readers, I need your help. What on Earth am I going to wear to the Graduation Ball? It's on the 1st of June, so I've got time (I haven't even bought my ticket yet eek!), but I'd feel a lot better if I just had an inkling of what I could wear. I've scoured all the affordable online websites (H&M is a bit shoddy, isn't it?) and haven't really found anything. Although, if the weather was perfectly sunny as it should be at a graduation ball, I'm thinking this dress could potentially be a winner....

Miss Selfridge £75

....because it's very Erdem SS11 and it covers the arms (bonus), accentuates the boobs (bonus), and hides the random 'stress rash' I am suffering from, which the doctor said might not go for another eight weeks (definite bonus)! I'm going into Manchester tomorrow to see if there's anything ball-worthy, so hopefully Miss Selfridge will have this in to try. I don't want to go down the full on, ballgown route, but I also don't think I fancy something short either (unless it's the cream French Connection Sasha dress, which I've been lusting after forever). 

So, if you think you've seen something you imagine to be 'Miss Dolly-like', please let me know because if this dress doesn't look right, I'll be panicking!

In other dress dilemmas, I'm still debating what to wear to Paris, but I'm liking this midi dress from Topshop, which I'll be able to accessorise pretty easily...

Isn't it so much better now that you can see what the clothes look like on at Topshop.com?

As always, let me know what you think!

Wednesday Wishes 18

1. The perfect nude, chiffon maxi. I've been gradually falling for chiffon maxis for a while now, and this one is lovely and cheaper than American Apparel/Topshop. Miss Selfridge

2. Like most people, I'm pretty obsessed with everything from the Jil Sander SS11 collection. I was going to post a stunning, strapless pink dress, but this market bag caught my eye as it's actually in my price range! It seems incredibly cheap considering it's a designer bag, which makes it all the more tempting! Net A Porter

3. Along with vibrant brights, florals are also big in my books at the moment. This dress caught my eye instantly and has the bonus of having a pretty, knotted back detail too. Roll on spring! Topshop

4. These shoes speak for themselves. Block heels, creamy, nude shade, wood platform - perfect! Asos

5. Cobalt blue keeps grabbing my attention. It's been seen a lot on the catwalks for AW11, and I'm currently coveting a pair of cropped, electric blue trousers. Until I find the right pair, this ring should be added to my collection. Topshop

6. For AW11, Mulberry channelled the English woodland, with Olivia Palermo seen perched upon a toadstool. It's a tad too small to provide seating, but it will make a cute accessory for your handbag. Net A Porter

My boyfriend bought us both tickets to go and see Les Miserables today - a musical I've been dying to see for as long as I can remember. While I'm in London, a trip to the shoe boutique in Selfridges and a Lola cupcake will surely be in order.

Happy Wednesday!

wednesday wishes (on a weekend) 8

Shorts, Ring: Miss Selfridge, Jumper: Topshop, Dog: Erdem, Bag: Proenza Schouler both at Net A Porter

So Wednesday Wishes is taking place on a weekend this week, because I'm completely overloaded with uni work. I've kind of forced myself to live like a hermit this week though, and now I can almost see over my mountain of books I thought I'd give a bit of time to the blog. 

If you're on Twitter make sure you're following Erdem. Somehow I didn't know Erdem even had Twitter until Most Curious tweeted him. That day he had posted a photo of the fabric Daschund 'ice skating'. As a Bulldog and Daschund lover, I wish I had this guy sat on my desk right now. Sadly, at £150 he's not going to be sat there any time soon. Another thing on the wish list which won't be mine in the near future, is this gorgeous PS1 satchel in the most delicious raspberry colour. It is my absolute favourite bag of the season. 

Some things a little more achievable on my wishlist come from Miss Selfridge and good old Topshop. I spied these suede shorts over at Cocos Tea Party the other day. I fully expected them to be a designer label, but to my happy surprise they're £34! I hope my Dad is reading this because he's wondering what to buy me for Christmas, and these would be ideal. The ring is £12.50, another bargain, and it speaks for itself really.

As any long term Miss Dolly readers will know, I've been obsessing over Alpine themed knitwear ever since the D&G show for this season. I've still not got round to buying any yet for reasons unknown, but I'd pair this jumper with my leather shorts and thick knee socks. Does anybody else get looked at like they're crazy if they wear knee high socks out at the moment? I was wearing a coat, a scarf, a cardigan, a thick dress, gloves and ankle boots, but because I had an inch of thigh showing from my super thick knit thigh high socks, people were looking at me as though I was running naked through the cold!

Hope you're all enjoying the weekend. Who are you rooting for to win the X Factor tonight? Rebecca all the way.

P.S The new nails: 

Barry M Blueberry, 17 Matte Top Coat, Chanel Blue Satin

Copy My Style

Ah, the dilemmas stores love to put us shoppers in, eh? I am in one at this very moment. You might remember my slightly excessive praise of Primark's a/w lookbook. It was indeed excessive, because as good as it looked, I should have known better - up close and personal, the clothes just didn't quite come up to scratch. I really loved one look in particular:

I'm such a sucker for a tea dress, you see. On closer inspection though, the material looked really cheap (what did I expect for £13?) and the collar was a shade of cream, which happened to be the very same shade my boyfriend managed to colour all of our underwear when I trusted him to do the washing unsupervised. That was an accident, and so I didn't quite relish buying a dress with a collar in the same decay-yellow colour.  Anyway, I left the store disappointed and then came across this:

Miss Selfridge's lookey-likey, which is near on identical. But this one is £49, a far cry from the bargain of Primark. And though I'm sure it's worth it, what with its pearly collar and all, I'm being all economical with my money at the moment and I'm just not convinced.

So the choice is:
Do I stretch some monies over to buy the pricer but nicer version, or be a super saver and get an ok version for a bargainous thirteen pounds?

I'm glad this is currently the biggest decision I have to make today.

Something for the Weekend

Ostrich Feather Coat

Miss Selfridge

£120