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!

Summer Dress

If this looks as good on as it does on my screen, then I think I've found my white summer dress. Its pure, smooth, structural shape reminds me just a tad of Kate Hudson at the 2010 Golden Globes. 

Find it HERE.

Powder Puff

Really love this simple, shift dress in both baby soft colours. 

Available HERE.

The Girl in the Dress

If, like me, you're signed up to Topshop Style Notes, you'll  have just received an email about the launch of a new collection of 'statement making' dresses. Now, this caught my eye for two reasons. 1 - New dresses will always get my attention. 2 - This year sees the majority of my friends turning 21, which means a lot of parties, which in turn means a lot of party dresses. The issue with this being that I only have about one dress in my wardrobe which could be considered 'party worthy' and it's too small.

I really liked most of the dresses, but there's no indication of what kind of price band they'll be in. Knowing Topshop and seeing that at least one of the dresses is very much like the Kate Moss panther dress from her collaboration with the brand, I'm envisioning that they aren't going to be cheap, but I do have my fingers crossed that they'll be cheaper than the Moss range. 

I think the rainbow coloured sequin dress will look sensational. With the collection launching on April 14th, do you think you'll be buying any?

P.S

These look like so much fun, they make me want to shimmy. Shame my thighs insist on shimmying with them.

Monday Morning Dress

Throughout the pretty epic fail that was my birthday shopping trip, I did pick up a couple of dresses in Primark of all places. One was the summery, Prada-esque, beach print dress  and the other was this one. It's not at all like something I would usually pick up, but I envisioned the colour looking good with a summer tan and it being comfy, and flowy etc. When I tried it on I found, as it goes with Primark, that the fit was really off. The sizing seems right, but there's too much material in all the wrong places which makes it unflattering. With my hat, I feel quite Vivienne at the polo in Pretty Woman, but that gave me enjoyment for all of five seconds.

Dress: Primark, Belt: Zara

Speaking of that scene in Pretty Woman, this Topshop dress always reminds me of it. 

Verdict on my dress: it's going back.

 P.S - Dressing Miss Dolly now has a proper URL on Facebook. Come and visit!

www.facebook.com/dressingmissdolly

When Dreams Are Made of Net-A-Porter

Yesterday evening, while indulging in my day of nothingness and reading through Vogue, I got to imagining what it would be like to have Net-A-Porter as my wardrobe. Can you imagine?! Of course, for a lucky few in this world, this is pretty much their reality, but for the rest of us...what a dream! Whenever I go to Net-A-Porter, I always look through the dresses first, then the shoes, followed by coats, bags, jackets and trousers respectively, which explains why my choices are a tad dress heavy. But if I had to go right in and make an instantaneous selection, supermarket sweep style, these would definitely be my top choices.

Would you have anything on the list? What would your top choices be?

All photos from Net-A-Porter

The Little Red Erdem Dress

The red, lace Erdem dress was one of the most stand-out pieces from the SS11 collection. The two exits which preceded it saw red seeping across what had, until then, been a collection of pure, virginal white, so when Katie Fogarty sauntered down the runway in this rose saturated number, it became vividly imprinted on my mind. 

Michelle William chose to wear it at the BFI London Film Festival, which prompted a steady domino effect of high-street stores creating their inspired versions.

As an 'Erdem Obsessive', who sadly cannot afford the brand, I'm pretty sceptical about the highstreet versions. Up until now, they've all been a very garish, 'highstreet' red, unlike the muted, slightly pink tone of the original, so I've veered away. However, though I'm sure Topshop did bring out a version last year, a new red, lace dress has just arrived and it's probably the best interpretation of the Little Lace Red Dress I've seen.

My Dad gave me birthday money for my 21st last week (ideally for a phone, but clothes shopping is so much more fun!), so I'll be trying this one on asap. If you're after the original, it's available at Net A Porter.

Sources: Net-A-Porter, Shopping The Trend, Style.com

My 21st Birthday Outfit: YOU Decide!

So..bad news on the wedding-guest-dress front. My boyfriend and I just don't think we can afford to go any more (it will make for a very expensive weekend), and on top of that it's also my 21st birthday the week before and we just don't have the pennies sadly. On a happier note, I need a dress to wear to my birthday meal and so I picked out a few potentials in Topshop today. The trouble is - I like all three! and neither of us can decide which to go for. They all have their pros and cons, and I do have a slight leaning toward one of them, but I thought I'd see what you lovely readers think. 

I'd love to know what you guys think about them, and which one you think I should choose, so leave your comments!

Dress A

Dress B

Dress C

P.S Apologies for the unnecessary insight into my co-ordinated, albeit messy, wardrobe and hastily kicked aside clothes on the floor! 

My 21st birthday dress should be
	Dress A
	Dress B
	Dress C
pollcode.com free polls

All dresses from Topshop. Black platforms from New Look.

An Erdem inspired moment

I found this dress on Joy, a website I've only come across today after following a link on Emma's blog. I'm still looking for a dress to wear to the wedding in March, and this one might have some potential with its English country garden floral print. The style is just a tiny bit too prim for my liking, but maybe a pair of great platforms would make it better. It's definitely one of those things you need to try first.

Have you shopped at Joy before? Let me know if you seen any nice, wedding appropriate dresses.

Source: Joy Store & style.com

wednesday wishes 13

Topshop Jumper, Elle Collections, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, Erdem dress, 

I went shopping for the first time in what feels like ages today. I didn't buy anything, but boy is it nice to see the spring collections arriving in stores. It's so refreshing to see some colour and print around, and they've absolutely leaped upon the seventies trend, haven't they? I can't wait to wear dresses bare legged again, but in the meantime I'm pairing them with ribbed knee high socks in cream, grey, and claret shades. I'm also really loving cosy jumpers at the moment. This pink floral style instantly caught my eye on the Topshop site, because its colour is such a bright signifier that spring is approaching. Spring, however, also brings with it weddings. I've been invited to one in March, and I'm already panicking about what to wear. I haven't been to a wedding since I was a bridesmaid at my sister's when I was 14, so dressing for them is a new experience for me. Of course, it would be a much easier experience if I could just wear this beautiful Erdem gown. It's just absolutely perfect for the occasion. 

I think today saw the arrival of ELLE Collections (might have been yesterday). I've never bought a copy of the Collections book, but everyone seems pretty excited about it so I'm hoping to pick up a copy this week. I'm kind of intrigued to see what's in it. A more detailed analysis of trends? Because you get a season trend booklet with the latest issue, so I wonder what ELLE Collections brings. 

Talking of ELLE, you get a sachet of Chanel's latest foundation, Vitalumiera Aqua, in it. I don't ever usually use the sachets you get in magazines, but I've heard such good things about Chanel foundations I thought I'd give it ago. For once the colour actually matched my skin tone AND it's a really lovely foundation. It gives fairly good coverage if you build it up, and gives a really even, powdery finish which doesn't cling to the dry areas of my skin like most foundations do. I think Chanel foundations retail in the thirty pound area, so once I've used up my current one, I think I'll head to the Chanel counter asap. 

And finally, I'm wishing for some luck. I won't put why because I'm totally superstitious and will worry I've jinxed it, but if you've got some luck going - send it my way!

Happy Wednesday!

wednesday wishes 12

Sources: Asos, Net-A-Porter, Topshop, Amazon

It's been a while since Wednesday Wishes, but I've handed in all my uni work and am chilling out now, so there's plenty of time to fit it in! With Valentine's Day being promoted all over the stores, pretty much since Boxing Day ended, the red colour palette seems appropriate. Not only does it get me out of my black phase, but it also goes amazingly with black so it's win win. 

The Ring: A while a go I saw Lisa Eldridge wearing a gorgeous 'lips' ring on one of her make-up tutorials. I instantly wanted it and eventually tracked it down at Net-A-Porter. It's designed by Solange Azagury-Partridge, who sells quite cute and unusual pieces for the 'Fine Jewellery' section. The downside is that it comes in at a staggering £990 (add another 14 thousand to that if you want the 18 karat, ruby version).  If you're able to afford it, then you can find it here.

The hat and boots are from Asos. I've been coveting a floppy hat for a while now, and what with the seventies trend coming up fast for spring, it will fit perfectly into my wardrobe. I've also been debating the boots since seeing them the other week, but haven't been sure how good they'd look. However, if you take a look at Late Afternoon's most recent post, you'll see that they look incredible. Yet more boots to detract from my bank account...

The little red dress: After wearing my shorts the other day (albeit indoors), I felt like I was getting a touch of spring spirit. This red dress with minuscule heart embroidery from Topshop, makes me feel the same way. I'm in need of buying stuff that brings a bit of sunlight to my wardrobe, but doesn't look too out of place while it's still chilly outside. Roll up pretty dresses in bright colours.

THE book: Now that I've finished my university work for the first semester, I can start to indulge in a little reading of my own. Justine Picardie's biography of Coco Chanel fits the bill perfectly. I found it here.

Is anyone watching Mary Portas's show tonight about customer service? I get so mad with sale assistants, especially during the January sales. I can never be bothered even looking through them because they're always so messy! What are your pet peeves when it comes to customer service?

Happy Wednesday! 

paint it black

Arrived at my boyfriend's house today. Usually I spend new year in Exmouth, where everyone dresses up and truly believes it's the best place on Earth, which is precisely why I'm spending it in Liverpool this year with him. This will be the third new year we've had together, but the first that we'll actually have spent together, if that makes sense? I've always spent my new year with friends rather than family, so I think we will be going out for a meal and then meeting friends for some drinks.

In one of my latest posts, I mentioned that the Christmas presents my boyfriend ordered from Asos still hadn't arrived. They were clearly paying attention because one arrived today (one is still MIA). I gave him a list of some dresses I had my eye on, which would be welcomed under my Christmas tree. He ended up going for this one. It's not quite my usual style and I'm worried it makes me look a bit frumpy. It comes with a slip underneath as the whole dress is sheer, and the size 10 fits perfectly. Like my other dress, I'm really happy with the length of this one. I'm wearing 'the boots' in the photos and, even though I only wore them around the house for a bit, my feet are aching! On the plus side they make my legs look amazingly long, but they also make me level with the giants. I like being taller than average, but not taller than everyone around me. Models must be huge! 

The photos don't really pick up on the detail of the dress - the website shows it off better, though the dress in real life seems to look quite different from the one on Asos. I wouldn't wear a necklace with this one because of the frill detail down the front, but I'd add lots of chunky, silver rings and maybe a floppy, 70s hat as seen on the website. I would've worn all my rings in the photos if I'd remembered to pack them!

hello Santa Claus

The stunning quality of these photos is all down to Mike, my master photographer...haha. I've been looking over the archives of some top blogs recently, and it would appear that everyone starts off a bit shaky, so bear with me on this. I never thought I'd even do outfit posts!

I also received The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo on DVD. I've just finished the triology of books, which were amazing. If you haven't read them, you must! It was so nice to read a book at my own pace and to read something that I genuinely wanted to. I have to read loads as part of my English course, at a rate that I'm sure is going to make me go prematurely blind!

I'm off to bed now to watch it. Hope you've all had a lovely day x

Christmas time

Selfridges strawberry and red velvet cupcakes.

Asos Dress, River Island knee high socks.

Hello lovelies. How're you all? Hope you've had a lovely Christmas holiday. Aside from my family all having flu, mine's been pretty good. I'll take a picture of the stuff I got tomorrow, as I'm starting to feel like I'm coming down with their bug too, so I'm tucked up in bed at the moment. The good news is I got the giant cupcake mould I've been wanting for ages. The not so good news is I also received a Snuggie, probably the second most unattractive garment after a Bandarf. It's pretty cosy though, so I won't complain too much. 

I had the best Christmas Eve in a long time as my Dad and I took my nephew and niece sledging near the beach. Sledging in the snow has got to be the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve, and it was so funny to see my five year old nephew flying off into the distance on his little sledge.

I decided to wear my latest Asos dress on Christmas day. Witness my severe lack of accessories: New Years Resolution - Buy more accessories. It's one of my favourite outfits at the moment, and it's such a good length. Dresses on the highstreet always come up a bit short on me, but this one is perfect. There's a few more dresses I've got my eye on too and I hope they'll be the same. I just remembered I also bought some boots last week from Asos in the sale. I won't tell you too much about them now because I'll probably post them tomorrow or later this week, but I definitely am in need of a second opinion.

Anyway, I'm off to watch a film in bed now and hope that I don't feel worse in the morning.

What did you guys get for Christmas? Link me if you've done a post on your presents. 

P.S If anyone is vaguely interested in my quest for the perfect cupcake, the Selfridges ones weren't all that special considering you can buy four at Tesco for the price of one of those. Recently tried Sainsbury's strawberry cupcakes and they weren't very nice. Seriously, Tesco red velvet all the way, until I bake the ultimate cupcake with my new mould !

very Miss Dolly

This week my radar has picked up on the quirky, cute feminine label TBA (To Be Adored). With fans including Fearne Cotton, Diana Vickers, and Lauren Conrad the brand is rapidly falling upon its fashionable feet, yet it's only just come to my attention. I'm thankful it has though, as it's given me some more lovely things to ponder over while I bask in the luxury that is handing in all of your University work.

I very, very rarely wear trousers. I have one pair of skinny jeans for Ugg days and a couple pairs of harems, which only go with heels and so aren't very ice friendly at the moment, therefore, I'm finding TBA's adorable dresses very easy to imagine slipping into a small gap in my wardrobe. They have a girly, demureness about them if you think in terms of their tendency toward peter pan collars, necklines to your...erm...neckline, and elbow/wrist length sleeves, which make them quite classic, however, quirky little details like pom poms on one of my favourite styles, and loose fitting dresses in rust colour velvet coupled with short hemlines make them modern and effortlessly cool. Here's some photos from the lookbook as featured on their website.

I'm really in need of the top left dress and the olive coat, bottom right. With prices tending to be above £100 though, they might have to be last minute additions to my Christmas list.
What do you think of TBA? Do you own any?

Source: TBA

erdem at matches

One of my absolute favourite designers, Erdem, has launched an exclusive capsule collection for Matches Fashion. I'm slightly disappointed that the print is the same across all the pieces, but nevertheless, it's a beautiful collaboration of blues, blacks, purples and hints of orange on the kind of timeless, elegant styles Erdem does so well. I'm a huge fan of the full length pieces he created for this winter- they're firmly on my dream wishlist, so it's no surprise that the 'Aurelia' is my pick of this collection.

For more pieces and further information visit matchesfashion.

What do you think of his exclusive collection? Something to add to your dream wishlist too?