what to wear for afternoon tea

As promised, I've decided to do a guide on what to where for afternoon tea at The Ritz, or any other venue that is as lovely and posh. Before I went I really struggled to know what to wear. I didn't want to look over or under dressed. Obviously it needed to be smart but appropriate for the day-time. As well as this, most people will be travelling around the city during the day so it has to be practical as well as formal. Here are my suggestions! Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section!

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a dress. Whether it be short, long, fitted, floaty, black, white or printed, there will be a dress out there for you. The biggest problem is finding one that fits perfectly and suits your budget. Below are some examples of different types of dresses that are all £85 or cheaper (most around £40 and are off the high-street) and come in a variety of sizes. As well as dresses, I have also included an alternative if dresses aren't your thing...

 When I went to The Ritz, I decided to pick a bright statement red lip but keep my nails simple with a clear pearly polish. I wanted my look (see here) to be quite minimalist and chic as opposed to pretty or colourful or girly. I wore a black dress with an off-white crocheted collar, black tights, black heeled ankle boots, an off-white satchels and pearls as my jewellery. I made the statement in my red lipstick and all black ensemble (which is very unlike me!)

I think it's important that you make the decision as to which part of your look you want to be the statement. If you are wearing a bright quirky patterned silk swing dress, maybe pick a neutral shoe and bag, some simple jewellery with a nice statement lipstick and neutral nails. That way your outfit has a focus. If that isn't your style then obviously do your own thing. It's important you feel comfortable.

 In terms of heels vs. flats, it all depends on which you are used to and feel comfortable in. If you can wear heels for a brief period of time, wear flats up while travelling but take a pair of heels with you to change into. You can get flats that fold up and can be easily stored in your hand bag so really, it's your choice. Obviously, if you are used to roaming the city in a pair of heels you are already sorted and if, like some, you don't wear heels then there are plenty of fancy flats on the high-street.

All the images in this post (excluding the first two which were taken from my previous post) were sourced from Monsoon, ASOS and Boohoo. The dresses are a mix of straight and plus sizes, as all three brands do both.
 This post is to give some inspiration as to what is appropriate to wear for afternoon tea at a venue like The Ritz. Obviously fashion varies from place to place and what is acceptable may change depending on the city, venue and person. This post is based on my experience when I went to The Ritz in London last week. If you want to read more about my trip and see my outfit then click here.

Happy Wednesday!

the kimono

Today I wore my favourite kimono. It's another gem from Newlook. My jeans and top and shoes are also from Newlook. I believe I am currently supporting the company single handed.  

My bag is from Dorothy Perkins. I bought it while I was up in London at The Ritz for afternoon tea on Wednesday (see post here).

Sunglasses are from River Island. 

Necklace is from Accessorize.

Really loving kimonos at the moment. They are so comfortable, easy to wear and can make an outfit as simple as a black top and distressed jeans look quite interesting. I already have a black chiffon one (see here) but I'm now after a fringed one and also a longer one that is summer coat-like. How cute would that be?!

Anyway, 

Happy Sunday Y'all!

afternoon tea at the ritz

Yesterday me, my sister and my mum caught the train to London to go to afternoon tea at The Ritz.

It was honestly one of the best things I have done. The tea was amazing as was the food but mostly it was the atmosphere I loved...oh and the powder room. I have never seen such a beautiful bathroom. I walked in and it was empty so I  reapplied my Chanel lipstick, tweaked my hair and took a few photos. It was a big contrast to using a public toilet earlier that day. I try and block out that memory though and just remember it as the day I went to The Ritz and everything was beautiful and posh and perfect.

 I had previously been worrying over what I would wear as I had no idea what the dress code was except I knew it was formal but not too evening-y. I've decided to do a post on what to wear to the ritz sometime next week (EDIT: See post here) because I spent a long time searching for a blog article and found nothing so keep an eye out for that! Hopefully it will help someone. 

In the end I chose a black swing dress with an off-white crochet collar, black tights, heeled ankle boots, pearls, red lipstick and an off-white satchel. I was really happy with my outfit and was happy because originally I assumed I'd just go for floral but it felt nice to be wearing something a little different for me. You can't really go wrong with black and white.

[Dress + Boots Newlook Tights Primark Bag Dorothy Perkins Lipstick Chanel]

Anyway, I thought I'd share my pictures from yesterday (the last three are of Fortnum and Mason) . I didn't take my camera as it's so heavy and I didn't want to have to put it on the table while we ate. Instead I used my iPhone which I feel a bit naughty using as I have such a lovely camera but in the end I got some lovely pictures and it seemed a lot more appropriate for the situation.  

Happy Thursday! 

I plan to relax all day cause tonight I'm off out for a catch up over drinks with a friend I haven't seen for a while. What're your plans?

how I deal with a bad hair day

Today I woke with terrible hair. It was a bit greasy at the roots and seemed to have acquired a lot of volume overnight. I consoled myself with a plan to hide out in my house in my onesie but then my mum and sister suggested we went out for lunch and ruined everything! I'm trying to not wash my hair everyday (like I used to) cause firstly, it's bad for your hair and secondly, my shampoo and conditioner are quite expensive. Although today was actually my hair wash day, I'm going to London tomorrow to The Ritz for afternoon tea and I want my hair to look lovely and fresh so I was going to drag it out for another day but then everything went wrong and I needed a change of plan *breaathees*.

I decided to implement my back up plan. The messy bun that hides everything, takes no time and can be passed off as a nice casual hair style...that is, until you post about it online and reveal everything. This is how my hair looked this morning (after I showered and did my make-up of course). All the pics were taken on my iPhone so excuse the quality...

First I brushed all the knots out of my hair. Then sprayed a rather generous amount of dry shampoo throughout. I then rubbed it in to make sure there were no white powdery areas and put my hair into a tight high ponytail. I then put the bun over the ponytail, wrapped my fluffy hair around it so the bun could no longer be seen and secured with another hair band a couple of hair grips. 

Here's the finished result! 

Disclaimer: I know this isn't a revolutionary solution, post or hair style however it does exactly what it needs to do and takes no time so, when/if you are in this situation, try it!

Happy Tuesday!

the swing dress

Friday was my amazing little brother's 18th birthday. We celebrated by going in a stretched limo, drinking champagne (while he drunk J20's) and then meeting family friends out for a meal. I decided to wear something a little different for me and so I thought it'd be nice to share on here.
I tend to be a bit obsessed with wearing leggings (you may have noticed) and also fitted clothing...meaning I am scared of anything that may resemble a sac cause I don't wanna look like I'm covering up too much at the risk of frump. I previously despised swing dresses as I was always scared they would make me look like I was wearing a tent but this dress (see here) sits nice across my chest and catches my hips on the way down so you can see my shape. I would have never picked it online but I randomly ended up trying it on while out shopping a few weeks back. I think I was drawn to the floral 90's grunge pattern and decided to toughen it up with my biker boots which I got for £12. I don't like looking too girly and florally and pink. A clash of styles always works quite nicely. As well as the dress, I am also wearing tights which you will rarely see me in, however, I think I may start wearing them more, just obviously not too much in the summer!

The day was crazily busy (read as fun) so I only managed to get a couple of pictures on my iPhone but they are good enough that you can see my outfit properly, although I do look 4ft in the third picture!?

Swing dress + Boots Newlook Tights + Cardigan Primark Necklace + Bag Accessorize

Anyway, 
Happy Weekend!

ginger ombre

I've always wanted to dye my hair but something has always stopped me. At the last moment I'd get freaked out. Growing up, people told me it would ruin my hair, I'd never get my ginger back, I wouldn't suit it, the roots would look awful and my hair would turn green. GREEN. Because of this wealth of unasked for advice, it has taken me twenty-one years to finally do the unthinkable...

I decided to ombre my ginger hair with blonde on Thursday. Admittedly my hair could've taken more bleach but my hairdresser seemed scared about ruining my hair as it had never been dyed before. In some lights it isn't as noticeable as I would like but hey, start small, right? I will definitely ask them to keep the bleach on for longer next time (yes, next time!) but I am really happy with the results. To anyone out there who is scared to dye their hair but wants to, just ombre or dip-dye it. If you hate it it will grow out or, depending on how long your hair is, you can cut it off. Take a risk!

On a side note, please excuse the very fashionable washing line in the background and the wind that decided to intrude into my photos. I also decided to share what I'm wearing today. It's nothing exciting or overly special, just thought it was a nice simple outfit and perfect for a lazy day.

[Head to toe Newlook. Necklace - Accessorize] 

Happy Sunday Y'all :)

my new river island purse

My lovely Cath Kidston purse broke a few weeks ago. The zip went crazy and started refusing to open/close so yesterday, while watching Modern Family, I decided to get ready and go buy a new one. I've been eyeing up the lovely purses in River Island since February and was caught between a plain black (goes with everything), a white claspy (seems grown-up) and a lime green tassel purse (doesn't go with everything) and ultimately decided on the last. Who cares if it doesn't go with everything. It's a purse. Its main function is to hold my money and cards and hoard receipts and old train tickets. It stays in my bag most of the time so when it does make an appearance, it should be worth it. I also like that it is very different for me. I love the floral-pastel-kitsch-little-bubble I've been living in but it comes a time when you need to mix it up a bit, right?

If I had more money and a better (or worse?) rationalising system, I'd have bought a beautiful Kate Spade wallet and it would go everywhere with me and it'd be my best friend forever and I'd never be mean to it or replace it. However, if I get bored with this purse in six weeks, six months or a year then the fact it only cost me £15 makes buying its replacement a little easier on my conscience. All in all, I'm rather happy with this 'purse'chase.

As an after thought, I feel I should mention that River Island don't do student discount. Firstly, what the hell? and secondly, I found this out the hard way. The lady at the till had just beckoned me over to the counter with the Anyone waiting? line. I go to the counter where she stands, old purse in one hand, new purse in the other. I pass the new purse I am buying to her and she tells me that's fifteen pound. I say, oh I have my student discount card and pass said card to her. She takes it, looks at the terrible picture of me and says (very loudly so everyone in the line/shop/town can hear) we don't do student discount so it's still fifteen pound. To this, I put my debit card in the machine and quickly leave while refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the shop. 

Anyway, Happy Saturday!