Dressing For Summer

Of all the clothes I own, three are appropriate for the warm summer weather and all but one are maxi dresses. Shopping around as a fat girl for summer clothes that are flattering (read: not made of skin tight jersey material and don't come four inches up my thighs), practical (not too short, not too tight fitting) and in my style is pretty depressing. I find things I like to find them not in a flattering cut for a larger stomach/arms or I'll find something that's just far too short. I'm not uncomfortable with my body but it's an ongoing battle so while I'll happily wear a short skirt with tights in Autumn and Winter with layered cardigans and accessories, I feel a little bare during summer.

When this Monte Carlo dress popped through my letterbox ℅ Boden I was a little worried about sizing. I was so glad to see Boden stock up to a size 22 so I'd asked for the 22 but it came in the size smaller so I thought I'd try it on and have a look as I rarely have any luck with sizing being spot on in any shop. Surprisingly, it not only fits but has a lot of room in everything except the bust (it pulls a little bit but with a little readjusting it's fine - excuse the tiny flashes of my bra!) and I'm really happy with the way it hangs. This light material shirt dress style of dress really flatters me because it nips in at the waist comfortably and flares out to just above the knee and gives the 50's shape without going full on parody of the era. The detail is a beautiful blue described as Mediterranean blue that contrasts with the cream well without being loud and generally, I'm just pleased as punch with the whole look.

I've worn this twice on consecutive days - once with flat cream sandals and again with brown leather ankle boots and a matching waist belt to toughen the look up slightly and it's pretty much my go-to dress when I want something pretty, practical and cool for the weather. In the Autumn I think wellies and a chunky knit cardigan will be the perfect aids to transition it from season to season so I can't wait to style it different ways and see which look best. I may seem a bit silly because so overly in love with a dress but I'd had my eye on it for ages and since there's such a limit within my budget that I can actually say I feel good wearing, I think this love is justified.

Also, please bear with me on the outfit shots. I intend to post more fashion oriented posts in the future but I'm really bad with photographing them myself, finding the right back drop and generally being comfortable full on body-wise in front of the lens. The more I find my ground with my personal style the more I'll feel great about photographing them so surely it's an excuse to buy more clothes?