June 16, 2015

Today I’m feeling …. blue

Hurray the sun is shining and currently not a cloud in the sky. So why am I feeling blue? Well, it’s all about the colour blue, specifically navy blue and not my mood, which if it were a colour would be yellow.

The catwalks were full of blues for this spring/summer season from gorgeous azures through to palest ice tones, never mind the abundance of blue denim that sashayed down the runway. However, this isn’t really about fashion or trend, more about the practicalities of dressing and on this score navy blue wins hands down every time. And this is not just a personal preference, it is a universal: black can simply be too harsh a colour against a lot of people but navy brings softness and warmth to the party. Think of black as your neat vodka and navy as it’s eminently more drinkable cocktail, softened with a mixer. (In the case of navy this is actually orange, red and blue just in case you are interested).

Navy does have one crucial thing in common with black: it is incredibly flattering and slimming so what is there not to like?

The other great thing about navy is that it season-less and looks equally look all year round. So when I look at the summer dresses I have bought, what colour do you think they all are…. yep you guessed it, navy. I am generally more of a trouser girl, mainly because I tend to feel the cold so it needs to be sub tropical for me to get my pins out, but I, like most of you, have this notion of needing a summer dress to wear casually. What for when we have precious little sunshine? Well for today and hopefully tomorrow as well and definitely for going on holiday.

This season has been all about the shirt dress out on the high street and I have bagged a couple which I love. The first one is a navy popper front sleeveless shirt dress from New Look and a bit of a steal at £19.99. Wear with a tan heel, espadrilles or an interesting flat sandal for various looks.

I used to be a bit snobby about New Look but, this season, their footwear is definitely back on the money and they have some good little styles in store too, particularly if you want to dip your toe in the 70’s trend without looking too literal – check out their printed kimono jackets which would equally look lovely with skinny jeans and a heel. Anyway I digress.

The other style is a denim Moto contrast stitch shirt dress from Topshop £40 and this is a definite winner for the Autumn too as will work equally well with tights and boots and a long line cardigan layered over for extra warmth. Okay – maybe not strictly navy blue but a dark denim and definitely in the blue family. I have added my own tan belt but it comes with a self-fabric one.

If you don’t want anything quite so belted then Gap has a great slub t-shirt dress £24.95 which is perfect for the beach or dressing up with a pair of espadrilles or heels for a summer BBQ. Add a bit of bling and off you go. What is great about this style is that there is a bit of gentle shaping through the middle so doesn’t leave you feeling too boxy and baggy but equally hides any lumps and bumps so is perfect for a lot of body shapes. Incidentally they also come in an array of other colours such as coral which would be just as good on holiday.

Shaped tunic dresses are a great style for all shapes as they skim over the bits we want to hide and this embroidered organza dress from Warehouse £45 has lovely cutwork detail around the neckline. Another one to dress up or down.

I haven’t purchased a maxi dress for a number of years but they can be super flattering on particularly if there is an empire line seam and/or some shaping through the waist (perfect for apple shaped ladies and anyone not wanting anything clinging to their tummy – i.e. the majority of the population).

This Michael Kors dress is a stunner: navy jersey maxi dress from Michael Kors £180 and would work very well for a more formal summer event but also can be dressed down with flat sandals. I don’t love how this is styled on the model as doesn’t look the most contemporary. However, this dress is beautiful in the flesh and looks much cooler on a real person (I promise). It would be a good investment as it is timeless in the right way. Add a gold cuff and the aforementioned flat sandals for a modern look.

My friend emailed me some pictures of her in a couple of dresses as she didn’t know which one to choose to wear to a wedding. I don’t think you can go wrong with a lace tunic. Add a hat, nude courts and bag for a sophisticated church wedding or, the other great thing about navy is that it works so well with brightly coloured accessories and jewellery. I appreciate this is not particularly helpful as I don’t have the retailer/details for this particular dress because it is not this season. It does give you the idea about all-pervading power of navy to take you from beach to bar via the office and a wedding or two! (Check out Reiss, John Lewis own brand and Alice Temperly at John Lewis for some lacey numbers and their even more on-trend, geometric cutwork, SS15, counterparts.)