Although it kind of looks like it was pretty warm outside when these photos were taken, it's actually just a trick of the light because it was freezing. We're starting to get the odd warmer day now which keeps tempting me to bring out some of my more summery clothes, and I keep having to remind myself that it's still only February and therefore won't be summer for a while yet. It's just those few warmer days are so deceptive, even though the majority of the time it's still really cold. In fact, we've actually had some snow today so I'm quite glad to be sitting inside writing this instead of out on the sea front where I'm sure it will be 'blowing a hoolie', as I heard someone say recently.

Despite the cold it was actually a really lovely day, so we took advantage to go and get some photos, and lo and behold just about managed to catch the much-coveted 'golden hour' just as the sun was starting to drop.





For this outfit I opted to style the May dress from Dolly and Dotty for a pretty glamorous look, which I think would be really great for a special event or maybe a car show. I even have some matching sunglasses which would have been perfect with this outfit and I was so excited about wearing them for the photos but obviously I managed to forget them when we actually went out.

I got this style in a UK size 10 again even though I was really undecided about whether to opt for a size 8 or a size 10. I seem to be pretty well in between sizes in Dolly and Dotty styles, and my other dresses are a mixture of size 8s and size 10s, and I'm never quite sure which I prefer. Definitely for the styles where I like wearing a polo neck underneath (for example the Petal dress) I like to go for a size 10 to make sure it's still comfortable to wear an extra layer underneath. I had originally decided that I might go for a size 8 in styles which I don't want to wear an extra layer underneath and which zip up the side, and a size 10 in ones where I don't want to wear an extra layer with but which zip up the back. I haven't really stuck with that though, and eventually decided to go for a size 10 in this style regardless.

As you might be able to tell, it is a little bit large on me, but I do find the larger size more comfortable to wear than the size 8, even if I do also like the way the size 8 looks like a better fit. Ultimately I think this comes down to individual comfort levels for those of you who might be in between sizes. If you're not sure which size to go for, it might be worth buying both sizes and trying them on to help make a decision.





This dress isn't lined as some of my other Dolly and Dotty dresses are, but the material holds its shape really nicely. I'm not wearing it with a petticoat here as I honestly don't wear petticoats all that often, so I do appreciate a skirt that has a nice amount of volume even without one. I really like the crossover style of the bust as it adds a bit of extra interest to the V neck. I normally avoid polka dots as I do think they can look a bit fancy dress, but I really like the look of the print on this particular dress as I think the cut of it keeps it looking classic and dressy.