Let me introduce you to my newest Dolly and Dotty dress, the Vanessa Classic 50s Inspired Check Dress in Navy. I took her for a spin in Windsor which I think might quickly become one of my go-to places for blog photos. This particular day we were expecting fine weather according to the forecast, and although it was nice all morning, we did get caught in a short hailstorm while walking around the town. Although it was really cold, it did give the streets an extra pretty touch for us walking around which I hope comes across a little bit in the photos.

I did really enjoy wearing this dress and exploring a few of the old streets. The location where these photos were taken is actually one of my favourites just opposite the castle; it has such a charming look to it. As far as the outfit goes, I thought long and hard about whether to get this dress or not - not because I have any kind of problem with Dolly and Dotty (I am still a big fan), but just because I am trying to be really conscious about what I bring into my wardrobe. At the moment I'm working really hard on making my clothing and makeup collections work for me, and work hard at that. With makeup I'm really into minimalism at the moment and I'm working on paring down my fairly large collection into just a core set of products that I love and wear every day. With my wardrobe, the goal is less minimalism and more cohesion. I definitely didn't set out to get myself into this position but over the last few years my wardrobe has become more and more print-heavy and as such I do find that I have a number of items in different patterns which I find really hard to match with other things.

I have earmarked some items for sale and to give to charity, which will hopefully allow me to see the wood for the trees a little bit better but in the meantime I am kind of trying to avoid prints a bit in favour of buying plain items so I can mix and match a bit more easily. It's a slow process because I'm still more or less on a self-imposed spending ban as far as clothes go, but I'm still accepting some brand sponsorships (which I am very very grateful for) that I still need to consider in the same way.

Anyway, I really loved this dress when I saw it on the Dolly and Dotty website and since it's blue and a check print I felt like it would work well in my wardrobe. When it arrived I ended up feeling completely justified in my decision. It was basically love at first sight, I mean look:






It's just very me. It's sooo cute and sweet without being girlish. My friend Aliesha said it makes her think of me cycling along in the summer with a picnic, and I know exactly what she means. I'm living my Summer Holiday or maybe Come September fantasy. (Hmm, Cliff or Rock? Cliff or Rock...?).

I'm wearing a size 8 which is a little tight on me around the shoulders but I currently match the size 8 bust and waist measurements much better than for the size 10.I'm always in between sizes in Dolly and Dotty and just fluctuate a bit between being closer to the size 8 and closer to the size 10 - if only there was a size 9 available! Anyway, it also has a red lining which is quite unusual. It shows through the white squares just the teeniest bit if you get right up close, but it isn't noticeable when you're wearing the dress unless someone is closer than is really polite!






Hopefully soon I'll be able to show you some other views of Windsor as it really is beautiful. Please do keep an eye out for my bits coming up for sale and let me know in the comments if you have any preferences for where I should be selling things. Is through the blog or on Facebook good or would we prefer to stick to Etsy?

See you soon!