Polka dots and pockets

I’ve been having a run of good luck lately when it comes to matching my outfit to my backdrops.

Actually, scratch that: not only does it make me sound ever so slightly crazy, it also makes it sound like it’s something that I do on purpose, whereas the truth is that I’m far too disorganised for those kind of shenanigans. I mean, I DO sometimes decide to go all matchy-matchy with my surroundings (that nautical look will get ya every time, won’t it?), but on this occasion it was entirely coincidental, and mostly just down to the fact that when a fashion blogger sees a white wall, she HAS to pose in front of it. It’s like a reflex: it’s what we’re trained for. If they made “Standing in Front of White Walls” an Olympic sport, I’d finally be able to realise my dream of representing Great Britain (without actually having to do any pesky sport), but until then, I’ll just have to content myself as best I can.

Anyway, this dress was a gift from Collectif last Christmas, and I’ll be honest: I’ve kind of struggled to find a way to wear it that isn’t totally identical to how I wore it back then. Luckily it’s not a dress that needs much in the way of accessorising: those polka dots speak for themselves really, and I think that, with a dress like this, the sheer simplicity of the cut is a large part of the appeal. Having said that, I’ve been finding myself less into my usual 50s/pin-up inspired style this summer. I still love the look of it, don’t get me wrong, but it somehow doesn’t feel quite ME any more, which is one of the reasons I’ve been drawn to more casual/classic looks instead. I know Sian has mentioned having the same kind of thoughts lately, and about feeling a bit too OTT in some of her retro-inspired pieces, and I know what she means: I think I’ll always like that look, but one of the best things about personal style is that it’s constantly changing and evolving, so who knows where it’ll take you next! (Probably to the ASOS website, if past experience is anything to go by…)

One thing that will probably NEVER change, however, is my love of white walls. Well, can you blame me?